Clinton News-Record, 1976-06-24, Page 82PAGE 28B--C4INTOI! NEWS, REC0.R.D. THURSDAY, JUNE 24,1976
History o postai
First letters arrived b
his new building (now the Beauty
Shoppe) ready in 1923, Miss Lucy'.
his daughter was his assistant.
After. Dr. Woods died in 1933.
meat Mrs. Woods b. eca�me interim
postmistress and then received
-her appointment with Lucy
continuing as her assistant. The
offiee "was moved into the section
of this house now occupied by the
Canadian Imperial Bank of
Commerce. Mrs. Woods resigned
in 1947.
J.E. (Ernie) Hovey was then
appointed and the office was in
his building on the corner of Main
and Catherine Streets. until 1973
when a new post office was
erected, also on Main Street and
directly across. from the original
one used in 1847. The ceremony of
unveiling the plaque took place
August 25. 1973.
Ernie. our popular post-
master. still welcomes us all with
a smile. May we continue to find house built by Dr. X111
Now a beauty salon, this
him and his able assistant, Mrs.Dodsti5 the Inst
J. come. n. there for soiree time post office after the fire of 1922.
to come. driver is having a hard time. We July 6.. 1892- Sam Beattie will
The following items give us aro shut out from the outside continue to run a passenger stage
information and sometimes world altogether. from Bayfield to Seaforth and the
amusement about the mail, stage arch 28. 1888-Bentby is intermediate villages of
and express service between' driving the stage to town again. Brucefield and Varna and the
Bayfield and the railway
> Toot your horn, old boy, so pretty Goshen Corner. He is attentive to
stations.
h1 10 1877 Mr John Morgan girls will gather at the night the comfort of the ladies. keeping
by Ethel (:Jowett) Path
Before a post office was
established in Bayfield, the mail
was carried on -horseback or the
pony e p
grandfather of Alma (McKay)
Bassett, formerly of the Albion
Hotel. gave this service for some
years.
Bayfield's first postmaster was
Donald Fraser in 1847. He was
located in the house beside Mr.
and Mrs. Stevens of the Mariner
Antique Shop on Main Street
called the Harry Erwin Reuse.
The next postmaster was
James A. Gairdner who lived in
that same house from 1853 to 1857
when he built the large brick
building on the corner of Main
and Susan streets. the land being
surchased from Baron de Tuyll.
This housed his residence. store
and post office. the latter two
extending the full length of the
building on the Susan Street side.
Mail service was given by the
Gairdner family for over 60
years. Miss Mary being post-
mistress after the death of her
father (1896-1905) and Miss
Marguerite. 1905-1917.
• Jack , their brother was
assistant. The main post offices
in Huron County were known as
accounting offices.
The postmaster -general's
report for 1878 showed the gross.
revenue for payfield to be 9202.14
and the postmaster's salary was
9182. and he supplied the
budding'
The 1895 report reads as
follows: cost of carrying the mail
between Bayfield and Seaforth
9315: gross revenues 9563.56:
money orders issued; $14.359.51.
Bayfield seemed to do a good
•susiness as a money order office.
After Miss Marguerite died, Dr.
Vivian Woods was appointed ,
postmaster and the post office
«as in Drehmann's store next to
he. residence (now Lloyd
Westlake's j until the big fire of
1922 which destroyed the Dreh-
mann. • Greenslade and . King
buildings. Then it was in the
Wuod's house until the doctor had
ony express
ay
has purchased from Mr. Polly of
Goderich. the stage equipment
used for carrying passengers and
mails between Bayfield and
Seaforth.
May 17, 1877 -Express to
Bayfield from Clinton -With
commendable enterprise. Mr.
J.A. Hula intends placing a team
on the road between Clinton and
Bayfield. Will- believes the team
will go to Bayfield every evening
and return in the morning. This
will be a convenience to the
Bayfield people that we think.
they will not be slow to ap-
preciate.
July 14. 1884 -Our new mail
carrier has taken charge. We are
not satisfied with the hour of
arrival. It is too late. The stage'
should be driven with two horses.
not one.
January 21. 1887 -The mail
meeting place.
August 1. 1888 -The new mail
route is said to be unsatisfactory
as _ regards speedy com-
munication with London.
August 15. 1888 -There is a little
boy driving the stage from
Clinton now. He does not appear
to be more than 10 or -12 years of
age. Whoever was instrumental
in making the change in our mail
service should see that the hours
for leaving here and returning
from Clinton are so that one can
get letters to London and an
answer in the same day. We do
not so much care where
distribution from the railroad
takes place but we do want 19th
century dispatch in mail matters.
This is a real grievance and
should be remedied.
October 25. 1889 -Mr. Beattie,
our worthy stage driver. has
rented Mrs. Cofltior's house. He
has painted his Bayfield stage
and added a cover -very com-
fortable and attractive.
February 21. 1890 -Mr. David
Hays. proprietor of the Seaforth
stage had congestion of the lungs
but is well again. escape Tuesday night when.
March 27. 1891 -Mr. David Hays nearing the village, his horses
died last week. He had driven the... --were blinded 'by the raging
stage between Bayfield and blizzard and went off the road.
