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Jerry & Marilyn Stephenson host the event It was all about the
volunteers at the Southampton Propeller Club and Marine Heritage Society
annual Volunteer Appreciation on Wednesday, September 10th.
Propeller Club Head, Gordon Webb
Larry LaPage, Chair of the Marine Heritage Society The
organization usually meets at the historic Walker House in Southampton
but, this year, it was hosted by Jerry and Marilyn Stephenson at their
100-year-old cottage, the former Rescue/Life Saving Station. The
cottage, purchased by the Stephensons two years ago, is today on the
Beach Road but, at one time, it straddled the long dock of Southampton.
Because of the many shipwrecks that occurred in the waters surrounding
Chantry Island, lying offshore from Southampton, the government of the
day finally decided to build a Rescue/Life Saving Station. The building
was designed to house a 27 ft. long rescue boat while the upstairs was
used as sleeping quarters for the rescue crew. The boat was kept in the
station and, over winter, it was hoisted up inside by a pulley system,
the evidence of which still remains in the beams of the upstairs
ceiling.
As rail transport of goods became more prevalent and shipping declined,
the building was no longer needed and, in 1937, it was closed and
subsequently, in 1938, was sold to the Deibil family from Allenford.
Hector Deibil, an astute businessman with a thriving lumber business,
had several rental properties and the Rescue Station was added to the
list, until he sold it.
The Stephensons are only the fourth private owners in the building's 100
year history. The family who held the property for the longest time was
the Sneiders. Every summer for 59 years, they vacationed at the
cottage, opening it on May 24th and closing it on Thanksgiving each
year. Today, they live only a short distance from it and attended the
gathering on Wednesday.
The Stephensons' pride in the old station is evident throughout. What
could be retained has been. The paneled walls look like new even though
it was Hector Deibil who installed them some 70 years ago and a piece of
plywood, signed by Deibel, remains unpainted. The ceiling upstairs
remains the same with an original window still there and, even though
the fireplace now has gas, it too is still there.
"I can't help but think of the cottage as a 'she'," says Marilyn
Stephenson. "I refer to 'her' all the time and how we have to keep
'her' beautiful historic features. To me, we are the caretakers of this
remarkable old building."
Barbershop Quartet provided the entertainment (next column)
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(continued)
Barbershop Quartet provided the entertainment
Mrs. Macauley remembers visiting the station as a
young girl
Long-time Southamptonite, Virginia Greathead of the
Greathead Suckers
A model of how it once looked and now housed in the
Bruce County Museum
The open beam ceiling
Evidence of the pulley system
Over 100 Volunteers gather together
Jane Kramer tells of her days as a lifeguard in
1947 to 1954
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