There are few things more stressful than moving. From packing boxes to organizing transportation, the task can be overwhelming. When the move is the whole house itself, the challenge is daunting but doable, especially with a little help from your friends.
That is just how Gordon Roulston got the job done in October 1952 after purchasing a small house from Wilbert Slack Sr., who lived on Mud Street in Hagersville. The property backed onto the fields of Roulston’s farm. Roulston needed the house for his hired man to live in on his farm on 11th Concession, but he needed help to get it there. Writings by Margaret Clause, whose father John “Junie” Close led the operation, indicate, “Fellow neighbours helped each other without question, and came to help with the move.”
More precisely, they came with tractors. Close was in charge because he knew how the job needed to be done.
There were 12 tractors in four rows. The heavier tractors were closest to the house, carrying much of the load. Those were driven by Tom Phibbs (88 Oliver), Laverne Snively (W D – 40), and Gordon Cherry (W D – 6). In the next row were Orlan Dellio (W 4 International), Les Snively (T D 6 Cat), and Howard Harrop (101 SR. Massey). Row three had Gordon Roulston (W D Allis Chalmers), Ronald Roulston (using Gordon Roulston’s W F Allis Chalmers), and Oscar Phillips (using Jamie Wilson’s 70 Cockshutt). The front row had Lloyd Bilton (W 4 International), Jamie Wilson (using Close’s Ford Major), and Bill McMurchy (using Close’s 9N Ford). Standing before them all was Close holding a stick. On his signal, Clause writes, “All the drivers gradually lifted their foot off the clutch so they could pull at the same time.”
The tractors pulled the house across the fields – fence rows had been taken down – until arriving at its new home on the 11th Concession, where it was later set on a foundation. It stands to this day as a rental next to the main farm, which is now operated by Roulston’s grandson, Murray Roulston, and his wife Janet.
One detail in Clause’s account differs from Murray’s understanding of the event: the year. Murray believes it was 1954 because, as he recalls, “The move was just before Hurricane Hazel hit. The plans got abruptly moved up because that was when the fields must have been dry.”
Whatever the year, what truly matters is how these farmers pulled together, literally, to help a neighbour. Marlene Phibbs, whose late husband Tom was just 18 at the time, says, “He always remembered being a part of it. He always talked about how neighbours would come together to help each other out…. It’s something that should be recognized. All these men are gone but the house stills stands.”
Haldimand residents have always been known to respond in times of need. As life gets busy and communities change, this story is a part of Hagersville’s 150 year history and a reminder of what it means to be a neighbour and a farmer.
