Trafalgar Township Historical Society Digital Collections

Well Digging, Shillum Farm, 1953

Description
Media Type
Image
Item Type
Photographs
Description
Information for this record is taken from the book Wayne Shillum has written, citation in the notes below here.

Rose and Robert Shillum bought the 100 acre dairy farm on the Back Concession (now 3133 Burnhamthorpe Rd. West), Palermo, from Fred Edwards and moved their family from Toronto in 1950.

In 1953, neighbour David (D.A.) Wendover, who ran a contracting and excavation business, dug a new pond on the Shillum farm. (See other records in this collection with photographs and information about the Shillum farm pond and well, and other area construction work by the Wendover business.)

There were systems for clean water in place, but they weren't sufficient for the Shillum family of five. Wayne provides detailed information in his book of the set-up prior to this 1953 work.

The next step was to install a concrete tile well with a diameter of about four feet by twenty feet deep about ten feet away from the deep south end of the new pond.

A trench was made from the pond to the bottom of the well. Clean gravel in the trench would filter the water from the pond before it entered the well. The well was also set on clean gravel with a further several feet in the well itself for final filtration.

The pond was higher than the bottom of the well. The well top was about thirty inches above the grown. The well was fed by gravity from the pond via the trench.

This photograph shows Robert Shillum watching as the third concrete tile is installed for the well. (Two more plus the well cap to go.) He is wearing his customary painter's cap.

To bring the well water to the house, a trench was dug below the frost line with a two-inch diameter black polyvinyl flexible pipe which was connected to the pump and pressure tank in the house.
Notes
Shillum, Wayne E. The Farmboy in 1950's Palermo Ontario. Publisher: WES Marketing, cJanuary 2018. ISBN 1987978064, 9781987978063 (Available from Amazon.ca)

The pond and well were dug in 1953. 1954 is when the film was developed.
Date of Publication
1953
Subject(s)
Personal Name(s)
Robert Henry Shillum, called Bob, April 19, 1915-March 1999 ; Rose Violet Shillum, called Rose, March 14, 1914-April 1998 ; Sons: Robert Lloyd Shillum, called Bob, August 29, 1938-October 3, 1993 ; Wayne Edward Shillum, b. March 12, 1944 ; Brian David Shillum, b.October 6, 1947. D.A. Wendover.
Local identifier
TTWES000728
Collection
Trafalgar Township Historical Society
Geographic Coverage
  • Ontario, Canada
    Latitude: 43.4483668725677 Longitude: -79.797521217041
Copyright Statement
Copyright status unknown. Responsibility for determining the copyright status and any use rests exclusively with the user.
Recommended Citation
Well Digging, Shillum Farm, 1953
Contact
Trafalgar Township Historical Society
Email:michelle@tths.ca
Website:

Trafalgar Township Historical Society Sponsor: Jeff Knoll, Local & Regional Councillor for Oakville Ward 5 – Town of Oakville/Regional Municipality of Halton
Powered by / Alimenté par VITA Toolkit
Privacy Policy