HomeMy WebLinkAboutHuron Expositor, 2015-04-08, Page 5Wednesday, April 8, 2015 • Huron Expositor 5
IMIM I
www.seaforthhuronexpositor.com
letter to the editor
A thank -you from the Seaforth AG Society
Dear editor,
On behalf of the Seaforth
AG Society homecraft and
general division, we would
like to update the commu-
nity on our project called
"Raise the Roof," which is
the upgrade and repair to
our well-known Round
House.
The project started well,
an entertainment night put
on at the Agriplex with a lot
of song and dance!
The roof repairs started in
August and were completed
by Matt Shatner and his
crew in very good time to
be ready for the 2014 Fall
Fair.
Our next phase is the
repairing of the outside
with paint and some
cracks in the cement floor
inside. It is hopeful to have
it completed by the 2015
Fall Fair as it is our 170th
Anniversary and our
theme is 170 years of
Country Heritage.
The project could not
have been completed with-
out the continued support of
our community and those
who gave special donations
and our grant from the Sea -
forth Trust Group and
friends from Doors Open.
We also could not have
completed this work with-
out the continued help from
our volunteers and AG
members.
Thank you everyone, as
there are too many to list.
We look forward to finaliz-
ing the project and also to
invite you for the special
Fall Fair in September
2015.
Betty Glanville
Seaforth Agricultural Society
editorial
'Dad' Stephens and the Queen's Hotel in Seaforth
fire destroyed the
Queen's Hotel on
July 6, 2014, but a
fire also created the leg-
endary Seaforth land-
mark in 1877.
The Queen's was the
second hotel on the
north east corner of
Goderich and Main
Streets. Thomas Downey,
according to Isabelle
Campbell in 'The Story of
Seaforth; built the first
wood frame hotel located
on the corner in
1857. The Albert Edward
Hotel was named after
Prince Albert, the Con-
sort of Queen Victo-
ria. The Albert Edward
hosted the first church
services in Seaforth and
was known for its ample
supplies of 'pure wines
and liquors.'
At a time when travel
time was measured in
days not hours, wayfarers
longed for comfortable
accommodation after a
hard day's journey by
foot, horse and, after
1858, rail. Although sev-
eral blocks north of the
Grand Trunk Railway
station, the Albert
Edward was ideally situ-
ated on Seaforth's main
junction to pick up the
lucrative carriage trade.
In 1868, Thomas Ste-
phens purchased the
Albert Edward and
renamed it the British
Hotel. Born in London,
Canada Westin 1841,
Huron History
David Yates
'Dad' Stephens as he was
known, was one of the
most colourful characters
who built Seaforth. When
Stephens came to Sea -
forth as a grain merchant
in 1865, Seaforth was just
a 'cross roads village in
the midst of almost virgin
forest.' In that same year,
he married Christina
McKinney and together
they had two sons and
two daughters.
The great fire of Septem-
ber 4, 1876 which razed 12
blocks of Seaforth's down-
town area also destroyed
Stephen's British Hotel
costing him a property
loss of $8,000. However,
within days, Stephens
announced plans to build
a grander hotel.
On April 2, 1877, Ste-
phens held an inaugural
dinner for his new
hotel. After a gala cele-
bration which included
songs, toasts and
speeches, Stephens
christened the new inn
'The Queen's Hotel' in
honour of the 40th anni-
versary of Queen
Victoria's accession to
the throne. The 'Huron
Expositor' described the
two storey brick building
with Mansard roof
designed in the Second
Empire style as an 'orna-
ment to the town' and
'well deserving of hearty
recognition on the part
of our citizens:
Ironically, the new
Queens Hotel was nearly
destroyed by fire just two
days after its opening
when Stephens detected
heavy smoke and flames
in the entrance to the
main hallway. Stephens
acted quickly to douse the
fire before it engulfed the
building. An improperly
bricked furnace was found
to be the cause of the fire.
'Dad' Stephens was an
extraordinary character.
Topping the scales at
over 260 pounds, Ste-
phens was famous for his
great size and prowess
with his fists. These were
two attributes need for
any tavern keeper to
maintain order in an
establishment that
catered to both the 'high
ups' and the 'low
downs'. 'London Free
Press' reporter, John
MacTavish, said that Ste-
phens could be 'severe'
but 'kind.' On one occa-
sion, a large, brawny
lumberjack came in from
a camp just north of town
looking to 'trim' Ste-
phens. After a legendary
scrap, the challenger was
'prone on the floor, a
sorry mess: Stephens
then carried the battered
brawler upstairs to recu-
perate in a comfortable
hotel bed.
On another occasion, a
rowdy team of football
players roughly ejected
Thomas Stephens Jr from
the room after he asked
them to settle
down. 'Dad' Stephens
was then awoken from a
sound sleep to deal with
the situation. When Ste-
phens was told to mind
his own business and
that his 'gray hairs' saved
him from getting a slap in
the face, he quickly laid
the footballer out cold on
the bed and warned the
others that a similar fate
awaited if they could not
settle down.
However, Stephens was
known as a genial and
generous host to both the
travelling beggar and the
affluent business-
man. He took 'special
pride' in never having
missed the arrival or
departure of a train. He
had a horse and wagon
ready at the station to
convey weary guests to
the Queen' s and, before
departure, he had them
up early enough to get
them back to the station
on time after preparing
and serving them break-
fast. It was said that he
was equally adept at
Queen's Hotel (1877-2014) after the fire of July 6, 2014
serving up steak or a bowl
of porridge.
Yet, it was as a commu-
nity leader that Stephens
earned the nickname
'Dad' as he took a ' natu-
ral pride and pleasure in
rendering himself useful
to the public.' He served
on Seaforth's council
and was involved in the
town' s civic and busi-
ness affairs until his
death. Not surprisingly
for a tavern keeper, Ste-
phens strongly opposed
Prohibition and despised
any creeds that ' bind or
fetter' the freedom to
choose what to eat or
drink. Historian John
MacTavish said Stephens
had the ' spirit to brave
any tempest, to meet any
emergency' that came
his way.
When Thomas 'Dad'
Stephens died on August
31, 1936, he was ' oldest
active hotelman in the
Dominion ' He was bur-
ied in the Egmondville
Submitted
Cemetery beside his
wife, Christina, who died
in 1919. His death also
ended the era of the
Queen' s Hotel' s
prosperity.
The advent of the fam-
ily automobile revolu-
tionized travel patterns
and the need for over-
night accommodation
lessened in the first dec-
ades of the twentieth
century. In 1955, Isabelle
Campbell wrote that the
Queen' s briefly ceased
operations as a hotel but
was reopened, in 1962,
when it was bought by
London entrepreneurs,
Alex Hassan and Hanny
Shousher. In the late
1970s and ' 80s, the
Queen' s showcased local
rock and heavy metal
bands. In its later years,
a series of owners re -pur-
posed the Queen' s Hotel
several times but, on July
6, 2014, fire claimed the
137 year old historic
landmark.