HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1980-02-28, Page 26The jail and governor's mansion were restored and became busy
tourist attraction
Cultufe and. heritage
surfaced in seventies
Goderich has acquired
an appreciation for its
historical heritage during
the seventies. The
preservation and
restoration of the Huron
historic Gaol, the_ in-
tention to create a per-
forming arts theatre out
of the old livery stable
Parks .
efrom page 7
into a first class sport-
sffield, with considerable
co-operation and
financial support from
the Goderich Industrial
Softball League.
In 1978 a ceremony at
Maitland Cemetery to
honour" the unidentified
sailors who lost their
lives in the great storm in
1913, whose .bodies were
found in our area and who
are buried in the
cemetery here . was
started in Co=operation
with the Cernetery Board.
The ceremony is to be
continued as an annual
tradition every
November.
It appears from the
above changes and ad-
ditions that the Parks
work has expanded and
improved considerably,
------&—the—to-TVn has grown in
area as well as in outlook.
Mrs. Haydon points out
it is proper to note that
the increased and much
more sophisticated
workload 'is now carried
by fewer workers - a crew
of five including the
foreman.
The figures supplied on
request by L. McCabe,
Clerk -Treasurer, of
Goderich, illustrate that
the Parks budget has
decreased in comparison
with other departments
in the Town's :overall
budget. In 1973, the Parks
budget was 2.1 percent of
the overall budget and in
1979 it had dropped to 1
percept of the overall
budget.
Peter Spain and Elsa
Haydon prepared a very
comprehensive report of
the changes and im-
provements in the Parks
system through the
seventies which formed
the basis of this overview
of the Goderich Par s
..system. through .t e _
decade. In their con-
clusion they extend this
invitation, "Make friends
with a park."
behind the Bedford Hotel
on South Street and' the
forrnation of a Local
Architectural Con-
servation Advisory
Committee have all
raised the awareness of
Goderich citizens of the
heritage that is theirs.
Dorothy Wallace, a
member of the• Huron
Historic Gaol Board and
the Performing Arts
Foundation has been,
actively involved in this
consciousness raising.
In the early seventies
when the Gaol wall was
threatened by a proposal
to remove one section of
the wall t� build'an ad-
dition to the assessment
building, a "group of
citizens were able to
persuade Huron County
Council 'of the heritage
value ofthe Gaol and the
county now owns the
building. It was opened
to visitors iti 1974 and a
restoration of the Gaol
has continued since that
Work has been corn-
pleted to repoint the stone
where damage Was most
evident and disin-
tegration most imminent
through the assistance of
a _
Canada Works
Program. Windows have
been talsen9,14puttiej,._
glazed and repainted.
The jailor's living
quarters in the Gaol have
been restored and the
governor's house built ,in
1900 has been restored to
display furniture of that
period. Furniture which
is donated is completely
cate logued.
The Gaol is. open to
visitors 0 thrOugh, the
summer months and last
year 17,000 visitors saw
the Gaol.
The aim of the board
according to Mrs.
Wallace is to offer a place
for community activites
and during the years
since the gaol has bee
open to the public, dr a
productions have xbeen
staged in the con yards,
under the ausp' es of the
Little theatre, including
Theatre/ Passe
MaurailX's '1837". A'
flea rrket is held on the
ma et is held on the
1 n every Sunday while
e gaol is open and there
is no idea how it influence
Sunday attendance of,
visitors to the gaol aVrYS:'
Mrs. Wallace.
A feasibility study in
1975 suggested converting
the largest courtyard to a
theatre but it would have
meant sacrificing one of
the most beautiful. por-
tions of the gaol wall, It
was an expensive project
and the size of the theatre
would have been limited.
It was decided by the
board that the idea of a
theatre was not com-
patiable with• the main
use the board saw for the
gaol, an historical
building -which will at-
tract visitors to the town,
and the board did not
persue the idea.
In 1979 a group of
Goderich citizens pur-
chased the old Livery
stable behind the Bedford
Hotel when the former
owner threatened to have
it demolished if a buyer,
could not be found. The
down payment was
raised by donations and
the support of various
citizens.
The idea of a theatre in
the Livery had been
suggested to various
people who came
together to . form a
foundation with the ob-
jective of turning the
Livery into a theatre.
The first proposal for
the Livery .involved a
shopping concourse, an
addition.thatimauld.house_____.
a foyer and a 450 seat
theatre.
The foundation is
concentrating on raising
the money for a 300 seat
auditorium which ,can be
used for performing arts
and special occasion
organizations in to .n
from time to time.
An auxiliary h been
•farmed to rai money
and they hav conducted
a raffle of/f�ur works of
art by 97oderich artists
and sec ed lunches at the
Livey' on Thursdays and
Fr'days through the
mmer and autumn
months. Plans are for a
winter carnival and an
IODE film night.
It is an exciting project
because Goderich has
needed a theatre with the
capacity and accoustics
for its Little Theatre
productions, the hig.h
school's drama
productions and choral
groups and orchestras
which come to town
occasionally.
Mts. Wallace alga sits
on the Local Architec-
tural ' Conser-Wation
Turn to page 9 ILI
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