The Huron Expositor, 1978-06-29, Page 59HIBBERT CENTENNIAL PARADE — Rev. Bert Daynard, Staffa
United Church, sha e front seat of are Salvation Wagon in the
Hibbert ,Centennial Parade t Dublin, with Mother Michael St.
David of St. Patrick's School. Father R. Durand of St. Patrick's
Roman Catholic Church is in the rear seat (left) with an unidentified
parade visitor In 19(177--- (ExpOsitor Photo)
Congratulations
to the
People of Dublin
On the occasion of the
100th Anniversary of the
founding ofthe Village,
We look forWard to
continuing to cooperate
with our many friends
in the community
in the years to come.
The Council and Citizens of the
TOWNSHIP OF LOGAN
Congratulate Dublin
on its
100th Anniversary
32 — THE HURON EXPOS1T.ORJUNE,' 29) 1978
Dublin settled
• .(Continued from Page 9)
a railway,- and was closely associated with
that work during the greater part of his life..
lie was fireman on the first engine that
ever tan, this being the. historic engine
designed by George Stephenson,' which
made its first run. in England by George
Stephenson, which made its first run in
England on the Stockton and Darlingtoh
Railroad from Mata.hestcr to Liverp901, on
September 27, 1825, He also had the honor
,of taking the first engine into Manitoba in
1878. For many years he was a resident of
Clinton, Ont., and its first reeve, an office
which he held for ten years. At
Confederation in 1867 he was elected to
Parliament . and represented North Huron
for five years: He was three times married,
and each time he married a wife quite a
number of yearS younger than his forrher
one.-He survived by more than a year his
third wife. On March 12.. 1894.,-he died in_
Clintort at the age of •80 years;
7-Uzziel Clark .Lee, who married . Mary
Pym, opened. the first general store in
• tarronbrook in 1849, on the McKillop side
of the village. He was appointed the first
postmaster in 1853 or 4, an office which he
held until 1872. Nothing more is known of
is
Lee.
J.W. Cull
J. W. Cull was airOther early store-
keeper. He was a chemist, but added
general Wares to his stbre-here. He left in
1864 for Mitchell, where he owned a drug
store for many years' Cull was born in
Addington County in 1839, and learned the
druggist trade- in Kingsten, Ont.
The name of Kidd and Carronbrook was
closely associated for ,,Irnany years. John
.Kidd, Who came from Athlone. Ont., was
the first of the Kidds to arrive here. His
wile was a Miss Murphy. Not liking the
place, he returned to Athlone and made
some agreement with hiS brother; Joseph,
to take over his interests in C,arronbrook,,
• hut not all the deeds at this dine were
transferred to Joseph's name, which" led to
some confusion in later years.
' Joseph Kidd was born in, Dublin,
Ieland, in 1825, and came to Charleston,
north ofBrockville, around 1844, where the
Kidd family lived for one year. Three years
were spent at Mono Mills. then Joseph '
'started in business for himself,' He founded
the village of Athlone, in Simeoe County,
and started in the mercantile business,
there, ivhich he carried on about ten years
before he came to CarronbrOok. Joe was
one of `those up-and-go young men who,
limn the time he arrived in the 50's, went
from one enterprise to another until the
tiny hamlet became in a few years a
thriving village., with: a population of
arointd 750. Today the population is 500
less than it was at that time.
Soon after Joseph arrived he built a large
frame -building on the east side of Mill
Street, now known as Main Street, and in
1868 a 'brick store pm the west side of this
same street. A sawmill was his next
venture. He later owned three. In the
Dominion election of 1872, while he polled
an exceptionally large ConservataiVe vote
in the South Perth campaign. he was
defeated by James Trow, the Liberal
candidate.
Weak brine
By July 1, 1875, the Joseph Kidd & Sons
Salt 'Works were in operation. Before the
"block" reached its height of production,
several obstacles had to• be overcome.
