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History of Candasville
(Compiled by “S”)
Located east of Wellandport, north shore the the Welland river, also known as the Chippawa creek. Originally named Port Fanny by William Peckham of Wellandport. The name was changed to Candasville in honour of its oldest resident Mrs. Candas Snure. She was born about 1812 and died March 12, 1899 at age eighty-seven.
Candasville included twelve large farms, three stores, a crockery, a wagon shop, two blacksmith shops, a sawmill, a cooperage, a brickyard.
South of the settlement was a bridge across the Welland river. A wooden bridge was built in five parts, two slopes up, a level piece and two slopes down. A half moon bridge replaced it and served for thirty years. Freeman Hodgkins later constructed a steel bridge.
The navigation on the river was made up of rafts of logs, barges and tugs. The barges and tugs were used to carry cord wood loaded from the banks by wheelbarrows. Some of the tugs had hinged smoke stacks to allow them to pass under bridges.
The farmers prided themselves on raising excellent grain, cattle and sheep. Large cow bells were tied on the sheep which were marked. William Disher employed his oxen to draw cord wood to St Catharines..
James Marshall, who owned a store bought butter, cream, cheese and eggs took them to St Catharines, sold them and bought goods and groceries which he sold in his store.
The crockery was south of the house Mr. Bray owned. Mr Gifford owned the wagon shop across from Mr Marshall’s store. Benjamin Rogers owned a blacksmith shop and Mr, Lloyd owned another blacksmith shop.
The sawmill owned by John MacDonald had a brick chimney seventy feet high and four feet in diameter. Square timber lumber, shingles were manufactured..
Cornelius Bertan operated a brickyard, later the L.F Blanchard farm. Clay was dug from the riverbank put into a pit, moistened with water and then put into a mixer driven by horse power. It was pressed into forms holding six bricks each. The forms were then removed to level ground, inverted, the forms removed and the bricks were allowed to dry. Then a kiln baked them.
One mile west of Candasville was an ashery along the river. Labourers worked there three days for a dollar.
Candasville had recreation, in summer there was swimming and fishing. They fished through the cracks in the rafts of logs which floated down to the sawmill. In the winter there was skating on the creek, also ice races for the horses. At one time there was a football team.
Some of the people who lived in Candasville:
Bertram
Blanchard
Carl
Clark
Davis
Erion
Goss
Haney
Hodgkins
Lymburner
Misner
Robins
Silverthorn
Snure
Traver
Wiley
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