AYLESFORD

By Kari Bezanson 2-W, Age 8 of Aylesford

By Jason Keddy 2-W, Age 8 of Aylesford

By Jade Saunders 2-W, Age 8 of Aylesford

By Joshua Shelley 2-W, Age 8 of Aylesford

Aylesford got its name from the fourth Earl of Aylesford who was Lord of the Bedchamber to George III until 1783. The first year for people to own land in the Aylesford township was in 1770. At that time the township included all surrounding areas from what is now Wilmot to what is Horton. The township was later divided and Aylesford village was formed . By 1835 the Loyalists began to settle at Aylesford village. In 1956 there were 738 people living in Aylesford, in 1996 there are about 1000 people.

The main businesses in Aylesford areas follows; We have two Doctors in our village, the are Dr. Cogswell and Dr. Goddard. The first school in our community was built in 1824. This school had only 20 students. In 1965 our school was built. It was called St. Mary's Elementary School. There are 372 students at our school this year. When our school was opened many small one and two room schools were closed and the children were bussed to Aylesford. The name was chosen because of the historical significance of the Anglican Church in Auburn rather than the usual community bearing the name on the school.

Our village has three churches , a volunteer fire department, a Lions Club and many youth groups such as Guiding and Scouting. The village is also very supportive of softball. There are three ballfields in Aylesford and last year the main field was given lights for nighttime games. During the summer months the village supports little league by hiring coaches to look after the 6 to 8 year olds and the 9 to 11 year olds while parents coach the older levels.

Chisholm's Pharmacy has been in Aylesford since it opened in 1932. The H.A. Horsnell Insurance Ltd. building is the original site of the Bank of Nova Scotia before 1911. the home of Dr. James and Mary Stoddart is said to be the highest point on the valley floor between Kentville and Middleton. Other points of interest but not documented are that Aylesford at one time was being built as the center of the valley and because of its location between Annapolis Royal and Windsor it was thought that it might become the main center of the county. It had at one time a movie theatre, several gas stations, three grocery stores, a furniture store, several feed mills, many warehouses used for storing apples, canning, and bottling the products grown on the local farms, a slaughter house, a cement block factory, and a number of mills and shops. It even boasted of two hotels and a bandstand where fairs would be held. On more than one occasion Aylesford was the scene of a huge picnic where several thousand people would come by train and horse and wagon to spend the day socializing and listening to the bands or watching a horse race at the local track.

While those days are gone now many signs of there presence are still to be found in the buildings that housed these events or the foundations that remain to tell the story. There are also a few people that can recall the days when Aylesford was a thriving community.

The Parker Road Phantom

Once there was a man about 7 feet tall. He wore a trenchcoat with a wide brimmed hat. No one ever saw his face long enough to describe him. They only saw him at night and the hat was always pulled down to hide his face. Sometimes he would ring the doorbells, knock on doors to get their attention. As soon as they saw him, he seemed to dissappear into thin air. People were scared because they couldn't catch him, but he never hurt anyone.

Finally, the police were called to solve the mystery of the phantom. After considerable investigation the phantom was exposed. He was Tommy and Billy Gates. Tommy would put Billy on his shoulders and put the coat and hat on over them both. When they were seen they would hide around a corner or barn or jump down and run. When the neighbours found out the cause of their fright they were quite relieved.

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