The Huron Expositor, 1978-06-29, Page 57strov
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Dublin's phone corn.
A•11_.9 II
an
large family of small children. From herd
Ir and. his family Moved to -California in
the middle 80's. where • he spent the
remainper of his life, He died around 1903,
It Was around 1892 that Matthew
Williams purchased the property on the
assts side of Main Street owned,by John
Kidd on, which had been his store and. his
home. The store was burned in the 1870
tire. George Kidd, Joe's son, for a time
lived in the house. but at the time Williams
bought it John J. McKenna had part of it
!Or his drugstore, Williams very soon had
Tom King'`. spire moved across the street
aid placed at the back of Kidd's house.
VVlien it was completed, he had a
substantial brick store with living„ quarters,
the one which is now owned by Joseph Dill, Township. The printed invitations to the
SOW.. the first seer etary. The -open i • dr the—Grand Opera_71Karbeardae-- I111
dire-dors were Robert Barbour, Harry date January -30. 1880. "19411.. He died while here, but his widow,
lempleman, Robert Noryis, David Bruce In Kidd's Mote almost everything one
and James 'Norris: 'The': president and required, ,could be procured 'furniture.
secretary were soon replaced by John hardware, dry goods.. groceries, hoots and
Bennewies and Albert A. Colquhoun. Miss shoes, crockery. liquor.. Millinery, tailored
Mary Beare was-the chief operator from the andreadv7matle clothes. There was also in
start of the company until she retired only a the builiing a branch, of the Dominion
few months before her death in January.. Telegraph Company. and also the PoSt
1954. In 1908, from tier ' miniature Office after 1872. His Son. George Kidd,
switeltboatd, she serviced 34 subscribers had charge of the undertaking, business,
on single lines to Staffa, Beechwood, and another. [Milk, was post mdster for a
&mimics' Mills and McCrae. The- time after his father. l3' the late 70's a
number. has now increased to. more than siding was built from the .railroad track to
650 subserilvrs within a 10-mile radius of the back of this store. making it easier to
the village. The charge per year was $12, unload the large hogsheads .01 nidlii-:Nes
turd continued the same for manly years. and other heavy merchandise' which
The rate was raised in 1957 to $2.40 per arrived here daily.
month. . Others who clone hkisiness of
- • The first long distance call made was to various kinds in the block in later vears
the Empire' Brewery at Stratford. There have been John J. McKenna. • 'Eward . (From. A Hihberi Review Part -2, 1059)
was nothing methodical about • the first 113:iker,• .Edward Murphy. Th °nets • The Limb> Construction Work which was
telepho-ne direetcity published, Miss Beale Molyneaux, lim CarMiehael. 'William -started on a small scale by Louis Looby
merely wrote the flank's down as they came • Stapleton, (11arles Wald& Angus iniftw years ego Ints groWn to be ,a hii
into her mind, without giving even too, Kennedy. William -Redmond.. Dan emcees. under the management of his four
much thought to the 'spelling and the Costello. Jimmy Curtin, Gerald Holland, soniy Joseph E. Looby, Clayton P. Limhy,
dreetOry came. off the press just as the, list William' Hills and Ducklow • Ptoduce. J.• 'Mid Clarence Looby.
was given to the printer. No one worried ,Loobys are the present and in 1955 These contractOrs and o udders, some years
about it. Why should they, because Completed 'the renovation 'of part of the ago. 'formed three separate companies,
-everyone in .the community . knew „building into 4P-to-date. apartments, with namely Looby &'Looby, C: Looby Construe-
everybody else!
two large stores-on-the-ground floor. One is •
On February' 22. • 1922. the whole ..used asa butcher shop by Charles 'Friend
telephone system was destroyed by a sleet and Andrew WI-lethal-IL .who--do custom
storm, but was completely rebuilt again by/ slaughtering and.alSO cure and smoke' the
December. 1923, • The first' central mcat in a separate.building back of their
exchangebuilding was sold to Joseph-Lane store. George Goettler is, since December,
and moved to his farm in MeKillop by Alex 1955, in charge of* other large modern
Darlimg and son, John, a. few weeks. after stiper-market.
the new office- ryas opened in 1953, Torn King, whyr\eame from Athlone,
George Diego' came to Carronbrook in Ont., with theKidds ah(l who, when he first
1871, and opened his harness shop in 1872 eanie, was their bookkeeper. • became
'where the telephone office stands•today. another prominent businessman • in the
- This building, his house and stable were vilfage. He later Owned a horiicand general
burned in the fire of 1879, but the shop was store just smith of Joseph Kidd's brick
rebuilt again -on the same •spot in the fall of store, and was in • business here till
that same year, EdwOrd ,Diegel followed sometime after his wife died, For five years
his hither and sold the shop in 1950 to the after Matthew Williams, Tom King's
McKillop, Logan & Hibbert • Telephone brother-in-law, caste back to Dublin in
Company, when plans were being made.to .1886 from his Store. in 'Croniarty.• he did
replace their' old central office. This .busineSs here also. In later years James
building was torn down and the new, Jordan had a grocery store in the north part
building- of. insulated frame construction of King's home, which is now Owned by
was built on this lot, just south of the old Mrs,Thomas Molyncux.
exchange building, at a cost of $8,000, iii 'Thomas King was deputy-reeve of the
1952, Henry Lconharch, Brodhagen, did township in 1865, -reeve. from 1868 until
the carpenter work, and Earl Dick, 1873, and Warden of Perth County in 1872.
