2 July 2009
Restoration Delights Family of Station's Builder
Frank Carroll, left, mayor of McAdam, shows Barbara Stickney
and William MacVay Jr. the tools of master stone mason Archie B. MacDonald who worked as a Canadian Pacific Railway stone mason with
the McAdam Railway Station. MacVay and Stickney are the decendants of William MacVay & Son, the family business that built the
station.
McAdam New Brunswick - Barbara Stickney never
thought she would again be eating in the Grand Dining Room of the McAdam Railway Station, which her family's company helped to build
about a century ago.
She and her brother William MacVay Jr. of Palm Coast, Florida, USA, recently visited the station and had lunch with Mayor Frank
Carroll. The trio also toured the station, built by Joseph MacVay & Son, which included their grandfather Joseph MacVay and their
father William MacVay.
"This is so exciting," said Barbara Stickney. "This community has done so much to bring this station back to life. I've
been here hundreds of times before (on passenger trains) on my way from Montreal to St. Andrews."
That was, of course, many years ago.
"I never thought I would be eating in the station again, just like 60 years ago."
Although they weren't born when the station was being built between 1900-11, they had lots of tales to tell to put a face
on the family of the builders. The purpose of the meeting with the mayor was to find out some stories about the MacVay family, which
will be retold many times by the tour guides at the station.
Many famous people have passed through the station, including Winston Churchill, Babe Ruth, and Barbara Ann Scott, in addition to the
many troops who fought in the wars and boarded the train or grabbed a lunch at the curved lunch counter before continuing their
journey.
MacVay family members said they always found it strange that not much mention was made of the builders of the historic icon, other
than by name, but the mayor noted that no one seemed to know much about them.
It was through a conversation that Carroll's sister had with a second cousin of the MacVay family, Joan Flewelling, that a connection
was made. It wasn't long before an invitation was issued from the mayor for the brother and sister descendants to come for a tour and
have lunch with him.
Carroll took them on a tour of the renovated parts, resting along the way to discuss certain parts of the station. Stickney, 91,
remembered the woman who was in charge of the Grand Dining Room at the time she would have been travelling the rail line.
William MacVay, 89, said he was delighted with the tour, marvelling at the large granite stones making up the edifice of the
Chateau-style building.
They ventured by the main waiting room, the telegraph office, and the ladies waiting room. Although they didn't tour the jail cell,
they did make a stop in the curved-counter lunch room with the newly chromed pedestal stools.
One delightful tale related by Stickney was about a particular train ride back to Montreal after spending the summer in St. Andrews.
She was travelling with her sister Betty and while stopped in McAdam, Betty was paged to take a phone call.
"She was standing right beside me when they called her name," said Stickney. "It was her boyfriend from the summer in
St. Andrews asking her to marry him. I think I was more excited than she was."
She said, "Sure," and they continued on their way to Montreal to plan a wedding.
Carroll, who also serves as treasurer on the McAdam Historical Restoration Commission, shared some of the folklore surrounding the
station, including a couple of murders that happened on the premises.
"I love stories of murders," said Stickney with a chuckle, relating that she has read all of the Stephen King novels.
"I guess it must be something from my darker side."
Their father, William MacVay, Sr., had three children, Betty, Barbara, and William Jr. He was born and raised in St. Stephen and
attended a business school in Belleville, Ontario, before becoming part of the company.
"He was probably in his 20s when he was here in McAdam to build the station. He probably learned that from his father," said
William MacVay Jr.
Along with Canada Day celebrations held Wednesday, the McAdam Railway Station will roll out the welcome mat 3 Aug 2009
for New Brunswick Day.
|
|
