Clinton News-Record, 1975-07-24, Page 39. V-.
' • , , ,
Wod aspresently exists between
northfrOm Miuy Street
(40400 hi IPS, lotek, resisted the
li0YertlInetit building find
by Gerald Fremlln flomCs. Tbe premises bOrnott
•• The town block occupied by the
Ontario Department ,of
Agriculture and frf4d and the
SionnenlOCk IS probably the most
burned,OVer-part of Clinton.
The first known fire affecting
the bloat was in March 1873 when
aiL the buildings along that
section of King Street were
. burned, 'The site of the present
• government building was oc.
cupied at the time of the fire by
tarn owned by *teat Rattcnbury.
ether businesses., onthe block
were: Cruikshank's jhoemaker
shop;Powler'S watchmaker
shop; W.H. Simpson, fancy
• goods; James Smith, tailor; J.H.
•Combo, druggist; and W.H. Hine.
These buildings, of frame con-
struction, were probably built in
18.50's, but no lakirmation has
been obtained to confirm this
supposition.
By October 1878, the site of
• attenbures barn, Mentioned
Wove, was occupied by the
'Carson Mick" named after
rs. Carson who had it built. It
was of white brick vedeer, three
storeys high, and was probably a
hotel front the outset, but the
newspapers do not refer to it as
such until 1883 when it is known
as the .Grand Union Hotel, The
remainder of the block was
rebuilt in.the-same period, again
ip wood, and was known as the
Smith - Block ' after its builder
James Smith.
The Smith Block met its demise
in March, 1881 in a fire that
started- in the present site of
Frank's Barbershop. then oc-
etpied by "Boney" Canipbell„
also a barber. The Grand Union
which at that -time had the same,
space befween it and the Smith
were4. roptieltkbarbershaN '
P. RP') 's Vet:eV ataresidente;.•
and Macklds drugstore aid
reSidenee.
Following the 1881 fire Mr,
Smith erected a new Smith 1,1loelt
tutus time in brick. completing it '.
in Augnst of the' same year. In
1887, the owner of the Gyan
Union, Mrs, fvloiley, enlarged the c!,
hotel by 'ten rooms. expanding
onto the vacant lot mentioned,
above, so that the hotel now
abutted', directly against the
Smith Block. The contractorsjor
the addition were Cooper and
Swaffield, the cooper of the
,....portnership being Sam. The new
Smith Block avoided itS
predecessors' fate until March
1900 and then succumbed, the
burnt -oat premises being: Kirk:
by,s bakery; two storesaperated
by Beacom and Sons, grocers;
and J.T. Emmertonsuccessor to
Roney Campbell in the bar-
. ,bershop. The hotel,. directly
adjoining, again *resisted the
flames. The burnt site was,
bought by Sam Cooper who put up
the present Sloane Block in 1902,
naming it for his uncle in
Goderich who hadbeen in-
• struntental in Mr. . Cooper's
coming to Canada from Ireland.
The . hotel, which had .twice
been endangered by the Smith
Block fires, burned down fru its
• own_ internal causes.in April 1903.
but by that time the name -had
been changed from The, Grand
• Union to The Clarendon. The :
chimge in name took place when
the hotel , was leased to J.M.
Miller „in 1895! Subsequent
operators - Of the hotel were
, James tVlaceuire. 1900; Henry .
Cantelon. 1902: and Perkins and
(continued on page 16)
.1"
• I .
4 Waite
itob 'Morgan turns his back on the sceneacross nary Street
'Inn which Warrener's livery barb* and the skating rink
Ewe disappeared. The chopphig Mill is still in the future.
Th four poster orchestra stand is the white object to the left
if the hydro post. About 1930.
24- Hummers once rink
24: North Sideof
Mary Street
west of Isaac
(e)copyrlght 1975)
The spate occupied by the
chopping mill and its grounds on
' the north side of Mary Street just
west of Isaac was previously
occupied by a skating rink and a
livery barn.
The skating rink, which was
aligned directly along the west
side of the present alley at the
rear of the stares on Isaac Street.
*as erected in 1897 following the
abandonment of the rink on
Princess Street (see 614. The site
• was previously partly occupied
by Johnston's livery barn in the
interior of, the block. accessible
by the alley mentioned above.
The rink was builrby Sam Cooper
on contract to Mr. Shunk,
operator of the Commercial Hotel
on Huron Street.
The rink was of frame con-
struction clad with metal, with an
feet. and was lighted by a
ice surface measurin 44 by 44:1
-from the beginning. Little good
was ever said , of it. It was
referred to us a igar box-. was
replete(' to be &atty. and when a
"rnerry-go-round -organ" was
installed in 1906 it was described
as "a good substitute for
something better".
The ririk appears to have been
caught in a four -Way entnpetition
. between skaters, curlers, hbckey
. players and M. 'Shank Who
• seems to have preferred to use it
as driving shed for the hotel
rather than a rink. In the off
season .he used it as a driving
shed and could accommodate 24
rigs with horses attached. In 1904
he was apparently loathe to open
it for ice making. In the previous
year the curling club abandoned
the battle and strung arc lamps
al Fair's pond, but this was the
notorious winter of 1903-1904, and
they probably did little outdoor
curling.
Doom for the "cigar box" rink
was sounded in 1913 when a new
rink was built at Orange and
Mary Streets (see 44), however.
the old one hung on for- some*
years. it was demolished abut
1921.
Immediately west of the "cigar
box" rink was Warrener's livery
barn. It is believed ip ave been
built in 1908, 6,ut thMsiTncertain.
• The livery barn was demblished
about the same time as the rink.
In the late 1920's. the Mary
Street front and theinterior of the
block were clear. The space had
the status of a sort of orchard
grass park. A circus M tents was
set up there about 1928. and later
outdoor dances were held on a
take-apar t -a (0-put-together-
wal1ed-with-snoi.-fence dance •
flaor. There was also an outdoor
orchestra stand built along, the
lines of a "boxing -Ant with light
poles at the corners. All this
disapPettml Whey) the cfloppytg
Min ions Ifttabouf
on the Midway. The corner of the Normandie Hotel barn is at the len edge of t
Rands' over -the -street horseshoe sign.+s now 22 years oldand has lost a leg.
'Wore.
ongratuiations
to the
Town of Clinton
on the
tit -.1tonitretsdry:
ofincorootittion
fittart 7;UTHENTIC.
OLD MILL
.t
Where the Values Are
Air Conditioned for your comforf
Bainton Limited, Blyth
Telephone 523-9666
• JULY to SEPT.
Sunday i�
Mon Sat. 9 , 9
Factory Outlet
Leather 8, suede garments
Leather Gloves & Mitts for.aU
fhe family
Leather Purses & Handbags &
Hats -
Pure Virgin Wool Blankets
-411 sixes -
Mohair Throws
Sheepskin Rugs, Socks, Yarn,
toys, Etc.
,111,
faIbi. setbeetle 041 eboi yes
w BINS the helftsge and
Imbibe of the Woes Waft ,
ialgoe w*e 44 lestbet
beetosee.
•