Homewood History
A one-room schoolhouse in Homewood was built in 1908. In 1964 the Homewood School District was dissolved and its area became part of the Carman Consolidated School District. In 2018 a commemorative monument was erected near the site, along with a monument for the first helicopter flight in Canada. Set up by the Canadian Aviation Historical Society, brothers Nicholas Froebe (1910-59), Douglas Fitch Froebe (1912-94), and Theodore Fitch Froebe (1913-43) designed, built and flew Canada’s first helicopter right here in Homewood.
Also in town is the Latham General Store, a rare surviving example of the small stores that were once common to most towns in southern Manitoba. The one-storey cinder block building was constructed in 1956 for storekeeper Jack Latham (1906-2006) and his wife Nancy Latham (?-1999). Closed in 1978, the former store has been converted into a private residence (a blue building with the usual storefront facade).
The grain elevator (which was a municipally designated historic site) and its annexes were toppled in August 2021 after attempts to resell were not successful. The original wooden grain elevator was built in 1951 by Manitoba Pool Elevators, along with an 18-bin crib annex; two years later a second 27-bin crib annex was built, increasing the total capacity to 175,000 bushels. Renovated in 1979, it operated until 2001 when it was closed by Agricore and sold into private ownership.
Just southwest of Homewood is the house of Rodman Roblin, grandfather of Duff Roblin (former premier of Manitoba and visionary of the Red River Floodway). Roblin acquired this land in 1877 during his early years in the Carman district as a farmer, grain buyer and merchant. It later became the site of the family home and farmstead. This structure, which replaced an 1889 log house, was built in 1912. The building has undergone consideration exterior renovations over the past few years, and is a municipally designated historic site.
(Source: Manitoba Historical Society)
Congratulations to klblue and Jean Deniche once again for their FTF's!