If a picture is worth a thousand words - then these pictures speak volumes - for this is the most beautiful place on earth. The water - the trees and the clear blue skies. A great place for recreation. A great place to bring up children. A great place to retire. What more could anyone want?

        Constance Bay                                                     Buckham's Bay                                                     The Point

        Buckham's Bay                                                   Constance Bay                                                      Buckham's Bay

        The Lighthouse                                                         Fire Hall                                                       Community Center

        The Bay                                                     The end of Buckham's Bay                                                    The Sandhills

     This arial photo taken by Energy Mines and Resources which recently came into our collection of Bay memorabilia has provided more details about our communities history.

     At first glance it may look like just another photo of Constance Bay - but a closer look provided some interesting (and surprising) insights.

     The above photo is a scan of a photo in the EMR archives that was loaned to us by it's owner Lloyd Honeywell along with an old street map. It is estimated that this photo was taken around 1968-72. We scanned the picture into our computer and didn't pay much attention to it until, quite accidently, we hit the zoom button and were surprised to see some totally unexpected details.

     The picture at right was enlarged six times. It's a bit "fuzzy" but you can still clearly see what we affectionately called the Casino Dance Hall. As you can see, there was no rink, no ball diamonds, no community centre and no playground. The facility was built in 1949 by developer Fred Baldwin. It was used to entertain the weekend and summer residents who flocked to the Bay. They danced, played bingo and celebrated summer Bay Days.

     We've known for many years that back in the "old days" the rink was actually located down on Constance Crescent and 7th Street. Of course, Constance Crescent is now known as Baldwin Street and 7th Street was eventually renamed Bishop Davis Drive.

     In this photo at left, you can clearly see the rink located on Baldwin Street. You can also see Bayview Drive and Bishop Davis (in yellow) as well as Sunning Hills Crescent which bows out and runs down and towards the left.

     Another bit of information that came from this recent donation.... we have learned that Sunning Hills was originally called Baldwin Street. In fact, a significant number of streets have been renamed over the years.

     The photo at right was one of two pleasant surprises that we uncovered when we began examining these photos. In this photo you can see the Point and you can clearly make out the rink on Baldwin - but what was that cleared area circled in red? A closer inspection revealed a ball diamond. A few phone calls confirmed our suspicions. This was indeed the ball diamond and sports field located just west of Len Purcell on Baldwin. It was used by our community until new facilities were built at the community centre.

     This next photo on the left was a real bonus. This location is at the cross roads of Constance Bay Road and Allbirch. The building which is set back quite a way from the corner is the original Whipperwill Dance Hall.

     The "Whip", seen at right, was a popular dance hall where gentlemen paid 10¢ for the privilege of dancing with that special girl. Sadly, the old building eventually burned down.

     This last photo was included with the arial photos and was nearly overlooked. It was, after all, just another street map - but again, further examination provided more insights into our communities past.

     What's really interesting is that many of the street names have been changed. We were already aware of some of these changes. For example, we knew that Len Purcell had originally been named 10th Street but it was also known as Pearl Street although many "old timers" called it Casino Road.

     Other changes that came as a surprise included Allbirch, which was originally called Alpine Street. Of course, Fireside and Archie Street had yet to be built and many streets remained un-named, being referred to as 5th Street etc.