The self-guided tour featured stops at some of Quyon’s most notable sites, including the Egan Mill near the Quyon River and the Mohr House on Clarendon Street, where visitors were invited to tour the grounds and interior.

Nearby garden owners Eric and Katharine Fletcher, as well as Elwyn Lang and Heather Barr also opened their gardens to the public for tours as part of the event.

Organizer Elizabeth Young said the inclusion of the Mohr House offered a rare chance to peek inside one of Quyon’s oldest buildings.

“We decided, as another historical site in town, that we would ask them if we could also welcome people to go through there, and they were more than happy to accommodate us,” she said.

The Mohr House was built in 1862 by Walton Smith, assistant to lumber baron John Egan who later served as mayor of Onslow, mayor of Quyon and as warden of Pontiac County. In 1873 it was sold to William Mohr, son of pioneer John C. Mohr. The home has remained in the Mohr family as a summer residence for generations.

Jan Vuori and Liz Wichman, Mohr’s descendants and summer residents of the home, said it was a no-brainer for them to join the tour when members of the church approached them about the event.

“We had a connection to the church, and also we thought it would be a good idea for the town to be able to [see the house],” Wichman said.

Saturday morning at the United Church, volunteers had a different kind of history on display – an array of quilts made by women in the community, draped over the pews.

One red-and-white quilt dated to the late 1800s. “It’s unique, it’s all handwork,” said Linda Hobbs, a local quilting expert who was able to identify the quilt as being made in the Hawaiian style.

“They’re not common today,” she said.

Another quilt, made in 1975 for the United Church’s 50th anniversary, features 84 embroidered squares, each made by a different woman in the congregation.

Young said most of the quilters have been identified, but about 10 remain unknown because the stitchwork is not clear enough to make out the names.

“We’re hoping family members might help us to identify the blocks,” she said.

Young said the thinking behind displaying the quilts was to show off the contributions women have made to the community and the church over the years.

“It’s the 150th anniversary of Quyon, and it’s the 100th of the United Church [of Canada], so we thought, ‘why not show off some of the quilts?”

Young said the United Church’s resiliency in Quyon has remained strong compared to other congregations in the area that may have lost members.

“We have more young people than most churches, and about 30 years ago we combined services in Quyon instead of splitting with Beechgrove. That’s helped us stay strong.”

Elizabeth Young shows off some of the quilts brought by local quilters to be displayed for the day. Photo: K.C. Jordan

Irene Clarke holds the quilt she put together 50 years ago that features 84 embroidered squares, each made by a member of the United Church’s congregation. Photo: Dianne McCann

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