Clinton News-Record, 1985-07-10, Page 123the po..t office was part of early township life
POST Ol♦'FI,CES
PORTER'S.HIM:
1836 1815
The first post office t=oderlch TOwnship
was established. in 1839 on Lot 24, Con. 6 with
Peter MacDougall as post mistress.
. MacDougall continued as postmistress
after the office was removed to the frame
house on Lot 25 ( beside where Laurie Cox's
brick house now stands). It remained there
until 1863 when the post office was taken
over by the Upper Canada Post Office
Department. At this time it was transferred
to the store of Robert Porter on the hill on
the opposite side of the road (L25/C6) with
Mr. Porter as postmaster and the name
changed to "Porter'sHill".
The mail came by carrier first to Mad:
Dougall's Hill and secondly to Porter's Hill -
initially from Goderich, and later from
Holmesville. At first the carrier made one
trip per week, later this was increased to
two trips per week, then three and finally, in
1913, daily service was provided. In 1885, fif-
ty families received their mail at Porter's
Hill. Porter's Hill continued as a post office
until December 31, 1915 when it was closed
due to the introduction of rural mail
delivery. In 1917 all rural mail came
through the Bayfield post office.
POSTMASTERS;
Robert Porter
James Hendry
FeterManD.ougall
Thomas Elliott
James Elliott
Horace Newton
Elias Potter
Fred Morgan
Geo. Vanderburg
18634869'
1869.1878
1878-1879
1879-1882
1 2-1883
1113-1894
1894-1901
1901-104
1905-1 15
HOLMESVII J .E POST OFFICE;
1855 -1929
The Holmesville frost office was establish-
ed on March 1, 1855, the firsttpostmaster be-
ing, William Holmes. This post office closed
in May 1857 but was re -opened March 1, 1861
to finally close May 27, 1929.
The service was not always considered
satisfactory asan be seen from this 1879
report from a Clinton News Record:
'An effo is being made to get a daily
mail here, which will be an improvement.
Some change should be made with reference
to Porter's Hill, as letters for there have to
go back to Clinton before they can be for-
warded." I
Courtice's store was located on Con. M,
Lot 83 and Mr. Courtice ran the post office in
his store (also the railway ticket office). Ac-
cording to Gord Stock's memories, he went
twifie each day to, the railway station in
Holmesville. He put alt out -going mail in a
heavy twill bag and if the train did not have
to stop for passengers, the bag was hung on
a contraption beside the tracks at the sta-
tion. The train man would snag the bag
while the train was moving by using a hook-
ed
ooked pole - and also throw off the bag of incom-
ing mail. The mail was sorted between
places, on the train.
POSTMASTERS:
Wm. Holmes
Jonas Copp
Edward Kelly
Edgar J. Hill
Andrew Duff
J.L. Courtice
A.J. Courtice
Daniel E. Gliddon
1855-1857
1861-1867
1867-1879
1880-1883
1884-1885'
1885-1901
1902-1926
1926-1929
GARFIELD POST OFFICE:
1880 -1883.
A post office known as "Garfield", Located
on Lot 41, Con. 10 was established on Oc-
tober 1, 1880 with John Middleton as
postmaster. Initially, another site had been
proposed according to this report in the Clin-
ton News Record (September 1879) :
"A petition to the postmaster general is
being circulated and signed in Goderich
Township asking that a post office be
established at Lofft's Corners. This request
was not granted. Lofft's Corners is situated
on the north-west corner of Lot 41, Con. 12."
According to Mrs. . Fred Middleton, the
Post Office Information Service, Ottawa,
noted that John Middleton was also the con-
tractor for the Clinton to Garfield mail ser-
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vice which operated twice each week.
However, the post office at Garfield was
closed April 30, 1883.
RURAL MAIL DELIVERY:
As rural mail services were provided the
smaller post offices were no longer needed.
Outgoing mail could be left in your box at
the end of the lane, and was picked up there
daily, so only stamps and larger items re-
quired the services of a postmaster.
Until the 1980's rural mail was delivered
six days of the week - giving us a slight ad-
vantage over our urban friends who ° lost
their Saturday delivery many years earlier:
Pates of establishment of rural mail
delivery :
Goderich
R. R.1 John Orr 15 091913
R. R.2 J.H. Church 01 10' 1913
R.R.1 George Weston 02 061913
R.R.2 Tom Harrison 02 061913
R.R.3 Charles Tippett 01 09 1913
Clinton
R.R.1 S. Lawrence 01 10 1913
R.R.2 Jim Stoddart 02 061913
R. R.3 Art Currie 02 061913
R.R.4•T.H. Cook 14 071913
R.R.5 Wilbur Crich 18 081913
Les Elliott was possibly the longest con-
tinuous rural mail service driver in this
area. He began carrying mail on the R.R. 2
Bayfield route in 1937 and continued until hi�
death in 1982.
Township notes
Charlie Pearce travelled
for nearly 50 years
CHARLIE PEARCE
- KING OF THE HOBOES
The twenties and the thirties were the time
of the hoboes. Charlie Pearce was born
about a mile west of Holmesville, but at an
early age he left home to see the world and
didn't return for nearly 50 years. His entire
wardrobe was what he had on. According to
Gord Stock's memory,' one item was a vest
on which there were pins of a great variety.
These pins were given him by officials of
cities and towns he had visited, quite often
by the, Chief of Police, for it was the custom
in those days to give the hobo a supper, keep
him in jail for the night and escort him to the
city limits and tell him to keep walking!
1925 Elva Janabe Orr was the first .baby
Congratulations
Goderich Township
WE'RE JOINING WITH
YOU IN THE CELEBRATIONS!
iilf�;IY,ifil'i
This is an example
,of our work
combining lettering
and graphics.
DAVE HEMINGWAY
H.R. 2 HAYFIELD
482-7100
born in the new Goderich Hospital on Feb.
24th, 1925. Proud parents were Mr. and Mrs.
J.B. Orr of the 3rd.. Con. They were
presented with an engraved silver mug,
which Elva has in her possession.
1910 - Womens' Institute Secretary's Report
At the home of Miss Belle McDonald, atten-
dance was 24. Minutes of the last meeting
were read by Miss Millie Robb. Mrs. McIver
read a paper on salads, giving some splen-
did recipes. A paper was also read by Mrs.
McKenzie giving a report of what she saw
at the Model Farm at Guelph. Musical selec-
tions were given by Miss Lixy McLean and
Annie McDonald. Collection 13 cents. Closed"
by singing, Good Save the King. Note atten-
dance 24, collection 13 cents'.
Best. Wishes To Our Many
Friends In...
GODERICH
TOWNSHIP
Happy 150th Birthday
Holmesville
GENERAL
STORE
Holmesville, Ontario
PHONE 482-7150