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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 1999-12-29, Page 11THE CITIZEN MILLENNIUM ISSUE, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29, 1999. PAGE 11. Township of Grey Jamestown once home to several hotels Henfryn store Tuck’s Tavern Walton’s Sovereign Bank of Canada Continued from page 10 Vincent as postmasters. Prior to the turn of the century, Jamestown had three hotels, a shoe shop, general store, wagon shop, blacksmith and harness maker. No church was built as Jamestown was considered too small. Businessmen began to sell out by the 1880s as improved roads made travel to other communities easier. The general store realized a suc­ cessful period when Duncan and Will McDonald purchased it in 1905. The hamlet finally got a meeting hall in 1901 when an old church was moved from Salem in Turnberry Twp. It was renamed Victoria Hall. It was destroyed by fire in 1910. A new red brick building was completed in October, 1911. When the stagecoach stopped run­ ning between Brussels and Wroxeter in 1913, the post office closed and rural mail delivery took over. Though used throughout the world wars for the packaging of goods for the soldiers, Victoria Hall fell into disrepair through the 1950s and 1960s. It was sold for taxes in 1968 and eventually tom down. The old general store was removed in November, 1998, after many years of neglect. Several families still live in the Jamestown area and one construc­ tion-related business on the Morns side remains. Tindell Tindell was the community locat­ ed at the Wellington Grey and Bruce rail station on County Rd. 19 (Ethel Line) just south of Ethel. At one time there were stockyards, weigh scales, a grain elevator and 18 lots surveyed to the west, north and south of Clark Street. John Siemmon had laid out the hamlet prior to the arrival of the rail­ road in 1873. The station was named Ethel. The Station Hotel was built on the north corner of Mill and Clark Streets in 1872 and a store was added across Clark Street in 1877. The store was changed to a car garage in the early part of this centu­ ry. The hotel burned in 1910. All the buildings used for busi­ nesses are gone, but a few houses remain. The railroad was abandoned in 1991 and the lines lifted in 1993. Henfryn Located on Lots 34 and 35 (Henfryn Line) of Cone. 8 and 9, Henfryn had the advantage of both the Maitland River and the Wellington Grey and Bruce railway. E.C.K. Davies purchased the land in 1872 and operated a sawmill. The railroad came through the following year. In the latter part of the 19th centu­ ry, Henfryn had a brewery, store, hotel, stable, an Anglican and Methodist church, sawmill and brick and tile yard. Once a hotel of choice for rail trav­ ellers from Kitchener to Goderich, the hotel disappeared in 1901 when it was destroyed by fire. The railroad station was built in 1876. St. David’s Anglican Church, which had been built of Henfryn brick in the 1880s, closed in 1964. The Methodist Church was situat­ ed south of the Anglican Church, across Davies Street. It was built in 1881. The general store, which had housed a boot and shoe business, tai­ lor and dressmakers, burned in 1939. There was also a blacksmith shop, pail factory and the only hennery in Huron County. The brick and tile yard was moved from north of the Maitland on South Half part Lot 34, Cone. 8, to the lot line between Cone. 8 and 9, south of the river in 1952. Production stopped in the early 1980s. Though the last remnants are now gone, it stood well into the latter part of the century. Henfryn survives today as a resi­ dential community. Moncrieff Located on Lots 30 and 31, Cone. 16 (Moncrieff Rd.), the hamlet was named for Moncrieff, Scotland when the first settlers arrived in the 1860s. It was not until 1899 that mail was brought directly to the community when the post office was moved to the general store. The store was built in 1897 by Mrs. Lucas, a widow with two small girls. The upstairs provided a hail for dances. A new store was built in the 1920s after a fire. It closed for the final time in 1975. Bethel Methodist Church opened in 1893. The Presbyterians pur­ chased the church in 1902 and it became known as Bethel Presbyterian. The name was changed to Knox in 1910 and the current building constructed in 1912. With church union it became a United Church in 1925, but was closed in 1976. The school was built for a third time in 1925 on Lot 31. It closed in 1965 and students were transported to Grey Central Public School near Ethel. At that time the community pur­ chased the schoolhouse and began using it as a community hall. The old 1926 frame hall was tom down. The community had a blacksmith, chopping mill. Now a residential community, an old mill building still stands as does the general store and church. The community hall is still in use. Carmunnock Situated on Lot 35, Cone. 18 (Blyth Rd.) Carmunnock was settled in 1866 and boasted a store and post office, hotel, boarding houses, and sawmill. The post office, first called Stowe, was at Lot 32, but was moved in !874.The store and post office build­ ings were dismantled in 1899. The hotel was destroyed by fire. () Proposed road names McKercher Construction ~ Calling Jamestown home for close to half a century Many changes have come about since the business was founded in 1952 by Glenn McKercher. 1950s - saw Glenn with his first single axle truck - a 1951 Ford with a 6 yard box. Gravel was hauled from a person's choice of pit - usually on the farm. The business grew, more machinery was purchased. The first loader was a Fordson Major - no power steering, manual trip on the bucket, price tag - $150.00. Construction work took Glenn as far north as North Bay and as far south as Belle River. 1960s - Times were starting to change. Business was still mainly trucking for other contractors. The first new tandem was purchased in 1964 - one of the few in the area. Several track loaders were purchased since the Fordson Major, as local business was increasing. A backhoe was purchased in 1965. 1970s - Local work increased, becoming a major part of the business. 1979 was a very busy year doing local work and supplying material for the sewer project in Brussels. 1980s - John, having worked along with Glenn, now purchased the business. 1982 - Interest rates were John McKercher Construction Ltd. * Bulldozing * Loading * Hauling * Backhoeing * Licensed Septic Installations Aggregate materials * Topsoil - Field or Screened * Bark mulch * Decorative white marble & red terra stone R.R. #2, Bluevale, Ontario Tel: (519) 887-9061 Fax (519) 887-9999 high with very little local work. Trucks worked away in the city. 1984 - Trim dozer was purchased. 1986 - Local work opened up again. John bought his first triaxle truck. 1987 - Became a limited company. 1988 - Purchased backhoe from Glenn. The 1990s brought fax machines, computers, cell phone, screening plant, laser transit technology and John becoming a licensed septic installer. Thanks to all our customers in the local and surrounding areas - local work keeps us busy. Forty eight years have not changed the roots of our business. Our goal continues to be providing our customers with the same honest, reliable and efficient service as Glenn provided during his 28 years in business. Rest assured our equipment and staff are all Y2K compliant and we look forward to serving you in the new millennium and hope to cover even more ground. From the bottom of our hearts, we wish all our customers, a happy, healthy and prosperous millennium.