The Exeter Times-Advocate, 1973-06-28, Page 100Keeping Exeter
Area Residents
On Time for
22 Years
JACK
SMITH
• Watch and Clock
Repair
• Engraving
• We Buy Old Gold
213 PRYDE BLVD.
Phone 235-1926
From the left, Larry Denomme, Mike McKeever, Harry, Anne and JohnVaruGerwen
and Wally Becker
Some farmers say the best deal
they've ever made was at . . .
Anne and Harry VanGerwin and staff salute Exeter
on its 100th birthday and note with pride they carry
the town's name on their business.
EFE FARM EQUIPMENT
THE BEST IN FARM
LIMITED
MACHINERY
EXETER
Section 1, Page 12 THE EXETER TIMES-ADVOCATE JUNE 28, 1973
Exeter Times-Advocate,
February 7, 1948
Members of the Exeter District
High School Board have engaged
the firm of Page & Steel, Toronto,
to draw up plans for Exeter's new
district school.
Exeter Advocate, April 19, 1888
Look out for those tramps that
are on the march now that the
fine weather is at hand, they visit
the dwellings and watch their
chance to steal anything that they
can get their hands on.
• -sot •
"Pt
50 YEARS IN HARDWARE - J.A. Traquair, left, celebrated 50 years in the hardware industry. He received
the Estwing Gold Hammer award from William King, Main St., district representative of Cochrane-Dunlop
which distributes Estwing hammers in this area. The award is a full size 14 karat gold-plated hammer
mounted on a polished plaque. Mr. Traquair began his career as a clerk in the hardware store of R.M.
Coward, Readlyn, Sask. (T-A, March 28, 1963)
Exeter homes featured
brick from Crediton area
'lit
Did it ever occur to our readers
the reason why practically all the
brick homes around Exeter are of
white brick? Those bricks for
building purposes are a thing of
the past, gone like many another
thing by the invention of modern
and laborsaving machinery.
In the early days of Exeter it
was a common sight to see in the
winter-time a number of sleighs
passing through the village or
lined up along the Main street
while the drivers fed and watered
their teams at noon and stopped
for dinner at any one of the
several hotels in town. Meals
were had for a quarter and feed
and stabling for the teams cost
about the same.
It was usual to make a bee for
hauling bricks. The bricks were
made at Crediton where several.
brick yards were located along
the bank of Aux Sable river,
A goodly number of stories
could be told of the escapades of
the boys of the nieghborhood
when the bricks were being fired.
We had the pleasure the other
afternoon of listening in while a
couple of Crediton Old Boys
called on Frank Taylor.
When burning brick it was a
common custom to visit a neigh-
boring farm yard and purloin a
couple of chickens, a goose and
sometimes a turkey and when the
fire in the kilns was at its height
to take the fowl and roast it in the
kilns and then enjoy a feast.
Crackers and limburger and beer
were supplied for those who liked
it and many were the yarns that
were spun as the light of the fire
spurted red from the top of the
kilns and spread its glow around.
William E. "Shooter Bill"
Sanders, is one of the nine who
bore the name of William and in
order to designate them, all had
nick-names.
"Shooter" tells of selling a
horse to Henry Motz of Crediton,
and taking it out in brick, The
brick was worth $3.50 a thousand.
He teamed the brick to Exeter
and the brick was used in the
building now occupied by
Chainways. He loaded the brick,
drew them to Exeter, unloaded
them and received 75 cents a
thousand for his labour. Mr.
Sanders said he had often teamed
brick to "St. Marys, taking 14
hours to make the trip.
Prank told the story of one
farmer who was fattening a
couple of geese. They were in a
pen with a watch-dog tied close
by. Three of the boys visited the
place one night and gave the dog
some meat and while the dog was
occupied they opened a gate and
let the geese out drove them for
some distance to avoid a noise,
and then capture them and that
night enjoyed a feast.
The next day there was a
threshing at the same farm.
Frank said, "The lady of the
house was serving dinner, she
was behind me with her hand on
my shoulder. She said she would
like to catch the one who had
stolen her geese the night before.
"I did" said Frank in a joke. "Oh
no, you wouldn't do a thing like
that," said the lady. Opposite
Frank at the table was another of
the culprits who turned almost
white and said afterwards that he
could have killed Frank for
making such a statement. It was
all too true.
Another story was of one
farmer who mentioned that he
would like to know when they
were going to have a feed as he
would like to join them. He was
invited and enjoyed eating his
own fowl although he didn't know
that it was his.
There were different ways of
cooking the fowl, but few ovens
ever turned out sweeter meat.
One way was to take the fowl cut
off the head and bleed it and then
with feathers and all wrap the
bird in wet clay and place it in the
oven.
At the proper time the bird was
taken out. A few taps would break
the crust and with the crust would
come off the feathers. The meat
would rop away from the bones so
thoroughly was the fowl baked
the insides were shrivelled to
almost nothing.
Another method was to skin the
fowl instead of plucking the
feathers and the fowl was placed
in a pan. "The boys knew how to
cook 'em in those days," said
"Shooter Bill" Sanders.
"Rememben old Harry
Stanley" said one of the men.
Stanley used to be one of the
brickmakers. He was usually on
time for work in the mornings
and rarely missed a day. One
night the boys plastered up the
windows of his bedroom with
mud and he slept till late waiting
for daylight. At another time they
secured a goat and while he was
away in the evening took it up-
stairs. When Stanley returned he
heard the noise, became
frightened, went to a neighbour
and they investigated the noise.
The goat was thrown from the
second storey window and landed
on its feet none the worse for the
fall.
I don't know whether it will be
safe to meet Frank Taylor after
he reads this one, but Frank got a
great kick out of telling it
himeself.
A young lady from Hensall was
visiting the village. Dan
Kilpatrick, now in the West, but
who was home last year, had a
date with the young lady to take
her to church the following
— Please turn to page 13
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