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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.