Tom Arnold values lessons of history
Nowhere is that more obvious than the Arnold family homestead, a two-storey structure on the eastern side of Grenvillesur-la-Rouge. As he sits down in one of the comfortable old chairs in the living room area, the new mayor of the village apologizes for the thin patina of dust, which is almost unnoticeable, the result of an interior refit to allow for upgrading of the building’s plumbing, electrical and heating systems.
In the living room, several old-fashioned steam radiators, like those seen in old black-and-white movies, nestle against the walls. They still work and are a very welcome fixture in winter.
“The original boilers are still in the basement,” Arnold explained. “It’s a comforting heat, and it’s part of the house.”
Pioneer roots
History is important to Arnold, and the family homestead reflects that viewpoint. His great-great grandfather Isaac began construction of the original part of the house, which is now the main kitchen area. One of his sons, James, finished that project and then started building a wing onto the original house.
Arnold’s grandfather Gilbert made his contribution to the building of the family manse. His son, Gilbert Jr., was born in one of the rooms. Now, Tom Arnold is adding his own personal touch to the family homestead with the current interior renovation, while Tom Arnold se détend dans le confort de la maison familiale Arnold à Grenville-sur-laRouge. Le nouveau maire de Grenville-sur-la-Rouge apprécie l’histoire et la tradition dans sa vie et dans sa communauté, mais estime qu’il y a place à des améliorations plus modernes.
making a point of preserving the basic structure of the house and all the furnishings, which are still in good condition and useful.
“It’s important to me to keep the house in the family,” he said. “I want to keep it in the family. Our family has grown up learning to value tradition and to hand it down to future generations. I think that’s why we’ve been here so long.”
The Arnold family traces its Canadian origins to 1840, when Thomas Arnold emigrated from Balleybay in Ireland’s County Monaghan, to settle in Ontario where he took claim of 200 acres of potential farmland. Over the decades, succeeding generations of Arnold expanded on the original farm property until Tom Arnold’s father, Gilbert Arnold Jr., was managing about 20,000 acres of farm and forest lands, along with a variety of family businesses based on those resources.
“We had farming operations, meatpacking operations, forestry operations,” Arnold recalled. “It was a big operation. We were raising and shipping horses to Europe as part of (1940s) war effort.”
Gilbert Arnold Jr. began liquidating some of the family holdings during the last century. But the Arnold family still has title to and manages 50 acres of the original farmstead in the Grenville-sur-la-Rouge area, along
with 250 acres over and around Chatham, and a few other smaller business holdings scattered up and down the Ottawa River.
Between managing his family’s business interests and now his duties as the new mayor of Grenville-sur-la-Rouge, Tom Arnold has more than enough to occupy his day.
“My life is working,” he said, laughing. “I’ve got about four hours to sleep. If I’m not reading (histories), or planning, or working, I might get a glimpse of the T.V.”
Family museum
Arnold’s primary personal project now, when he has time to devote to it, is a new addition to the house, which will include a 1500-square-foot family museum.
This special and spacious room will become the new home for permanent display of all the various family heirlooms. It will also present the history of farming in the area with exhibits of still-working farm implements, like a stone-lifter used for moving large boulders. Many of the pieces stored in the basement at the Arnold family home date back to when the first Arnolds settled in the area.
“All these pieces have a story,” he said. “History is important. It often explains who you are and why you are. It’s what we teach our kids.”