Ila Palmer Remembers the Insurance Business in Fenelon Falls

Originally Published in the North Kawartha Times, August 20, 1985

Ila Palmer has spent over 50 years of her life in the Insurance business in Fenelon Falls. Throughout those years, she has also played a very active role in many community organizations. Ila shares some of her memories of her earlier days in Fenelon Falls.

Ila and her husband George moved to Fenelon Falls in 1932 from Western Canada. She refers to the days she spent in Saskatchewan as the ‘dirty 30s.’ “The crops were very poor back then. It was very hard to make a living,” she explained. They headed to Ontario for this reason as well as returning home to comfort her husband’s family in a time of need, due to an illness in the family.

Ila and George soon took an active role in the family insurance business. (At the present time Palmer Insurance and Brokers is owned and run by the third generation of the family. Ila’s son John has now taken responsibility for the business.)

In 1950, Ila and her husband rented a building on the main street in Fenelon Falls from which to operate the business. Up until this point the business was run from their home. The building that they rented is the same building where Palmer Insurance is today. “The only original buildings on the main street left are Brandon Hardware and Palmer Insurance. All others have changed hands since 1950,” explained Ila.

Shortly after arriving in Fenelon Falls, Ila began to prepare a history on the town for her own personal interests. In her studies, she learned that throughout the years there had been many industries undertaken in Fenelon Falls. According to Ila’s research Fenelon had saw mills, flour mills, a cheese factory, a furniture factory, stone mills, a lime kiln and a carriage shop. Besides these industries, when she arrived, she remembers there being 3 meat markets, 1 photographer, 1 millinery shop, 7 garages, 2 hotels and several tourist houses, 3 bakeries, 2 tailor shops, 2 plumbers, 2 hardware stores, 1 dry goods store, 3 barber shops, 2 drug stores, 9 grocery stores, 1 wholesale tobacco shop, 1 variety store, 1 veterinarian, 3 doctors, 2 dentists and 7 churches.

Ila also recalled some of the names of boats which regularly sailed though our waters in earlier days. The names of some were the Woodman, Ogemah, Vanderbilt, Eva, Beaubocage, Esturion, Maple Leaf, Dominion, Water Witch, Alice Ethel, Crandella, Marie Louise, Greyhoud, Kenosha, Manita and Bessie Butler. “The United Church used to have Sunday School Picnics on the Bessie Butler,” said Mrs. Palmer.

Since her arrival in Fenelon, Ila has been a member of the Fenelon Falls Horticultural Society and the Women’s Institute. She has been both president and secretary of both organization at one time or another. She is a life member of the Victoria East District Women’s Institute, Matron of the Kawartha Chapter 312 of Order of the Eastern Star, Past District Deputy Grand Matron of District 21 of the Ontario Eastern Star and past president of the Lindsay Presbyterial U.C.W.

But that’s not all, she’s been involved with the United Church, Curling Club and the Scouts Auxiliary. Ila is still working at Palmer Insurance and enjoys keeping busy. As far as she is concerned, coming east was the best thing she’s ever done in her life. “This is the best place to live in the world, and I wouldn’t change a thing,” she says.