August 2024 Covered bridges were once quite popular across North America throughout the 19th century. Back when wood was inexpensive and commonly used in bridge construction, there was an obvious benefit to adding walls and roofs to slow deterioration caused by rain, snow and the sun. Covered bridges, a timber-truss structure with a roof, decking …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/livingston-manor-covered-bridge-the-oldest-covered-bridge-in-sullivan-county/
August 2024 Along the Niagara River in Niagara Falls, New York, there is an odd looking structure in a riverfront park that looks oddly like a stone chimney that you might find in a log cabin. Well, it actually is an old Stone chimney that was once part of a two-storey barracks on the site …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/the-old-stone-chimney-a-relic-from-niagaras-new-france-era/
August 2024 The newest museum in Ellenville, New York, continues to grow. While it’s not officially expected to open until 2025, a soft opening that started in the summer of 2023 has allowed the museum to display of some of the exhibits already in their possession. This is allowing the museum to continue to raise …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/borscht-belt-museum-continues-to-grow-ahead-of-official-opening/
August 2024 In the immediate years after the First World War, cenotaphs and monuments were built across Canada to honour and memorialize those who died during the war. One of the most prominent memorial towers in Canada is the Peace Tower, built as a part of the Centre Block of Canada’s Parliament building, and completed …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/university-of-toronto-soldiers-tower-honours-members-of-the-university-lost-in-the-two-world-wars/
August 2024 Note: This article was originally part of my Borscht Belt series profiling multiple former hotels and bungalow colonies. As I have photographed the Nevele Grand more than any other hotel over the past 6 years, I decided to make this entry a stand alone. You can start here for other articles in my …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/ghosts-of-the-borscht-belt-the-ruins-of-the-nevele-grand-hotel-and-country-club/
July 2024 Amongst military units, it’s been a tradition going back centuries for them to have a mascot. The Canadian Forces Ammunition Depot Angus (CFAD Angus), their mascot was Turtle Ted. CFAD Angus was originally established by Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF) in 1940 as 13 “X” Depot. It’s function was to supply munitions to …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/turtle-ted-he-moved-so-slow-they-thought-he-was-dead/
July 2024 The Inn On The Niagara Parkway opened as a high-end resort in June 1959 in Niagara Falls, Ontario. This Hitchcock-ian relic was billed at the time as a “modern” resort motel that also boasted both a restaurant and a dairy bar. Amenities included an outdoor swimming pool, mini golf, a games area and a souvenir …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/an-unceremonious-end-for-a-formerly-high-end-niagara-resort-inn-on-the-niagara-parkway-motel/
July 2024 The highest award for bravery in the face of an enemy that can be awarded to members of British and Commonwealth forces is the Victoria Cross. The V.C. was first awarded by Queen Victoria in 1856 and since then 1,356 medals have been awarded, with three people being awarded the medal twice. A …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/aldershot-catholic-cemetery-is-the-final-resting-place-of-a-long-forgotten-victoria-cross-winner/
July 2024 Railways have always been an important part of Canada. Besides the transportation of people and goods, they helped settle western Canada and unite the country from coast to coast. Just as important as the rails that carried the trains, maintenance buildings, like roundhouses and locomotive shops were essential to keeping the trains running. …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/once-abandoned-canadian-northern-railway-locomotive-shop-sees-new-life-as-a-grocery-store/
July 2024 In many European, it’s common for cemetery graves to be re-used after as little as three to five years, long enough for the body of the deceased to decompose to a skeleton. After the “lease” on the grave expires, the bones are exhumed and either placed in a common ossuary, or cremated and …
Permanent link to this article: https://militarybruce.com/lost-pioneer-cemeteries-scarborough-townships-chalmers-presbyterian-cemetery/
