HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1975-07-24, Page 54a,
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wfstit .4thirt$Ireet
(e)cepyright1475,
Ittewal4Vremun •
tr,t 18$4. Mr. Tedford,
blacksmith* g9ttlfected his tanner
house. on the site eir: the present
Bell Telephone building on
Battenbin'y Street West.- to a
workshop and moved his
operation from Leslie's carriage
works (see 611 Witte neW shop. In
1909 he said the shop to Albert
Seeley and Albert Turner who set
up a' bicycle repair shop and a
general blackstnithin shop. The
- partnership waslitssolved in 1904
but Mr. Turner continued the
bicycle repair businefs and Mr. t
Seeley the blacksmith business in
the same premises, Mr. Turner
gave up his business at an
unknown date. and Mr. Seeley
continued, eventually passing the
business to his son Wilfred. The
old shop was demolished in 19n
to make way for the Bell
Teteehone Building.
The property immediately to
the west of. the Bell Telephone
building wastaken ever in 1900 by
the Clinton Marble Works.
(tombstones) by James Seale
who in that year had left the
Seal and Hoover
which had, operated a m se
works on Huron Street ,(ste zz)
In
1,905 Mr. Seale wet out -of
business 'and the Rattenbury •
Street property was bought by
Albert Seeley who converted the
building on the site to the house
that presently stands there. The '
article that reports the con-
version -of the building to a house
states: "This building is one of
the oldest intown. having been
put up over fifty years ago (i.e.
before 1855) and was first erected
by Mr. E. Dinsley as a wagon
Here Mr. ▪ Wm. Harland (ap-
prentice in 1854) commenced his
trade -as' a carriage maker. Mr,
Fred Rumball, carriage maker,
started here (as an apprentice.
1851-1854) and Mr. Henry Stevens
had bench room' in the same
building when he commenced as
a carpenter. Mr. Dinsley sold to
Capt. Wilson on whose death it
passed to Mr. E.11oltnes who sold
11 10 James Seale, and he sold it to
Mr. Seeley.”
If the foregoing statement is
correct, the house at 20 Rat-
tenbury Street west is probably
Clinton's oldest building. dating
from , 1850, and ane that was
closely associated with several of
the town's earliest industrialists.
A superficial inspection of the
house shows its architecture to
resefnble that of early frame
factories in the town. There is.
however- a major problem in
positively identifying the building •
as having been Dirisleses wagon
works. and that is its location.
The wagon shop is elsewhere
reported to have been built
across the street. on the site of
the rear part of Bartliff`s present
bakeshop. This of course does not
rule out the possibility of the
building having been moved, and
indeed it was common practice to
move large frame buildings,
witness, for example. the
removal of Diehl's furniture
• factory on Victoria Street (see
13) to the present site of Cooke's
greenhouse at Wellington and
Orange, where it was made into,a
planing mill by James Stevens
(see 43).
Aftt*.vonversion to a house the
building Was rented • to' Mr.
Ballard, and on his death in 1
,was rented to James P4ann.
subsequent history has not been
traced.
There were other early in-
dustrial buildings on Rattenbury
• Street West whose locations have
net been determined. They may
have been west of Orange Street.
One of these was Daniel Mulloy's
pump factory. ft Is known to have
been in existence in 1857. and to
have still been in opeciation in
11137. It ;eastern down in 1493, and
the lumber was pUrchased by
- Dave Cantelon. The quarter acre
lot on which it stood was bought
• In 1893 by a Mr. McGiUof�iyth,
Daniet Mulloy's pump facto*
itiof particular interest because it
has an lisSOshitlart wtth what
undoubtedly the earlieSt in-
dustrial site in the vicinity of
Clinton,*hotit which little is
_
known. -11115 No Cook's tan It
was located immediately
downstream from the present
bridge over the Bayfield River on
the railway to Louden. At this
point the valley is narrow with
steep. banks on either side - an
ideal mill site. it is in1ect the best
mill site on the Bayneld River
any placevearClinton.
The min was reached by the
road opposite lituonview on the
London Road, and continued west
beyond the mill across a ford
,the river to the Bayfield Road.
•
•
eet o
.;„
Remnants*? the toad may still be
SOO. as well as earthworks,
marks of eacalfh.tions, and Seale
timer in the river. In additigo to
the grist mill, there was a lime
kiln where rocks from the river
bed were burned to make lime.
Pieces of calcined rock can be
found on the site.
The builder and operator of the
mill.was Andrew Cook, brother of
the grandfather of Bob and Lock
Cree. and therefore the great
great anduncle of JackCree
and •Morgan of town. The
date of constructem of the mill is
not known. not of its closure, but
it is . reported as being in
operation "before Clinton had an
existence". IC Must date from
after the' opening of the Londort
Road.- and end probably •be
correctly attr1bute0 to the late
1830's. Andrew Cook is known to
have left Clinton for Nebraska
about 1873 and to have raised a
family there.
'The unknown site of Daniel
Mulloy's pump factory on ttat-
tenbury Street west is associated
with Cook's'MW because Mr.
Mulloy's first pump factory was
at the milLIty 1857 he had a pump
factory in town, almost certainly
on Rattenbury Street West.
Another unlqcated building on
Rattenbury Street west belonged
to a Mr, Worsen. When it was -
tern down in 190511 wasreferred
tO as ult Write frown* building,
idle forsome time " Part of it is
known to have been:, a laultdrY
operated by Robert zwitchiat In
1897. it is thought that Thomtis
Fortune's invention wits
manufactured there in the latter
half of the 1890's. The invention is
described in the following.
"Thomas L. Fortune of town
recently, has been granted a
Canadian patent for a bedroom
commode and bedpan. It is very
convenient, simple and Inez -
pensive, and is intended to be
attached to en ordinary slop pail
so that it may be used under any
circumstances. A, simple at-
tar.hmeot for disinfecting pur.
poses adds to its utility.-"
We've been progressing
since 1946!
Serving Clinton & area
foi more than a
quarter of her
successful 100 years.
" , .••,• ••
Our staff: left to right! Barry Young. Joe Min**, Don Hanley, 6110 Andrews.
Bert Garret/. Barret/ Taylor, Cliff Ashton. Missing, Mark Jenkins-
* Tonto Petroleses Prsd*cts
* Repairs to .11 oohs of
cars troth
* Used tar L tuck dealer
64 Huron, Clinton