Kete Horowhenua

Frances (Corrie) Swanwick wrote many stories on the Levin area and these were published in the Levin newspapers.

He wrote about a wide range of topics, including:

- Old Levin houses

- Early Levin identities

- The history of Levin

- The Weraroa settlement

- The Levin Coronation Baths

- The Levin Gas Works

Kete Horowhenua includes many of Corrie's published stories - both as PDF documents and typed text which is searchable by Kete.

Old Levin Houses:
A Spanish Look	1 Victoria Street, ... the first of the so-called Spanish house in Levin.
House was a Trendsetter	21 Durham Street, a well-preserved house of the 1920s.
Verandah Feature of Oldest Home	71 Winchester Street - attractively verandahed house.
Two houses combined to make distinctive home	553 Queen St was built for Mr William Ernest Kilsby about 1924.
History of Home Brings Response from Grandson in USA	Response from Oregon, USA to article on 20 Stuckey Street.
Not a remarkable house but one with an interesting history	20 Stuckey Street - shortly to be demolished.
Bush cleared in Queen St for farm and home	James Parson's house in Queen Street.
House on the Hill of Welcome	Te Puke Naumai, Manakau.
An impressive house	74 Winchester Street was built about 1910 on five acres of land.
Prouse Home had First Electricity	48 Liverpool Street was built by 1924 if not earlier.
Creating a garden haven	Mr Thomas Bevan moved from Manakau to Mabel Street.
Bevan Family Built Fine Homes	Sedgemoor, North Manakau Road was one of these.
House in an Area ‘Fit for a King'	20a King’s Drive was built by Mr Henry Butler France.
Keeping the charm of the 1920s	Number 10 Weraroa Road is owned by Mr Geoff and Mrs Jan Opie.
66-68 Weraroa Road	Distinctive home was a wedding present.
27 Weraroa Road, Levin	This house has been extensively altered.
Original iron lacework gives old world charm	Number 7 Weraroa Road
Front Part of House Sledged from around Lake Horowhenua	Part of 3 Mabel Street was sledged from around Lake Horowhenua in 1905.
Morgan Homestead, Roslyn Road	Lovely old home has a long history.
Carnarvon Homestead	Carnarvon homestead is north of Foxton.
Tatum Park (Manakau)	National Training and Conference Centre of the Scout Association of New Zealand.
A Trip Back Into the Past Enjoyed by Levin People	A visit to historical places in Palmerston North.

History of Weraroa:
Looking north from Weraroa	George Yee’s fruit and dairy shop (circa 1956) and Jack Rankin’s Hairdressing Salon (1961).
Weraroa area forged ahead	Weraroa was not, as the stories seem to indicate, founded before Levin.
Fascinating Story of The Weraroa Area	The history and development of the Weraroa commercial area.
Weraroa important in Horowhenua growth	History of the Weraroa commercial area.
The Weraroa Butchery	The building was erected in 1896.
Settlement Of Weraroa - Township Based on Sawmilling	Settlement of the land south of the Levin Village Settlement – Weraroa

Early Transport in the Horowhenua:
When coaching was the ONLY way to go	Cobb & Company ran a regular coach service along the golden beaches.
The first Hector McDonald Ran the Cobb & Co Stage Post at Hokio	Hector McDonald born in Scotland in 1812.
Tablet System - Continuing story of Levin’s railway station	Train movements were controlled by the tablet system.
Levin's Railway	The railway line opened on 3/11/1886.
Corrie's first car: Rover 2-cylinder	Corrie Swanwick bought his first car in 1935.
Wartime Rationing of Petrol	Corrie Swanwick recalls wartime rationing of petrol.
Battle to Get Rail Through Region	The origins of the Manawatu-Wellington railway company.
Opening Horowhenua, Rail Only Way	The coming of the railway, made settlement possible.
Disbelief greeted rail halt	The Government’s decision to stop work on the Wellington to Foxton rail line.
Raising capital for railway slow	The Wellington-Manawatu railway required capital of £500,000 to be raised from selling shares.
Rail’s route over tough terrain	The route for the railway line was a difficult one in many places.

