04 Nov, 2009
Exploring Barrhaven part 3: The story behind Lytle Park
Posted by andrea tomkins in: Misc. life|Ottawa
Who knew that I had this much to say about Barrhaven!
In my last posts we had been exploring the Nepean Quarry and had participated in a little bit of geocaching. My legs were killing me but the girls desperately wanted to play in the little playground near where our car was parked. This park is called Lytle Park. On Google maps it’s actually named Fallowfield Park.
There’s a baseball diamond nearby which features some open water right behind it (which is too bad for anyone who hits one over the fence):
… and some more apple trees.
Do you ever wonder how places get their names? I rarely do. But a nearby plaque had caught my eye so despite my hurtin’ body and the chill in the air I wandered over and read it. Three times over. This is what it said:
James Lytle was just 17 when he came to Canada from County Cavan, northern Ireland, around 1855. He acquired 100 acres of land on Moodie Drive, built a log home, and began what eventually would become an impressive apple orchard. James was joined over the next few years by his mother, sister and brother, and in time married Letitia (Ludlow) with whom he raised nine children. His brother John Lytle, ran shot gun for travellers to and from Bells Corners which earned him the nickname Blunderbuss Lytle (for the Blunderbuss shotgun he carried). The Lytle farm was passed down through the family until it was sold in 1956.
That explains all the apples, doesn’t it?
I don’t know why I find all of this so compelling. Someone lived here over 100 years ago and tried to make a go of it. I started to search for other information and found a bunch here. But I will summarize:
- James (Jimmy) Lytle was born in 1837 and died in 1910. (In fact, here’s a photo of his gravestone. James and his wife were both buried at St. Paul’s United Cemetary in Richmond.)
- He had apprenticed as a jeweller in Ireland.
- He came over alone and acquired 100 acres of land on Moodie Drive in Nepean Township, Con.IV, Lot #22.
- The following year he sent for his Mother and sister, Fannie and a year or so after that his brother, John. James built a log house on the property and two barns, the first of which burned down and had to be rebuilt.
- He planted a large apple orchard that was said to be quite impressive. He apparently was very successful at drafting and at one time had four different kinds of apples growing in his orchards.
- He met his wife Letisha Ludlow (b1844 – d1921) in New York city. Letitia’s family was Pennsylvania Dutch and owned and operated a hotel in Philadelphia. Letitia was working in a hotel in New York when she met James Lytle and he brought her and her sister, Rosanna Ludlow, back with him to the homestead.
- James and Letitia were married and raised nine children, four daughters and five sons. Their children’s names are Elizabeth, Jack, Watt, William, Letitia, Della, Mabel, Hughie and Herbert Ludlow Lytle.
- All of their daughters married young men from neighbouring farms.
- All of James and Letitia Lytle’s children were born on the farm in Fallowfield, Ontario. They farmed and raised their family here. There were three other children who died in infancy, two of whom were actually buried on the farm property. The following are names and dates of birth for the children whose records have been found:
- Adella Rose Lytle: born July 30, 1870.
- Letitia Lytle: born August 26, 1872.
- John James Lytle: born September 23, 1874.
- William Thomas Lytle: born October 7, 1878.
- Frances Mabel Lytle: born September 20, 1880.
- Mulvina Mabel Lytle: born June 9, 1882.
- Hugh Walter Lytle: born: August 31, 1884.
- Herbert Ludlow Lytle: born August 23, 1886 and died October 1969
Here’s a photo of their homestead. (!)
And here are some of their family photos.
I haven’t been able to figure out whether the place where we had been poking around – with the old foundation and the rusty car – was the location of the family home or not. Maybe it’s the old stone foundation near the foot of the Lytle Park?:
I’m not a superstitious person, but I wonder whether the reason I felt so morose during our explore was a result of the weather or something else. Like maybe because there might be two infants buried somewhere on the property? I’m not sure if they’re still there.
It is nice that the old city of Nepean saw fit to erect a plaque in James Lytle’s memory, but seeing that broken tea cup and the ghost of the rusty washing machine and the crumbling foundation and the dead apples made me sad. I can’t really explain why. Maybe because our lives here are so short, and to have our lives represented by some broken bits and dusty photos depresses me to no end. Our lives are mere whispers. Maybe that’s the bigger reason why I’m driven to write? Because I want to leave some kind of trace?
Oh look at me getting all morose and philosophical. Let’s move on, shall we? SOMEONE NEEDS A COFFEE! (Like me. Gah.)
So we all piled back into the car, cold and hungry.
If it wasn’t so close to dinner we would have gone to a fave new find of mine for coffee and snacks. But more on that tomorrow. :)
