HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1987-10-21, Page 5THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 21, 1987. PAGE 5.
The reawakening of Ethel
After years of neglect
the village is filled
with new energy
BY TOBY RAINEY
The hamlets of both Ethel and
Henfryn, in Grey Township, have
beengivenshortshriftat the hands
of most local historians, despite the
fact that the first white settler in the
township, a French-Canadian by
the name of Beauchamp, home
steaded near Henfryn a number of
years before WilliamAinlay, in
1852, settled near what was later
to become the village of Brussels.
The famous Belden Atlas of
1879 airily dismisses both hamlets
with the following passage:
‘ ‘There are quite a number of post
villages in the township. Two of
them. Henfryn and Ethel ... are
also railroad villages; but this one
fact constitutes their chief advant
age. their recommendations being
few. andofa tame description. The
former ... is the much more
important of the two, however,
containing large steam mills,
taverns, stores and mechanic's
shops of various kinds."
However, despite Belden’s
opinion. Ethel was an important
centre of commerce from the late
1800's until the late 1920’s, being
the location of a number of thriving
services, mills, shops and manu
facturing businesses, including
the Cober Carriage Works, which
earned a wide reputation with its
ability to produce the very finest
wagons, carriages and sleighs in
the shortest possible time.
Firstestablished as a recognized
Cindy Robinson, left, and her step-daughter, Lorraine, together with
Cindy’s husband, Cliff, are well along in the remodelling of the old
Royal Hotel in Ethel, which will open as Century House Retirement
Home in early December. The Robinsons say they intend to make the
facility “the best of its kind in Ontario.”
settlement in about 1862, the
peacefulvillageonabendofthe
Maitland River was called Carter’s
(or Carter’s Mills or Carter’s
Corners) until the railway came
through in 1873, atwhich time both
the railway station and the post
office were named Ethel.
The village thrived, and in 1919
became a police village which
served as the seat of township
government right up until the new
municipal office was built on
County Road 16 in 1978. However,
from about 1930 on, the village of
Ethel had embarked on its slow
slide to oblivion, culminating in its
reversion to part of the township in
1981. when it failed to find enough
trustees willing to stand for the
election which would have seen it
retain its status as a police village.
Even during its heyday Ethel
suffered more than its share of
natural disasters, including severe
flooding and a large number of
major fires which severely altered
the face of the village. In her 1982
history *‘Grey Township and its
People, ’ ’ author Marilyn Engel
bemoaned the confusion surround-
ing many of the businesses and
buildings which once thrived in the
busy market village.
"Time has juggled things
around a great deal in Ethel,’’ Mrs.
Engel (now Mrs. Jack Clark of
Stratford) wrote. "Fires have
destroyed many of the original
business buildings, and what few
Doreen Suter is the new proprietor of the Ethel General Store, formerly called Weber General Store.
Already part of the community, local residents predict that Ms. Suter will be an asset to the community.
“She’s a real ‘people’ person,” one gentleman said.
landmarks remain would not be
recognized by octogenarians of
other years. Many buildings have
been moved from site to site, often
changing their mercantile line in
the move.”
But today, while Henfryn (“ ...
the more important of the two... ”)
has virtually disappeared, haunted
only by the ghost of its once-thriv
ing brickworks, Ethel has begun to
enjoy a slow revitalization, brought
back to life by a number of changes
which could well signal the beginn
ing of a renewed interest in the
location.
Most evident of the changes is
the imminent re-opening of the old
Royal Hotel building as what its
owners say will be "the best
retirement home in Ontario.”
The Robinson family, Cliff and
Cindy, and Cliff’s daughter, Lor
raine, purchased the buildingfrom
Otto and Phyllis Pfeiffer last June,
and have been working ever since
to convert it to a eight-bed
retirement home, due to open
December 1. There will be four
single rooms and two semi-private
units to start with, as well as a
common dining room, activity
room and visitor’s lounge.
The Robinson family is uniquely
qualified to operate such a facility,
with enough credentials and ex
perience in health care, geriatric
care and related fields among them
topermitany oneofthemto work in
the best facility in the land. But it
is their collective attitude which
will make "Century House" a very
special place for those who come to
call it home.
"Thiswillbe very much their
home,” says Mrs. Robinson. "Our
guests will be on their own as much
asthey wanttobe. but we’ll always
be here to help if they need it."
Those living at Century House
will be able to take an active part in
therunningofthehouseholdand in
the preparation of meals if they
wish, or in the care of the
three-quarters of an acre of shady
lawn and garden if their interests
run in that direction. There will be
no curfews, and there is plenty of
rooms for guests to keep their own
cars, if they wish.
"Our idea is to allow them to be
as independent as possible, to
continue to live their own private
lives with as little interruption and
interference as possible. Living at
Century House will not result in the
loss of dignity or personality, "
says Lorraine, who has a diploma in
social work from Conestoga Col
lege, and by next spring will have
completed her Bachelor of Arts
degree in psychology and social
welfare from Sir Wilfred Laurier
University.
Century House will eventually
have its own van to take guests on
trips and errands, and the Robin
sons are even contemplating turn
ing a large quonset-style building
at the back of the house into a
swimming pool and hydro-therapy
facility, if interest warrants it.
Century House is now taking
applications for accommodation,
and the initial interest in the facility
has been keen, says Mrs. Robin
son. As well, the family anticipates
that at least two part-time or on-call
employeeswillbe needed in the
Century House
may mean
more jobs
near future, with more to be added
as the facility grows to sustain
plans the family has for it.
Employment opportunities are
the key to a secure future for any
community, and Ethel’s new re
tirement home will provide a solid
basisfortheseas itcontinues to
grow and thrive.
The second major change in
Ethel in the past few weeks has
beenthepurchaseofthe former
Weber General Store, one of the
community’s two stores, by
Doreen Suter, a dynamic former
jack-of-all-trades who has decided
to make the hamlet her home.
Ms. Suter has made very few
changes to the business recently
owned and operated by Jean and
Lothar Weber, but according to
local residents, traffic in and out of
the store has increased dramati-
clly since she took over early this
month.
Planned opening December 1,1987
Now accepting applications for accommodation
For information call 887-9725
"She’s a real ‘people person’ -
everybody likes her, and she’s
willing to do whatever she can to
satisfy her customers,” one long
time Ethel resident said, "She’s
definitely going to be good for this
town.”
For her part, Ms. Suter says she
is planning a few changes, but
wants to "feel the people out"
first, to find out what goods and
services are most needed, and then
try to provide them so local
customers have less need to travel
to other communities to shop.
The third new business esta
blished to boost Ethel’s economy in
the past few weeks is Country
Garden Flowers, owned and oper
ated by Gladys Ellsmore of RR 1,
Ethel. Located one mile west of the
village, the new florist shop, is
strictly speaking, not part of the
village. But Mrs. Ellsmore is
widely known for her skill and
expertise in the business, and
keeps a high profile in Ethel with a
constantly changing window dis
play at the Ethel General Store, so
it is only natural that her expanding
clientele will be a decided asset to
the community as the village
continues to grow.
As this issue goes to press, there
is word of yet another new business
planning to establish in Ethel.
Local rumour has it that the old
Ethel schoolhouse property at the
east end of the hamlet, the present
site of Morton Farm Equipment, is
beingconsidered by a Toronto firm
as the future site of a new
woodworking shop, with the possi
bility of several apartments being
established in the old schoolhouse
itself.
Whatever happens at the old
school property will be just another
shot in the arm for the little village
that is trying for a comeback.
Century
House
Rest Homes
“Comfortable
country living”
ETHEL, ONTARIO