History of Early Levin
1900 - 1910 New Council holds first meeting	The first meeting of theLevin Borough Council.
History behind modern frontage	The story of two commercial properties in levin.
Early Building in Oxford Street has Seen Many Changes	Camden House was built between 1896-1898.
Warehouse and shop built at Weraroa	The story of the Bevan family continues.
Searching for Gold in the Tararuas	Prospecting for minerals, especially gold, in the Tararua Ranges.
Sawmills closely linked with history	45 Mabel Street.
Timber was all heart as befitted a sawmiller’s house	Early sawmilling in the Levin district and the Bartholomew house in Mabel Street.
Two rooms in a cottage were Levin’s first store	The first store in Levin was built by a Mr Staff for Rod. A. McDonald in 1890.
Link with History Disappears	Howard’s Hardware shop.
Stories Abound of Old Hotel	The original part of Levin Hotel in 1889-90.
True stories of the past	These stories from the past were collected by F.C.Swanwick.
Shaw Shop History	The front part of the shop was built in 1912.
The Changing Face of Levin Over A Hundred Years	The story of Levin's early history continues.
One Hundred Years in Levin - Part Two	Grass seed was down in between the remains of the bush.
The Great Levin Fire	The 1898 fire commenced in the Public Hall.
History of the Horowhenua Newspapers	History of the newspapers in the Horowhenua up to the 1920s.
A Newspaper Steeped in History	William Charles Nation, with his son Charles Cecil, arrived in Shannon in 1893.
History of the Levin Fire Brigade	A public meeting held on November 3 1902 decided that a Levin Fire Brigade be formed.
Boys Training Farm	The Weraroa Boys Training Farm was established in 1906.
Boys trained for farm work	The Weraroa Boys Training Farm was established in 1906.
Shoppers well served in early Borough days	Levin was well served with shops in its formative years.
Maori land claims have long history	Early settlement of the State Farm – Horowhenua East Village Settlement.
Services Vegetable Project at Levin during wartime	During World War Two.
Hoofbeats over 100 years - Part 1	The first race meetings in the local area were at Otaki.
Hoofbeats of over 100 years - Part 2	… continued from part 1.
Tough Times for Local Cadet Corp	A few more stories of the Levin School cadets have been uncovered.
School Cadets Training - Model Exercise	Infringements of Discipline Prompted Sharp Reaction.
Coach Care Medical First	The first medical care in this district.
Medical History of Levin	Numerous Doctors Practiced In Town - this piece details some of them.
Midwives’ Role of Great Importance	During the era 1890 to about the 1930s there were several midwives practising in Levin.
Dy Bryson served Levin well	Dr Bryson was a long-serving doctor in Levin.

Post Offices
History of The Post Office In Levin	The transportation of mail in what was to become the Levin area.
Weraroa Post Office Changed Little over The Years	The history of some of the smaller post offices which have served the district over the years.
Weraroa Post Office to mark 75th jubilee	Weraroa Post Office celebrates its 75th jubilee.

Early Identities
Major Elsie Elizabeth Ward	Major Ward’s grandfather came to New Zealand from England about 1887.
Major Ward	A Familiar and Well-Loved Figure
Miss H. E. Bowen	Miss H. E. Bowen epitomises philosophy of the pioneer women - deeds not words!
The Fighting in the Dardanelles	A Daring New Zealander Swims To Bulair and Lights Flares.

Swimming Pools of Levin
History of the Levin Coronation Baths	Bernard Freyberg was beaten once in the Levin baths.
History of Levin Coronation Baths - Fundraising at Carnival	Levin’s Coronation Baths proved something of a fund raiser.
Coronation Baths: end of an era	In 1990 the Coronation Baths in Levin were demolished.
Proud Mayor opens pool	In April 1990, the new Levin pool was opened.
End of an Era - Coronation Baths	Coronation Baths crash to the ground.

Police History in the Horowhenua
Policing the Horowhenua	An incident in 1918 when a German war mine was found washed up on Hokio Beach.
Police history in Horowhenua	173 police officers have served in Levin and district since 1893.
Horowhenua policing:Tararua Range search	A police search in the Tararua Ranges in 1925.
Levin armed constabulary has colourful history	Boisterous millhands biggest bother in early days!

Gas in Levin
Supply of Coal Gas for Levin	The new settlers of Levin early wanted some form of street lights.
Natural gas in Levin in 1973	The Minister of Energy, Mr Bill Birch, was in Levin to open the new gas showroom.
The Gas Works - Part 1	In 1907 the Levin Borough Council resolved to build a coal gas system.

Other Levin History
Newspapers Have Friends	Every newspaper has its group of friends.
Those Heroes: The Delivery Boys 1930-1940	The story of The Chronicle delivery boys.
Memories of the Arapaepae Hall and Ihakara	From the Horowhenua Chronicle, May 30, 1912:
Early days of the Ihakara Hall; Arapaepae Hall	The opening of the Arapaepae Hall in 1912.
New, New World, Levin	A history of four Levin supermarkets.
Patriotic Fundraising	Levin District High School did its share of patriotic fundraising.
ANZACS Recalled	Some of the letters from the original Anzacs.
Lest We Forget	On December 6, 1916, the Horowhenua Chronicle published this account of life at the front.

Community Contributed

Swanwick Stories

Old Levin Houses:

History of Weraroa:

Early Transport in the Horowhenua:

History of Early Levin

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