MODERN TRANSPORTATION

Education

Until 1962, Freetown children walked, rode bicycles, or were driven by horse and sleigh or wagon to school. The schools were one or two roomed and the teachers taught grades one through ten. Today our children are picked up at their gates by school buses and transported to large consolidated schools in Kensington, Kinkora and Summerside. This has resulted in the closing of Freetown’s three rural schools. They have become a part of a by-gone era. The modern means of school bus service should provide our children with a better education for each individual, as each student has the advantage of choosing either academic or vocational training.

Medical Care

For many years in our rural area, family doctors travelled for miles to pay home visits to the sick. They travelled by horse and wagon, or horse and sleigh, and later by automobiles. These doctors were dedicated, hard working men, but sometimes especially during snow storms in winter, it could be hours, or days, before medical help could be available. Today, people can travel in their own cars to visit doctors in clinics, medical centers, or out patients at the hospital. If the patients are too sick, they can be picked up by ambulance at their own homes, or airlifted by plane or helicopter, if they need a more intensive type of medical care, to centers such as Moncton, Halifax, Toronto or Montreal.

Modern transportation has most definitely played a most important role in medicine.

Shopping (groceries especially)

In early years shopping in Freetown was a pleasant chore. The village at Upper Freetown was most fortunate in having at least three stores. Robert Auld’s store (also a Post Office), Ralph Burns’ store (also a barber shop) and Von MacCaulIs store (later Garnet Warrens). Today people travel by car to larger shopping centers which have super markets. This has resulted in the closure of our three country stores. This has taken away some of our rural way of life.

Agriculture

Agriculture has always played an important part in Freetown’s history. It was a very early leader in potato farming. Potatoes in early days were moved by horse and wagon or sleigh to the village to be loaded on rail cars. The railways played a big part in Freetown’s development. Today farmers haul their potatoes and other produce by truck. Large tractor trailers can come right to the farm warehouses and load the equivalent of a railroad carload of potatoes. The railway is not as important any more, and our railway station at Freetown is now closed.

Entertainment

In the past in Freetown, young people enjoyed skating on the ponds or rink at Bedeque, house parties (dancing), church groups (young peoples) and attending hockey games (Freetown Royals) at Bedeque rink. The young people formed close friendship because travel (especially in winter) was difficult. Horse and wagon or horse and sleigh kept young people closer to home. Today cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles, etc. all play a part in young people finding their recreation much farther away from home. This could be either good

or bad for the young people of Freetown. Submitted by Phyllis Green

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