HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2017-08-31, Page 7THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017. PAGE 7.
Londesborough has 65 -year history with rail travel
A tale of two
structures
Londesborough welcomed rail traffic for more than 60
years in the late 1800s to mid -1900s. The original depot,
shown above, was an important stop on "the butter and
PEOPLE AROUND
LONDESBORO
By BRENDA
RADFORD
Call
523-4296
Yes, Londesborough was once a
rail stop on the London-to-Wingham
line. It was referred to as "the butter
and eggs" line, for it carried many
farm products as well as travellers.
The first run of this train line
happened on Monday, Jan. 11, 1876
with 10 cars. Thereafter the train ran
north on Mondays, Wednesdays and
Fridays returning south on Tuesdays,
Thursdays and Saturdays.
The Londesborough depot was
located east of the village in the area
of the present day township works
yard. The picture taken from the
front was the original station, above
left, and, I assume, that one of the
men out front is the stationmaster in
1876, a Mr. Wm. Mylne. In
November of 1907, this first station
building burned to the ground along
with a nearby freight shed. No cause
of the fire was discovered.
In 1908, the new Grand Trunk
Railway station was built. There are
two men on the platform in this
picture, above right, as well and if
taken soon after its construction the
eggs" line and the Grand Trunk Railway stop, below, allowed
livestock, machinery and goods to be transported across the
province. (Photos submitted)
station master would have been a
Mr. Percy Carlisle or Wm. Lyon.
The freight shed and pens enabled
farmers to move livestock,
machinery, crops, coal, etc. Much of
the livestock was destined for
Toronto. The mail also arrived in the
village by train.
An interesting note mentions that
the weigh scales that were used at
the depot were eventually sold to the
Watson Brothers of Blyth and served
them well for many years.
The last train rolled through
Londesborough on April 2, 1941.
Stationmaster at the time was Fred
Thompson. Passengers on this last
run from Londesborough to Clinton
were Miss Mary Scott and Wm.
Fairservice. Many village folk were
Now(ish) and then
The feed mill in Londesborough has undergone some dramatic transformations in its time. In
the 1940s, the structure was much closer to Londesborough Road than it is now, as
demonstrated in the photo below. That all changed in 1968 when the mill, as it stands now,
opened with a big celebration, shown above. (Photos submitted)
on hand that day to say farewell to
the service.
Keith Allen brought me the
pictures below for use in the Hullett
Township display. The older picture,
from the mid 1950s, shows the feed
mill right on the corner, separated
from Londesborough Road by only
the sidewalk. The part of the structure
on the left apparently was a butcher
shop for a short time during the
1940s operated by Hary McCallum.
Village welcomes
Bujold family
I missed welcoming another
family to the village in last week's
news. In July, Krysta Bujold and her
two children took up residence in
the lower apartment of the former
restaurant. Her mother has been here
from the Maritimes helping her get
settled. It's nice to have some more
children for Hullett Central Public
School. Janet Szusz, who continues
to work at Greyhaven Gardens had
been living in that apartment and is
now in the Lucknow area. Best
wishes to both parties.
Take care again when travelling
over the bridge south of the village.
A hole is opening up again, this
time west of the centre line.
UCW helps local
church camp
The June 19 gathering of the
Londesborough UCW was
somewhat unusual in that ladies
attending that evening paid for a
turkey supper. The $580 raised was
donated to Camp Menesetung to
help with their building of an
accessible washroom. Barb Knox,
chair of the camp board, was on
hand to receive the monies and
brought an update on camp affairs.
Crystal and Kerri Whyte
conducted an enjoyable program
centring on our country's
sesquicentennial.
During the business part of the
evening, led by President Helen
Continued on page 8
Mr. J. H. Brundsdon carried on a
carriage works and blacksmith
business in this building from 1877
until 1904. His son operated the
business until 1910 when he sold it
to Mr. James Hill who decided a
feed mill better suited his purposes
for the building. You will recall an
earlier column when I spoke about
the Wells Brothers. In 1918 Alex
Wells purchased the building and
continued it as a feed mill. Tom and
Genevieve Allen came to the village
in 1947 having purchased the mill.
The second picture from 1968
shows the newer feed mill situated as
it is today back from the street.
Eventually the mill was bought by
Hensall District Co-operative. This
picture was taken the day of the
official opening of the new premises.
FROM LONDESBORO
=� t enffiZeJid iieed
a
Do you have fond memories that
you'd like to share of someone
whose obituary has been
published recently in The
Citizen. Send us a few lines or
paragraphs with your story.
E-mail editor@northhuron.on.ca,
Fax 519-523-9140 or mail to:
The Citizen, P.O. Box 429, Blyth,
NOM 1H0 or P.O. Box 152,
Brussels, NOG 1H0. There is no
charge for comments we choose
to publish.
A cemetery is a history of
people, a perpetual record of
yesterday and a sanctuary of
peace and quiet today. A
cemetery exists because every
life is worth loving and
remembering - always
Distinctive Memorials of
Lasting Satisfaction
North St. West, Wingham
Mac & Donna Anderson
519-357-1910
We've moved. Come visit!
Glassier
PHYSIOTHERAPY CLINIC
Join us for refreshments and a tour of
our new facility. Meet our staff and learn
about our services.
Thursday, Sept 7, 2017
3-8p.m.
350 Josephine Street
Wingham , ON
(former Wingham Adult Day Centre)