Weak brine in the first well sunk made it
necessary to sink another well five miles
away, near Seaforth, Or.t. This brine of
higher quality was carried th rough wooden
pipes. which soon gave way under the use
of the heavy, steam pressure necessary to
force it to its destination. But nothing
daunted, he at once replaced the wooden
piping with iron'tubing, at a cost of $1,000
per mile, which proved more satisfacxtory
than he had anticipated, as the heat from
the sun in summer raised the-temperature
of the brine to such a degree that only
about half the amount of fire was necessary
to bring about the evaporation. The pan
used, the largest in Canada, measured 130
x 30 feet;This was 30 feet longer than the
standard size. This plant had a capacity of
producing about 200 barrels of salt each
day, which was the largest producing
"block" in the Dominion, except the
International at Goderich. Four thousand
cords of wood were consumed annually in
the Production of the salt: The sawmill,
stave factory and cooperage shop provided
barrels, for the, shipment, of their product.
These buildings were built over the stream
• one block -west of Prendergast' s.Hotel and
a little south from that corner. The .salt
block was south and West of these - west of
the bridge, hack of Kidd's brink store. In
the 90's all these buildings, one by one,
disappeared, and the plot was then
frequently spo en of s he " Silt
3,000 acres
Kidd was the owner of 3,000 acres or
moreof farm land, some in the community,
but much of it timber land in the Georgian
Bay area. This land provided most of the'
lumber and wood needed for his inter-
prises in the village. `Kidd employed, at the
height of his 'popularity, atbund fifty men.
As his business prospered and expanded,
he became quite wealthy: then as the 70's
wore on, one backset after another beset
hint. t he tirst was the sinking of a shipload
of luniber in Lake Huron. Much money had
been spent on, a dock at Goderich which,`
one night during a storm, was blown away
and completely destroyed:About this time
one of his houses burned, and a few years
later the cooperage shop was destrpyed by
fire. Kidd was also the heaviest"financial
loser in the fire of May, 1879, as he owned
several of the buildings burned which were
occupied by others. He lost a storeroom, as
well, which housed a, large quantity of his
hardware. This 'loss was -another be to
' his business.
In the late 80's circumstances were such
that• he assigned all to his creditors, and
crossed the border to Chicago, Illinois, and
lived there till he died on May 3, 1890, at
the age of 65 years. His remains were
brought back and, buried beside his wife
Sarah, who had died on May 16, 1872, aged'
44 years. A tall white marble monument in
St.Columban -Cemetery marks his last
resting place. Today the name of Kidd is as
seldom heard 'as is that of Carronbrook.
• 0
On June 25
,1817d8,east Oldest
gala celebration,
Carronbrook had, its name changed to
Dublin, , in honor of • Joseph Kides
birthplace in Ireland. The streets ' were,
;gaily decorated for the occasion. In the
procession, Mrs. William Carpenter, riding
ilia decorated carriage with her son, James
represented the oldest inhabitants, and in
another carriage, drawn by four beautiful
grey horses, were nine little girls dressed
impure white, eight of whom represented
the Provinces of the Dominion, and the
other the young City of Dublin. These were
escorted by a mounted guard, dressed in
scarlet, with drawn swords`and lances. At '
the entrace to the picnic grounds the
Captain of the Guard, after demanding
who sought admittance,.presented the key
to Dublin to fairy queen, Miss , Mary
McConnell, who was crowned during the
ceremony which followed. The celebration
lasted all day and long into the night.
The 'one fatality that marred the
proceedings of the day was 'the death, 'of
Daniel Geary, a Hibbert Township farmer.
Opposite Torn' King's store, spanning. the
street, was a magnificently designed arch,
made of Salt Barrels.Mr.Geary when
driving down the street struck the arch,
and the toppling barrels frightened his
spirited team of horses, In. the runaway
that followed, he was dragged from the
railroad track to Where the church now
stands, and when help reached him life
wag' extinct.
111111.1k Tuckey
PEPS
Nor Beverages
Exeter Ontario