HomeMy WebLinkAboutHomecoming '87, 1987-07-01, Page 2PAGE A-2. THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 1987.
_Homecoming '87_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
This remarkable picture is part of a much larger photograph which Brussels Fire Chief
Howard Bernard has in his possession. The words “Brussels Old Boys and Girls Reunion,
July, 1927” are written on the picture, but Mr. Bernard says he has not been able to find
anyone who knows anything about either the picture or the occasion for it, although it is
obvious that a tremendous amount of time and care has been spent in posing the 200-250
people, many of them in costume, which appear in it. If anyone can fill in the details, please
tell Mr. Bernard, or call us at The Citizen office.
A capsule history
of 115years
of Brussels
The present village of Brussels
straddles the boundary between
the townships of Morris and Grey,
which were surveyed in 1848 and
1852 respectively. Lands in Morris
Twp. were first offered for sale on
July 30,1852, and those in Grey on
August 27, 1854. It is almost
certain, however, that many pur
chasers had occupied the land as
squatters before these dates.
In the vicinity of what is now
Brussels, lands on both sides of the
township line were purchased
almostimmediately upon being
advertised. On the Grey side,
WilliamHenry Ainley, whowas
the first white settier in the area,
purchased 200 acres, while the
main claimed to be the area’s
second settler, Thomas Halliday,
bought land on the Morris side.
Other early settlers were William
Kingston, William McLeod, and
Alexander Stewart.
In 1855, Mr. Ainley laid out a
village plot on the southeast corner
of his holding, naming it “ Ainley -
ville. ” On April 1,1856, he sold his
property, including the village
site, to John Nicholas Knechtal, a
local merchant and land specula
tor. Later that year, a post office
was opened on the site and named
“Dingle” (nobody seems to know
why!), with WilliamGrantasits
first postmaster. Until the time the
village was incorporated, in 1872,
the post office kept this name,
separate from the name of the
village.
During the next few years,
several small businesses were
established, no less than five
churches were built, and an
addition was made to the village
plot by Thomas Halliday. Despite
the water-power potential of the
river, mills were slow to develop,
partly because of the problem of
“absentee ownership,” a factor
seen by many as a problem again in
some rural areas in 1987!
John and Francis Fishleigh and
Thomas Babb, all merchants in
Mitchell, and Donald Mclnnes, a
Hamilton merchant, controlled
potential mill properties and flood
ing rights at various times, but
none erected a mill. This was left to
William Vanstone, a miller from
Egmondville, who built a sawmill
and a grist mill soon after his
arrival in Ainleyville in 1859.
However, it was not until 1862 that
he purchased the properties on
which these mills were located
from Mr McInnis and Mr. Babb.
Richard Vanstone of Egmondville
was a partner in the firm until 1863,
when hesold his share to James
Vanstone of Ainleyville.
In 1861, John Leckie established
the first grain and produce dealer
ship in the village, providing a
means to market for the region’s
early wheat crops by team to the
Lake Huron and Buffalo Railway
station at Seaforth. Mr. Leckie also
served as manager of Ainleyville’s
first Exchange Bank, and later
became the first reeve of the
incorporated village.
During the 1860’s, Ainleyville
flourished. The Vanstone’s Flour
and Grist Mill was expanded to
“three run of stone, capable of
dressing 75 barrels of flour daily,
besides gristing. ’ ’ It employed ten
men, and cut one million feet of
lumber annually to feed its steam
power plant. Other industries
established during this period
were blacksmith shops, a woolen
Continued on page A-3
These two characters are Ben Whittard and Sandy Roe of Brussels.
The photo was taken at the same time as the one at the top of the page,
because Mr. Roe can be seen in the larger photo in the front row,
beneath the first two “Bartell” banners.
Brussels
On your 115th Anniversary
TOPNOTCH 'te to (uzr/e
^cifofdced <wd cvtea (dtft ^eed. Seed,
*?vttcli%en, <Md (^teenceal^ 27 yearn. Tfle faw/and to
cad&taaty tutrt foaditew. Sendee.
BRUSSELS BRANCH
887-6011 887-6012
(Manager): Don Johnson 367-2111
(Sales Representative): Rick Rock 887-9784