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PAM 111.--ClairON NEWS-nCORD, nO,IRSDAY, jULY 24, 1975
71 Raglan Street location
71. The Mit DohertY
Organ Factory,
west side of Raglan Orval
between MOMS
and flantenburY
Copyright 1,75,
by Gerald gremlin
In 1875. Doherty and MenzAes,
founded in 1869, was a music
store tocated in one of the stores
where flail and Muteh now are, in
the "Brick Block" on the east
side of Albert Street. They had
moved into the store in June 1875
and by August of that year lad
erected a large workshop at the
rear of the store. It is believed
that this was the first Doherty
organ factor,y, for in February of.,
1876. it was announced that they,
had gone into the manufa.cture of
organs.
In March the first organ was
exhibited. At this time there was
an arrangement whereby the
cabinet work was done in the
r y first organ factory burned in 1898
planing mill of McCartney,
Thompson and Scott at the corner
of Huron and Shipley Streets
(see 55). In June 1376 org*n
manufacture was reported in a
factory on Rattenbury Street,
and earlier in the year a cow'
ditional exemption from taxes for
ten years had been obtained. The
Rattenbury Street operation,
which employed "several" men,
was very likely on Raglan Street.
but this is uncertain. In October
1876, William Doherty sold his
interest in the Music store to T.H:
Whiting, antr that business
thereafter was known as Menzies
and Whiting.
In August 1881. a "mammoth"
organ factory waskopened by Mr.
Doherty on the west side of
Raglan Street between Princess
and Rattenbury, and went into
production in December. The
factory at this time is believed to
have consisted of two buildings.
The larger was 100 by 40 feet, four
storeys high, of frame 'con-
struction clad In metal. It was at
the corner of Raglan and Prin.
cesk_with the long axis parallel
with the tatter street. The other
building, a little to the seuth. was
80 by 40 feet, probably only one
storey, and of brick construction.
Thirty-five men were employed.
Although Doherties at the
beginning were almost ex-
clusively in organ production, it
appears 'that as early, as 1892
some pianciS, were manufactured.
A report In that year states that
the manufacture of pianos Wit
been started in a houSe on Rat-
tenbury Street vacated by H.
Stevens, but no other information
on this matter has been obtained.
In 1897 Sam Cooper was given a
contract to build additions to the
plant with theobject of in-
creasing capacity to 500 organs a
month. The addition consisted of
adding a storey to the 80 by 40 foot
building, and to•erect a new 40 by
72 - Ontario at Wiatiani
Church built by Bible Christians
fl—northwest corner of
Ontario and William Streets
The Ontario Street
United Church
Ctopyright 1975
The Ontario Street United '
Church was built in 1878 by the
Bible Christians whose first
church was on the site of the
present Baptist Church (see 60).
The Ontario Street site was
prcvioysly occupied' by the house
of George 'Pay. _The Gibbings
homestead. built in 1831 and
therefore . one of the first
buildings in Clinton. was just to
the north in the same block.
In one phase of church union,
the Bade Christians joined with a
number of Methodist sects, and
thereafter their church on Oh-
tario Street was known as the
Ontario Street Methodist Church.
The name -United- appearantly
came into application after a
later union in 1925 between
Methodists and Presbyterians.
The 40 annex to the church
on Willian% Street, dated 1955.
was originally the site of a frame
driving shed for accommodating
the horses and rigs of the
congregation. This was replaced
in 1907 by a shed constructed of
cement blocks,. In addition to its
ecclesiastical service, the shed
served as a private pagan spot
for special after -four fights
between public school pugilists
whose names are not forgotten.
The, high school seen at the mirth end of Gibbings Street.
70-:- The High School
School builv-1857
70—north side of „Princess st.s.
fAcing Gibbings Street.
The High school
C copyright 1973
In 1857 Samuel Rance and
Horatio Hale started a Masonic
Lodge in a two-storey frame
building somewhere on Rat-
tenbury Street East. The first
high school. was held in this.
building. Thereafter there is a
large lack of information on high
school history.
When the Public School at
Ontario Street and William was
opened about 1870 (sett) high
school classes were held in it
under the principalship of James
Turnbull. In 1876 a 31,4 acre lot
was bought from the GIbbings
estate - the side of the present
high school campus. At *cost of
53.6.0. a two-storey brick
building was pt e. up by W. Little,
facing down ..libbings Street.
This I understood to be the site of
Gibbings' barn, built in the early
1830's, Behindthe school, and
presumably built at a later date,
was a gymnasium of frame
construction and reputed drafty
although. heated by an upright
stove,
in 1927, a new school on the
Same campus. and now in-
corporated into the present
building complex, was opened.
The old Minding sias razed. and
all that was left was the flag pole
which. surviving official
demolition, also survived a long
succession of attempted unof-
ficial deniolltions occurring
tegularly on the evening of. the
3Ist of October.
•
35 foot building south of the other
two, four storeys high, of brick
construction.
In February 1698 the factory
and Mr. Doherty's house.
believed to be across Raglan
Street from the plant, were
destroyed by fire. The failure to
save the buildtngs illustrated the
Other closer sources such as the
pond west of the high school were
undoubtedly inaccessible not
only because of snit)* but also
because the temperature was 1$
below zero Fahrenheit. In ad-
dition to the factory buildings and ,
Doherty's house. pearl 11
minion feet Of lumber was
inadequacy of the town's system destroyed and 150. eniPloyees
of fire protecticm. When the fire wereAPpurtuozu898. oav
out of woic:;obtained a
engine - a steam pumper - had In
exhausted the water at the plant. Dlooanerfty:co
$p.ortrited
romttthewtoithwn,,Sn
Mr.ai
its nearest available source was he
at the- Market Square (Library Cooper -6r the construction of the
Park) where there were tanks of present piano factory on East *
water salted against the frost. zStreet (see. 8).
The engine moved to the Market
elransaelnesd4vacoannt Runagtillanaftertetet
Square but then the hose would
'
e
not reach the factory and there Second World War when the
was no defense against the fire. present houses were built on it.
• Building now
for
• tomorrow's
progress
Building materials 'are our
business, and have been for 27
years in Clinton. By offering a
complete line, of the highest
quality building materials,
friendly courteous individual
service'' , and our new low cash
and carry prices, we contribute
to the growth of our community.
We look forward to continue
serving you as Clinton enters its
second hundred years.
Bill Counter
COUNTER
CASH & CARRY
Buil ng Supplies
Pk' E CL iNT 482-9612
•
IRS0
5.
1975
Con ratulation8
E MINTIDEE
F itIt4 Art Prints, Custom framing, Accessories, Stationery
1 King Street, Clinton 482-3871
•