HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1972-06-28, Page 9My congratulations and best wishes to the Village
of Brussels, and "The Brussels Post" on their
mutual Centennial.
The last one hundred years have seen many changes,
but the stalwart pioneer qualities which helped to build
Brussels are still apparent today. Early settlers in
this country showed great courage, ingenuity and
kindness to their neighbours, and the same independent
and proud spirit, combined with friendliness, is
reflected in the community today.
Just as the people of Brussels can be proud of their
past, I know they can look forward with confidence to
their future.
My best wishes to you all,
Murray Gaunt, MPP
Huron-Bruce
There are five churches -
Anglican, Presbyterian, United,
Church of Canada, Roman Catho-
lic and Jehovah's Witness. St.
John's Anglican congregation will
celebrate the 100th anniversary
of its founding later this year.
Its present church replaces one
destroyed by fire 30-odd years
ago.
Another Brussels centennial
that is coming up is that of the
fall fair which will mark its
100th year in 1961.
The library, I was told by
librarian, Mrs. F.M,Smith, has
been in its present mainstreet
building for the last 50 years.
In addition to its 2,289 volumes,
it borrows 200 books from the
Huron County Library which are
changed four times each year,
making a total of 3,089. It also
sub cribes to a considerable num-
ber of magazines.
A public utilities commission
with Reeve George McCutcheon
as chairman and William Adams
and John McDonald as members,
looks after water and hydro.
Water from a deep well is pump-
ed through the village mains,.
The hydro distribution system is
municipally owned. Secretary-
manager of the commission is
Mr. King, the village clerk-
treasurer.
The village weekly newspaper
the Brussels Post, was founded
in 1872 and has been owned for
the last 26 years by R.W.Kenne-
dy. Publication of the Post is
strictly a family affair. Mr.
Kennedy is the publisher and
does all sorts of jobs around the
plant; Mrs. Kennedy is the edi-
tor, office manager and part-
time Linotype operator, and their
son, David, 19 helps out after
school hours.
A second newspaper, the
Brussels Herald, was started in
1875, but ceased publication the
(following year.
Mr. Kennedy was born into
a newspaper faMily. His father,
'the late A.R.Kennedy, was a
?former vice-president and part
owner of the Stratford Beacon-
Herald, and a former editor of
the Peterborough Examiner.
There is a harness-making
shop in Brussels, one of those
shOps that are now few and far
between since mechanized equip-
Its industry today, consists
of a thriving plant, R.B. Cousins,
Ltd., making butter and ice cream
as well asprocessing and bottling
milk; two chopping mills, a saw-
mill, lumber yard, poultry pro-
cessing plants and egg grading
stations. Then there are various
implement agencies, a welding
and equipment service, farm and
..industrial eqUipment agency, and
a chain saw sales and service.
When it comes to service stations
the community is well provided
for, having no less than eight.
The old village public school
built almost 75 years ago, is to
be replaced this year with a mod-
ern six-room school, with kind-
ergarten, at an estimated cost
of $120,000. High school stud-
ents from Brussels attend class-
es at near-by wingham.
meet replaced most of the horses
on the farms. The present own-
er, who came to the village 11
years ago, said it had been oper-
ating for more than half a cen-
tury.
Mr. Pegelow
'
who was 'born
at Cargill, 35 miles away, said
he learned the trade as a boy
and had been making and repair-
ing harness for over 50 years.
Race horses and ponieg , he said,
have to a big degree taken the
place of farm horses so far as
harness making is concerned.
To continue in business he had to
turn to shoe repairs for part time
work "but it's still 50 per cent
harness making."
Mr. Cousins, of the creamery,
and ice cream plant, told me that
his business, too, was a sort of
family affair. Associated with
him in the plant are his two sons,
George and Lawrie, and a son-in-
law, Ivan Campbell. Taking its
milk and cream from a 15-mile
area, the plant employs a dozen
men. Mr. Cousins is a former
village reeve, having held tha of-
fice from 194810 1955.
Village organizations include
a Lions Club and Legion Branch,
both of which take active parts
in community affairs as well as
sponsoring youngsters' sports.
The village has provided an
excellent block-square commun-
ity park, floodlighted for night
soccer and softball games.
Police matters do not seem
to bother the community too
much. There is only one officer,
a village employee who puts in
part time as a policeman.
Like other Huron County mun-
icipalities (which recently threw
out the old Canada Temperance
Act) Brussels will vote in Juhe
on the questions of beverage
rooms and liquor sale. There
are two hotels in the village,
both of which, under the CTA,
have been "dry" for a great
many years.
First settled in 1852 by a.pio-
neer named William Ainley, the
comlunity was named Ainleyville
in 1855 by its foUnder. But, for
some undisclosed reason, the
post office was officially named
"Dingle."
Then, in 1872, it become in-
corporated as a village and was
given the name of Brussels.
While not positive, present day
'village authorities, are under
the impression it was named
after the European city of that
!name.
An atlas published in 1879
tells of BrUssels industries at
that time. They included a large
plant for manufacture of steam
fire engines, woollen mills, two
steam and water-operated grist
and flour mills, a foundry, 10
carriage shops, two pump fac-
tories, tannery, flax mill - even
a corset factory.
It• then had five hotels "ac-
commodated by one large liquor
store."
Describing the then-flouriSh-
ing village, it said: "The build-
ings are exceptionally good, as a
rule, and the whole place wears
an air of modern elegance, so to
[speak.
THE BRUSSELS POST, JUNE 28, 102-9
are extended to the Village of Brussels
on their 100th birthday
Serving Brussels and surrounding area
STEWART McCALL LTD.
"Livestock Business"
527-1307 R.R.#4, Walton
MI$SF1',,P AND THE FIT= 'WAR
Story of twelve years ago
recalls Brussels history
I would like to extend very happy birthday greetings
to Brussels on their 100th anniversary, and sincere
appreciation to the Brussels Post as they begin their
101st year of dedicated service.
R. E, McKinley, M.P.
Huron
Some years ago, Brussels
was the subject of a photo story
by Bruce Murdoch which appear-
ed in the Hamilton Spectator of
April 9, 1960.
In the story which was accom-
panied by pictures of activity in
the village, the writer told his
impressions of Brussels.
Once much busier from a
manufacturing standpoint than it
is today, the Huron County Village-
of Brussels - it is 16 miles north
of Seaforth and 14 miles south-
east of Wingharn - proudly boasts
that it is "Ontario's Prettiest
Village." It bases its claim on its
site on the south brance of the
Maitland River, its rows of beau-
tiful maple trees lining every
street, and its flower beds set
out along its main thoroughfare
each year by an active horticul-
tural society.
Today, with a population of
846, it is more of a residential
and retail shopping community
than it is industrial. Many of its
residents are retired people from
the surrounding farms, 139 being
70 years of age and over. Its
60 to 69-year group totals 96,
while those in the 20 to 59-year
bracket number 327. The re-
maining 284 are youngsters from
"under three " to 19 years.
Of its 370-odd homes almost.
195 per cent are owner-occupied,
it was_ learned from municipal
clerk-treasurer William H,King.
There have been no building
"sprees" in the village, he said,
and new homes erected in the
last 10 years would not exceed
" a dozen or so".