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a neighborly place but in airport plans altona weve progressed a lot of ways as far as things go but the feeling is really lost that was how a longtime resident of altona summed up her feelings about the community to the tribune last week the community of altona comes under the plans for the pickering airport and now most lifetime residents have moved away or have plans to move the old neigh borhood as we knew it thats old history now remarked fred lewis proprietor of altona feed and supplies and a lifetime resident most older residents have moved to other rural areas around ontario lindsay peterborough barrie orillia stratford and elsewhere but as mrs bert lewis puts it when youve been there that long the roots get awful deep its hard to pull out mrs lewis and her husband lived in the altona area much of their lives and now reside on watson drive stouffville in the old days as bert lewis 80 recalls it you went to stouffville on a saturday night and you knew everybody that was the main shopping night and the streets would be lined with horses i- v fju their son fred described altona as just one of the little rural communities that con tained a pond to swim in and a school yard to play ball in and a general store to buy a chocolate bar ia fred a former councillor in uxbridge township had proposed a plan a few years ago to move some of the historic buildings from altona to a new site to be called new altona the plan also called for moderatelypriced housing for people ex propriated from the airport lands the scheme died however for lack of support from township and regional government the proposed location was on century city land by now most families are already living in new homes far from altona others such as desmond and adelaide kerr have made plans for a new life they are- setting- up a christian camp called canip agape near huntsville the kerrs came to altona from toronto about 25 years ago and soon learned to ap preciate the community altona was special just in the way the community is expected to function said mrs kerr like at a funeral everything that has to be done is done by the neighbors that know you the kerrs older children attended the one- room school where there was a real closeness amongst the kids like a family a real per- sonalness about mrs kerr said some of the happy times that mrs kerr remembers were quilting bees and sewing classes held in various homes in the winter they were really just an excuse for a get together and a gab she said they also thought back to using battery- powered crank phones with 15 to 18 comembers i on a party line and never r ihaving jtheir v sideroacf ploughed in the win- tertime but the most memorable aspect of altona were the neigh bors when albert foster on the ninth line had his barn burnt down the neighbors rebuilt it and when a visitor from the city got stuck in the snow neighbor stanley reesor hooked up his team and pulled them out although t he- buildings in altona may remain for several years those flesh and blood people who made the old community are now but a few even if the airport hadnt come in mr kerr said something was changing imonklioiise was a wellrespected name in altona among the eaily scttlers tlicic in 181 joseph monkhousc came to canada and a eai- later set up a stoic in altona thai came to be known in the disti ittfor its fine tableware the above gravestone is found in the cemetery beside the old meiinoiiite church this building- was first used as hotel thw general storerand then apartments it 7uasknouii as the looksee liroun hotel and it is said that many hairraising events topvplacc uicrcoperatiiig thebiiilding as a store beginning in 12i was oliver iwadill who retired in 1u55 story and pictures by tedwilcox old buildings remain altona s pioneers the frank harkey home is one of altonas oldest at the top of the picture the inscription db 1857 can be seen carved into a stone the home was built by daniel harkey ancestor of frank who settled at the farm in 1817 altona even with the threat of an airport nearby altona today has a peaceful appearance to it its remaining graceful old buildings and houses tell a story of simpler less hectic times people were more friendly folks dropped in to see you without a special invitation that was the recollection of mrs barkis reesor- of hospitalityin her grand mothers day as stated in a presentation to the altona womens institute in 1926 dancing skating sunday school picnics logging bees sleighriding parties were all en joyed she wrote fathers word was law all were concerned for soul saving and church attendance altona was predominately a men- nonite settlement from its early days as the story is r the two oldest living residents of altona hert andstanley lewis are shown here on tlhcir paicntsfarm in 1897 from left to right arc their father ttiomasbertithcirmrfiicr janc and stanley- today bert lives on watson drive stouffville while stanley still resides in altona- v k ivrttcvf told in from paths to planes a history of the claremont area names such as nighswander reesor barkey and monkhouse were well known and highly respected in this pioneer settlement some of the land marks include the old hotel later used as a general store and today as apartments in 1850 a store was begun by joseph monkhouse which became well known forits abundant stock of groceries and dry goods as well as fancy china thecider mill still in operation last fall had originally been used for a woollen mill saw mill and grist mill formerly up to a ton of apple butter was being produced there but the con centration of late has been on cider the farmers of altona were involved mostly in mixed farming and the farms were handed down generation to generation one of the last remaining is the barkey farm operated by frank barkey member- of the sixth generation from daniel barkey who settled in altona in 184 another important landmark in the com munity is the community centre converted from a oneroom srhoolhouse the present building was built in 1911 a recollection of the early schooling is given by abijah jones who died in 1889 within the walls of the old brick schoolhouse he wrote we often felt the sting of the schoolteachers five- fingered strap or the rod on one oc casion be sent one of the boys down to the head of the old mill pond to cut a- rbd as the old one was getting used up by con tinual use the oldest standing building in the com munity is the old men- nonite church built about 1853 the church there had connections with those mennonites settling in whitchurch and markham townships and services have always been in circuit with others in the district according to from paths to planes py he altona missionary church was erected in 1875 with several alterations made since then this old dam nowfallen into disrepair formerly powered a mill owned by four generations of nighswanders the mill was first a woollen mill than a saw mill than a grist mill and finally a cider mill today the mill is poweied by a studebaker car engine rather than water the mcnnonitc church in altona is the oldest building in the community- being erected in 1852 prior iloichat meetings were held in a log school on he north cornerof llicr prgscncorrimunity centre property f