They don’t make ‘em like they used to

Dave Spiece (right) shows Hugh Fraser (left) and Jim Bucknall a family heirloom: an old model of a rack lifter made by his great grandfather. ~ Luke Edwards photo

By Luke Edwards

What does Jim Bucknall’s barn, a blanket box belonging to his great grandmother, and Dave Spiece’s to-scale model of a rack lifter have in common?

They’re all reminders of a piece of natural heritage that no longer exists in Niagara.

“The fact they’re all made of one board is significant,” said Bucknall as he showed off the nearly 200-year-old blanket box that’s been in his family since David Geiger made it for his sister Susannah Morley, Bucknall’s great grandmother. Hugh Fraser, author of a book on swing beam barns, was back at the Bucknall farm last month to take a look at the box, for research into a new book he’s working on.

The box used large white pine trees from Niagara, the kinds that have since been cut down. It’s the same size of trees that would have been used to make the huge swing beams in the barns Fraser featured in his first book.

Meanwhile, a scale model that holds a special place in Dave Spiece’s heart shows the rack lifters that were a popular piece of technology in the old barns. His great grandfather John built the suitcase model.

“They’d bring it out to a farmer and show how it would work,” Spiece said.

The rack lifters would use a large pulley system to lift a wagon full of hay up to the top of the mow and make it easier for the farmers who were unloading it. The working model helped explain to the farmer how it worked, with a little string they could even pull that lifted the model wagon up into the air.

“And they’d say ‘I could build you one of these, but it’s going to cost you $4,’” Fraser said with a laugh, recalling how times have changed.

“And maybe a quarter of beef,” Spiece added.

Spiece’s model dates back to 1885, according to a year scratched into the box that protects it. It’s been a special keepsake for the family, though it was nearly lost when it almost got inadvertently included in a garage sale years ago.

Fraser was taken aback when he saw the model.

“I’ve never seen one,” he said, adding he’s been on the search for such a model for a long time.

The swing beams, rack lifters and Bucknall’s blanket box all relied on huge beams and boards.

“Back then they had trees to do this stuff. Now they’re all gone,” said Spiece.

Bucknall’s blanket box no longer stores blankets. In a slightly ironic twist, it’s where Bucknall stores many of his books on antique tractors and farm equipment. The single boards measure about 20 inches in width. 