A Historic Carriage Comes Home to Bayfield

June 2023

Many years ago the Bayfield Wagon and Carriage Works was located on Bayfield River Road, under the guidance of the business's founder, Tom Penhale. Penhale gained a reputation as a master wagon builder in the 1970s, eventually completing projects for organizations such as Heinz, Weston Hotels, the Rose Bowl Parade, and Disney World.

Tom Penhale (Source: Bayfield Lions Club)

We plan to feature a part of local history through a new project that celebrates Penhale Bayfield Wagon and Carriage Works. The goal is to construct a barn-like structure behind the Bayfield Historical Society Archives and Heritage Centre on Bayfield's Main Street to display a historic landau build by Penhale. The community had the opportunity to purchase it from an estate sale in 2022.

Groups involved in the project include the Bayfield Lions Club, the Bayfield Historical Society, the Bayfield Chamber of Commerce, Friends of the Bayfield Library, and more. A fundraising event was held in May at the Town Hall. We are grateful to all donors who have contributed to make this project possible!

Great-Nephew of FishermanTom Castle Is Successful Bidder in 2022 Silent Auction

August 2022

The winner of the painting of Tom Castle, by local artist Doug Darnbrough, is Robert Castle of Toronto. Robert is very excited to receive the painting, saying: "My father, John Castle, was born in Bayfield, but left with his mother around 1932, aged 7. Growing up, we had no real contact with relatives in Bayfield, but I recall hearing Tom Castle's name throughout my childhood. I couldn't be happier connecting with family history through this wonderful painting of Tom." Congratulations to Robert and to the winner of the pencil sketch – bidder No. 31.

Our sincere thanks to Doug Darnbrough for donating the painting and his original pencil sketch to be auctioned, the winners, and all who generously support the Bayfield Historical Society. Part of this fundraiser was considered a donation, making it tax-deductible.

Proceeds of this fundraiser support our ongoing digitization project. Our part-time cataloguing assistant, Stephanie Talbot, and volunteers have been working for almost three years to digitize and catalogue our holdings both for access and preservation. Digitization is the future for this valuable history, making retrieval of documents faster and also ensuring that old brittle maps and documents are not handled.

About the Artist

Artist Doug Darnbrough (b. 1946 in Bayfield) attended the University of Windsor and the University of Guelph, graduating in 1973 with an Honours BA, majoring in Fine Art Studies. His works have been exhibited and sold at Solander, Niagara-on-the Lake; Thiesen Gallery, London; Canadian Arts, Stratford; Canvas Gallery, Hamilton; Homestead Gallery, Paris, Ont.; Graffiti Graphics, Bayfield; and Benjamin's Gallery, Buffalo, N.Y. Doug's work is part of the collection at the Canadian consulate in London, England, and of the following corporate collections: Canadian National Railway; Torwest Properties, Commerce Court, Toronto; and CIBC, Toronto. Doug considers artist and educator Eric Cameron and photorealist artist Ken Danby to be two of his biggest influences.

Note: The artist generously granted to the Bayfield Historical Society all rights of sale and reproduction of his painting of “Tom Castle Lighting the Lantern.” The Bayfield Historical Society has scanned the painting and retains the right to reproduce prints of the painting for sale.