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APT-11
PAGE 2. THE CITIZEN/JUNE 1993.
Original Huronview, home to 90 residents
Huronview first opened its doors
in 1895 after being built in 1894 by
Sam S. Cooper, of Clinton. The
original home (which housed
approximately 90 residents) which
was intended as a place for the
homeless to live when they had
nowhere else to go, were not able
to support themselves or were
incapable of living alone without
supervision.
The facility also included a farm,
and with the assistance of residents
By Bonnie Gropp
With all the planning and dream-
ing involved in making Huronview
and Huronlea reality there are
many people in the county who feel
connected to the project. Few how-
ever, have roots dug as deeply as
Grey Township Reeve Leona Arm-
strong.
In 1955, after completing two
years as Warden of the county and
following a short period as Huron-
view farm manager, Reeve Arm-
strong's father, the late Harvey
Johnston became administrator of
Huronview. During his 15 years at
the Tuckersmith Twp. facility, he
and his wife Lila resided in an
apartment at the front of the build-
ing.
"When I went home to visit my
parents, that's where I went," said
Reeve Armstrong adding that in
those days the administrator's job
was a 24 hour one. "I remember
we never celebrated our family
Christmas on Christmas Day while
Dad was administrator. He was
always in the dining room to carve
the turkey for the residents."
Built on a farm, Huronview,
which stands next to the new facili-
ty just south of Clinton, had its own
barn, cattle and crops. "It was pret-
ty self-sufficient," says Reeve Arm-
strong. "In the early years a lot of
the residents did the work."
When Mr. Johnston became
administrator, there were 66 resi-
dents at Huronview and a perpetual
waiting list. To accommodate the
growing need a new wing was
added in 1959, followed by another
in 1967. "It got to be such a big
institution," says Reeve Armstrong.
"It really wasn't built for extended
care. The stipulation at one time
was that for residents to be accept-
ed they had to be physically able to
walk in on their own. Once there,
they were moved to different wings
if their condition changed."
By the time Mr. Johnston and his
wife retired there were 310 resi-'
dents at Huronview. Though he and
his wife moved to a house in Clin-
ton, Mrs. Johnston remained very
active with the goings-on in Huron-
view as a member of its auxiliary.
With such a personal interest in
the facility it seems only fitting that
Reeve Armstrong was on the facili-
ty use committee, which came up
with the recommendation that the
county have three homes for the
(both male and female) produced
food for them to eat and sell. They
also maintained registered
livestock, registered under the
name 'Huronco' The home was
originally known as the House of
Refuge or the Poor House,
probably because of the nature of
the initial residents. Over the years
it became known as the 'Huron
County Home' and then as
Huronview. The name is a
combination of 'Huronco' and the
aged.
"During our study, it came out
loud and clear during discussions
groups and organize-
they wanted smaller, more
home-like facilities." The idea was
Continued on page 3
HARVEY JOHNSTON
'view' of the surrounding country.
The original building is now
completely gone. The old
Huronview was built in three
sections (1953/54), the 1961
addition and the 1967 addition).
Huronview could accommodate up
to 310 residents and offer a variety
of services and programs to
encourage active daily living. At
one time, Huronview was
authorized for 129 residential and
181 extended care beds. Construc-
tion on the new Huronview began
in the fall of 1991, was supposed to
be finished the following fall but
didn't open until April of 1993 due
to weather and construction delays.
There are presently 120 residents at
Huronview. The home has had a
varied administration over the
years. The following is a brief
summary.
First superintendent and matron
were Mr. Daniel and Mrs. Florence
French of Exeter. In 1907, Mr.
Multch took over as superintendent
and was followed by Mr. J. Brown
in 1916. Mr. J. B. Reynolds was
appointed in 1919. Mr. R. A.
Robertson commenced his duties in
1922, but stayed only one year. In
early 1923, Mr. and Mrs. John
Jacob commenced a long tenure as
superintendent and matron. In
1939, their son, Dick Jacob, joined
the staff as farm manager. Later
that same year, John Jacob died and
Mrs. Martha Jacob was appointed
superintendent.
In 1955, Mrs. Jacob retired. Mrs.
Peacock was then appointed
superintendent but stayed less than
a year. In July, 1956, Mr. Harvey
Johnson was appointed. When he
retired in 1969, Mr. Chester
Archibald took over as admini-
strator. Mr. Wayne Lester was
appointed administrator in 1980
and is presently serving in that
capacity. As a point of interest, Dr.
John Campbell of Seaforth was the
first home physician. Dr. J. Keith
Hay is now acting medical director.
History connects Grey
Twp. reeve to Huronview
with
Lion
seniors
that