TRADES

A building that was almost as important to the residents of Orwell Cove as their own homes was D.D. McLeod's general store. Upstairs above the general store was the only dressmaker in Orwell Cove, Effie MacPherson, who was married to William (Big Mac) MacLean. At this point, we should specify that she was the only "recorded" dressmaker, as many people were very self-sufficient and usually attended to their own needs. Like the dressmakers, the tailors of the middle 1800's were not high on the profitable occupation scale. The tailors in the area were usually farmers as well. The first tailor in Orwell Cove was Loughlin Barnard in 1864. Later, Donald McLeod and Malcolm McLeod were also known as tailors in the area, and weaving in the Cove was done by Mrs. William Dreelan.

During the long winter, the ladies spent their leisure time hooking mats. This work was done in the daytime by grandmothers, with help from the women of the house in the evenings. Even children had a hand at this. The material used in the hooking of mats was usually obtained from cutting up old sweaters, wool pants, and skirts. An adjustable frame was used to suspend the mat and it was usually set over the back of chairs. A piece of canvas on which the design was drawn was stretched on the frame. A sharp pointed mat hook was used to

draw the material through the canvas on the frame to create a mat.

The chief operations around the 1860's on Prince Edward Island were the saw mills, grist mills, carding mills, tanneries, and lime kilns. The people who operated these industries were the backbone and the stability of vae" Cove. Without their contributions over the years, the settlement of On/vell Cove might have dwindled and become extinct. The necessity of one operation was as great as the next. As each one complemented the other, they provided the people in the area with the ability to withstand the harsh rough land upon which they settled.

From the Lake Map of 1863, we found that Alexander Anderson operated a carding mill, saw mill, and a grist mill on the

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