Cromarty, the cement work. The control He owned part of the North 50 or Lot 15,
ixincl was built and wired by Lloyd Elliott, from 1872 and had most of it surveyed inn)
who has been in. the construction 'and Village lots., This. is known as the King
maintenance department for 39 years. Survey.. His wife, the former Mary
January 20, 1 53, was moving clay front the •Williams, died in 1881, and left hint with a
(From A Hibbert Review; Part 2. 1959)
The first telephone. 4-.9nneeted at that
time with the Bell Telephone Company,
-1 was installed in Matthew • Williams' store.
'and the central office was still there after
James Canning took over the store and
until the new, McKillop,Logan & Hibbert
Telephone office was ready .for business.
• AS early as 1903. Cromarty and Staffa were
.:.,conneeted by Bell Telephone with Dublin.
With . only a very few subscribers.
'f-he new company was organized in 1908
when the area was-bought out from the Bell
Telephone Company. The capital was
Provided by local shareholders. • Dr. A.
Michell, who was the promoter of the
privately owned lilne.. was the first
president, and Thomas Drown, V,..S,. 'of
old to the new building.
The 'president for 1958 was Matthew
Murray:. ;tad Mrs. Catherine M. Feeney
vas secretary-treasurer. The directors
Nrre. ,Nbeni Siemon. Clem Kratiskopf.
Patrick-Jordan, Lyle Worden and Huebert
Mahaffy. John J. Holland retired iii 1958
after serving on the. board for over forty
years.* Miss Mary O'Contiell, with over
thirty years' service, is non Olio' operator.
Joseph Kidd's white brick -store was
built in 1808. and a ten' months. after the
tire another sectioil. \Vas added, making in
all three stores on the ground floor. with a
large opera hOuse above, This last addition
waS built by George .Kydd (no relation),
mason and builder from Usborne
with ,Carinichael as an assistant.
carried on till Peter Dill bought in 1907.
Besides groceries, Dill sold boots, shoes,
dry goods. etc, His son, Joe Dill, since
1934, has carried on the same blititilICSS.
'Die first telephone central was in this store
in Matthew Williams' lime. mid the
1)ominion Bank branch did huffiness here a
short time while Mrs. Canning was in
charge of 'the' StOrd.
It was John McConnell, Sr:, who built
the first frame small building beside Dill's
store to provide accommodation for tailor
George Howard, whose father' lost his shop
in the fire of 1879„-Con -Friel, a shoemaker,
also did business'in part of the building.
After Dr. Michell gave up his office in John
J. McKenna's home, which was later
James Jordan's, Another' frame 'building,
similar in size to the other, was built and
Dr. M ichell then had this, for his office as
long as he remained in the village. From
1918 until 1952. these two buildings were
used by'David McConnell. and later by his
son, JO, for . a general store. George
Goettler .did business here from 1952 until
ha • moved—in-Deeentber-,---1-955,--acruss the ' :
street-to the-Loo•by block .-Joe-ivirConn'e ft is ---- --'
the. present owner, and the Dublin Elm:tried:
managed by Don MacRae, is doing •
business here at the present time.
•
Around '1920 William Hills left the Kidd
store and built the cement one south of -
MeConnells. He carried on a hardware
business here till he died in. t931. ThOmas -
Butters, the --preSent occupant: followed 40•''
Lion. and Louis..1. Looby Construction:- In
May. 1.955, these were' reorganized ,and, '
becatne known as the firm of Looby s .
Ginstiliet ion Ltd.
Their culvert, bridge and
roitd construction work extends to the north.
as far as Sudbury, and to Cornwall in the
east. Here in -the village they • have their -
main office, large vehicle storage sheds ,
and repair .shops for heavy machinery.
Looby Construction
once three firms
THE LOOBVS—The Looby-family is one of Dublin's older families.
Louis Looby, was the youngest son of Edmond Looby, an Irishman-
who had settled on a 56 acres farm just west of the village of Dublin.
In,1883, when Edmond died, his widow moved the family into the
village of Dublin itself.
Louis Looby completed his educ.articip,at the age of 12 and started
working in a McKillop Township sawmill. Some years later, in
partnership with Joseph Nagle of Dublin, he formed a construction
company, and laid the foundation for tooby Construction Ltd. Mr.
Looby married Ann Ryan of Lucan in 1909. Mrs. Looby kad—been
teaching in the public school priori() her marriage.
In 1938', Mr. Looby died, and his wife assurrfed his duties ,as
inspecting trustee for the village of Dublin, a position she held from
1938 to 1951.
Today Looby Construction is under the management of the sons of
Ann and Louis Looby.
CONGRATULATIONS
to the
Citizens ,of DUBLIN
on your
100th Birthday
CEMENT GRAVEL
CRUSHED', STONE
FILL
TOP SOIL
BACK HOE AND EXCAVATION
JOHN H. McLLWAIN CONSTRUCTION-LTD.
Seaford', 527,1253
0,ntario