Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1975-07-24, Page 29The "L.ittie*hii-01 OtinTOWnse4ti Street From wagon shop to creamery &Corner of William and High Streets copyright 075. by Gerald Frernitri A year or so berate 1857, Alexander Taylor built a wttgon shop at the corner of High and William Streets, Nearby at the same center Archibald Matheson halt a blacksmith Shop between 1858 atu14863. At least as early as 1864 John Ross had a pump factory described as being next to Matheson's blacksmith Abp. The position of these buildings Iterative to each other is not definitely 4ininvn but it is believed that the wagon works_was on High Street, the blacksmith on e urn fa ory 1, on William Street, a c ose together. ' • In 1869 the wagon works was bought by William Cooper who converted it ma planing mill, and in the following year etitered into partnership with his brother-in- law Thomas Mackenzie to form the firm of Cooper and Mackenzie • - builders. In 1880 Cooper and Mackenzie built new premises on King Street at the railway (see 30) and sold their), High and William Street property to Fisher and Downs. Robert Downs was the inventor of a type of -sea mill dog" - a device for securing a Ing onto the carriage that carried the log to the saw in a saw Mill. In 1878 Fisher and Downs had comnienced manufacture of saw mill dogs at a location on King Street (sec 29) but in 1880 they relocated into the mill vacated by, Cooper and Mackenzie at King and William. In 1882 Mr. Downs added the Matheson blacksmith shop to•hisestablithment. L This business apparently. closed aboat 1890. for in that year Mr. William Cole of New York Slate began thing the Fisher and Downs building as an- apple evaporatorand in 1892 the Matheson blacksmith shop Was rented to Walter Beaton for general blackitnithing. By 1906 the blacksmith- shop was' out Of use: the chimney blew down in June. and. in October Mr. Downs had the building demolished. In 1904 Dave Cantelon (the Apple King) converted a building in Little England!' initially built as a creamery and subsequently used as a knitting factory (see 19). into an apple evaporator. and leased it to Towne and Case opt. KM and William. They moved two huildines: one 48 by 54 feet, the other 16 by 16. from the old site to the new. The vacated property was bought by James Hamilton. a local coal dealer. Th 1911. midhe built the present !liaise in the same year. In 1914 he put up the cement barn that is still on the prem ises. The history of Ross's pump factory is obscufe. It is fairly certain that it was taken over by Ferguson and Campbell froth James Ross in 1875, for the manufacture or putnps. but James Ross was reported still in the pump business in 1888. James Ferguson was apparently still in the business in 1902. In 1904 the pump factory is reported as being torn down. but in 1906 the following is given: -What is known as Ferguson's pump factory tin High Street will soon tumble down if it is not re -moved before. It is a building that cap 4 - Hotel 4. Corner of inctoria Street and East Street, Kelly's Hotel, (c) copyright, 1975 "A by Getatd Fremlin In March 1978 Mrs'. S. Knox, probably the former proprietor of the Clinton Hotel Which closed in 1877(sec1). had a hotel erected at the corner of East Street and Victoria Street. It was just across the , street from the railway station, of the time. Mrs. Knox may have operated the hotel for a short time, but in ma it wasunder lease teMr. Kelly. In 1884 he put „oil) a grocery store beside the hotel expecting "to get the business of that end of town '. -Until 1884 the hotel is referred 10 simpbi,,,,es,„plly's Hotel. but ** thereafter it' is sometimes referred to as the Railway Hotel. -It is notknown whether this was a formal or simply a descriptive ,narne. The same name had previixisly applied formally to a hotel 'across Victoria Street (see 18). Until 1889 Mr. Kelly had lea's& the hotel but in that year, possibly In anticipation of his death. he bought it. and was dead within the year. 40 Novbrnber the business wits sold b Mrs. Kelly • to Patrick Pollard of West Wawanosh who leased it to a Mr. -Ohara. In March 1891 the building was burnt beyond redemption and was not rebuilt. The salvageable timber was taken to Hullett to be used in the construction of a barn.for James Morrison. - Gun club 6 -The Clinton Gun Club between Irwin Street itad the Railway copyright iota by Gerald Fremlin Prior to 1893 the Clinton dun CAub. which went in for skeet shooting and live bird shoots (pigeons), had grounds and a club house '7,in the present Recreational Park. In 1893 the Club purchased 5 3-5 acres on the Regatta, estate,just behind life Standard Elevator (see 5) - roughly where the Fleming Feed Mill now stands. and moved its club house from the Park lathe new grounds. A new club house was built in 1903. It Is reported that Gun Club get -Rinds were rented to the Agricultural Society for On years in 1909. The subsequent history of the Club has not been traced. _44 never be used again." it is highly proteible that the building was gone by the time James Hamilton built him house in 1911. (continued from digging „ of a basementin- Stalletlan of central heating, and indoor plumbing - girls* on the east, NIS' on the west, and a central front entrance. When classes were about to begin, the bell in the belfry waS rung, and the principal walked the downstairs hall ringing a handbell. ()inside at. the front. ' large boys lined tip on the west, large girls on the east. small boys and smalrgirls in double -boy and double -girl files facing the- en- trance, linked hand-in-hand, hay to boy and girl to girl. At a signal from the principal a chosen boy beat out the tinie'on a snare drum and all marched in. youngest fiest, oldest boys -last, to do the daily stint in preparation for a different drum. The school was vacated in 1953 when, the -present public school was opened, In 1887, the Public School became a Medel Scheid which is to s'ay there was a class of student teachers who gained experience int real teaching 'situations. With the additional class of "Modellites- the school watr overcrowded and the School Board wt.* threatpnof. with. prosecution. As a Sehttifarti lot adjoining the school'. grounds to tbeeiCiii1ownsen4StroeL. was bought from W.H.-Sithpson. on -which was erected. by Sam Cnoper, a tiko-storey frame building with two .ctass roon*. The , model school function was discontinttd ahnut 1913 .and the School', the site of which -is now occupied by the house" at ' 123 Townsend Street. was -torn down. The vacant site was added to the school grounds and for, many yearS had two basketball standards that were " never or seldom, used. In passing- it might be men- tioned that the school ground"; now occupied by houses and • yards:. had a ball diamond. a set of teeter-totters, and u swing designed on -the .principI6 of a maypole an which numeropS heads. were damaged not to mention bodies flying off in tangents. Not to be overlooked either, wa.s an open incinerator. seemingly made from. a section of steam boiler which winter and summer put forth a 'scholarly sirriCh. never to be forgotten. „WS 0 # LL b e • • f•"' t • 4.4 143 k I r 7'773 .k.,AVIrii*.1Vd2 • , • S 4 • 11.01000#0010■• 4111.* The Pahlie School Munn Mt when asingle front entrance had bees/ made and indoor plumbing Boys' on the fight, Girls* on the left. Best Wishes for Clinton Centennial re• Special Thanks to Ger Clinton clients: " GROVES TV & APPLIANCES DURST FARM & GARDEN CENTRE MARY'S $EWING CENTRE RAY & WRVS GROCERY ' EL -MAC VARIETY -WATERLOO MASONRY CLEANtitS LTD. Specialists in trick amis. & hiIdis Resteraiiess CO ter Fres Es -dames Box 273 Drayton (419) 6382886 . '