CAPE BRETON CLAY: Kitchener's Koop

When you visit Cape Breton Clay...
stop by Kitchener's Koop

Kitchener's Koop in its original location in Margaree Valley, where it was well used for almost sixty years.

The Marples and the Frasers have been friends and neighbors since Kitchener Marple sold Lee Fraser property in 1958. In 1997 Kitchener died, and the shed he had built in 1939, for storage and as a chicken house, fell into disuse. On Labour Day weekend 1999, we moved the building across the road to its present location beside our shop, and have reinvented it as "Kitchener's Koop," a place where history and chickens meet.

Chickens of all stripes (both real and ceramic), inhabit and enliven the Koop. The displays are made of beautiful hardwoods that have been collected here over the years.

We've restored this classic Cape Breton shed to keep Kitchener and Margaret's story alive and to give Bell's ceramic chickens a permanent home.

Visitors to Cape Breton Clay often don't realize Bell Fraser grew up right here in Margaree Valley. As a result, we've written about the Frasers and the Marples. Bell Fraser's immediate family is an integral part of the Cape Breton community, a vital and ongoing force. If the history of a community is mostly a reflection of the stories of its constituents, then we think it's worth conjuring one family's story through the eyes of one of its members.

Kitchener's Koop in its new location beside Cape Breton Clay.