Seaforth for a long time. The stage upset but there was no
May 22. 1891 -Mr. John Simpson serious damage to the driver or
died from an accident. He had the horses.
braved the storms for many February 13. 1895 -Owing to
years driving the stage between severe storms the stage from
Bayfield and Seaforth. Seaforth didn't arrive because of
September 11. 1891 -We are blocked roads on Friday and
informed that the mail route has Saturday nights.
been changed back to the old way February 21. 1896 -Mail service
via Seaforth and Brucefield and is behind this week. due to the
will be operated about October 1. stormy weather.
June 15, 1892 -The mail contract April 9. 1897 -Mr. McGee began
between here and Seaforth has driving the stage Monday
been let to Mr:. Clark of that morning last. (A story is. 'told
lace. He is w drop bread all about this -Jimmy McGee, an
The present Bayfield post office was built in 1974,
them warm and comfortable with
buffalo robes.
Mrs. Fred McEwin's grand-
mother, Mrs. Wm. Clark lived
about a mile down the Goshen
Line and, in. the early days
walked to Goderich through the
bush on a blazed trail to mail a
letter, get tea etc. There were no
stamps. she just paid the postage
and it was so stamped. The post
office at the Goshen corner on the
Bayfield -Varna road was a great
boon to them.)
January 6. 1893 -The proprietor
is obliging and the stage com-
fortable but the mail ac-
commodation was never worse.
Those who advocated the change
of mail route from Clinton regret
their foolish policy. The post-
master is obliged to keep the
office open to 9:30 or 10 p.m.
January 16. 1893 -Perhaps those'
who advocated the change of the
mail route from Clinton to
Seaforth are now biting their
nails when they have to wait until
a quarter to ten for their mail.
January 9. 1895 -Mr. W. Clark.
stage driver. had a narrow
reassured his " passenger with
"oh. she'll wait for me. I've often
waited for her." But she didn't
wait!)
One of the stage drivers like to
use g words. Oise -Time his wire
fell backwards when the korses
started up suddenly and he ex-
claimed. "Susan. sit up in your
proper elevation."
July 27, 1900- Everyone finds it
a decided convenience to have •
the two stages running daily and
consequently .two mails are
distributed daily.
February 13. 1902 -Stage driver.
Mr. McGee had difficulty making
his trips and getting mail owing
to the storms and blockade on the
railway.
May 5. 1905 -Mr. McGee has
disposed of his business as mail
carrier to Mr. • Harry Little of
Egmondville who will take
possession about the first of June.
(At one time Arlie Atwood
drove. the stage for Little's. Mr.
Little usually drove to Seaforth in
the morning and took pails of wild
berries that people had picked for
sale in Seaforth. Arlie met the
Brucefield train (London. Huron
and Bruce) in the afternoon.
Once when George Little,
Harry's. son. was driving he
picked ' up a very sedate
passenger at Varna who was to
get off at the Goshen Line. On the
way he happened to drop the line
and jumped down to pick it up.
The team of horses took off with
the passenger in tlfe coach and
the driver hanging on to one line.
Rev. Steadman. preacher at the
Methodist Church. who was also
driving on that road, saw them
and thought it was a challenge for
him so he joined in "the race" but
soon found it was a runaway. The
broncos didn't stop until they got
right to their stable on the
square.)
March
property
Beautiful
House 2 storey concrete. situated
on the Square, y,, acre land in
connection. on which is barn.
Also livery business and mail
route between Bayfield and
Seaforth and Brucefield. Sold
together or separately. Apply on
premises or to H. Little. Bayfield
P.O. (Mr. George Copeland of
Parry Sound District bought the
property and the business. He
had the first car used as a stage.)
May 2. 1918 -Mr. George
Copeland, who has spent the past
seven years in the village is
selling his residence to leave with
his wife and son Alfred for their
. former home at Sprucedale in the
Parry Sound District.
The next stage drivers were
Ed. Weston and his brother. then
Harold Brandon and his brother
Abe. The Seaforth run was
dropped. only the Brucefield
train being met.
In the early 1900's the stage
service ceased to exist and the
mail was brought from Clinton,
as it is now in 1976.
This account would not be
P
along the road from. Seaforth to• Irishman who lived in the present
Brucefield. But King of Bayfield Jack Sturgeon house beside the complete without mentioning the
makes as good as any of them. United Church. He had a nervous rural mail service which began in
16, 1911 -For Sale -
and stage business.
residence in Bayfield:
passenger worried about missing 1914.
the train at Bruc,,efield when they Some of the carriers have
rounded the bend past Ban- been: Thomas Harrison. Albert
nockburn Hill, the train could be Hess, Charles Tippet and Ed
seen at Brucefield station hut he (continued on page 298)
Ito the 11304,t1* present Bank of ConiMerce as thcpost offleie. It was owned 'l y Dr• Woods and was
built by Mr. Ontledge. lite present owners are iV*. and Mrs. L1oydsYestiait`e.
The 'mall iss •about to be taken to the train
hayfield post office in Dr. Wood's home.
n 1935 from the