HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1977-06-30, Page 87ART
41
^c,v
7�1f�STi tw 46.1)135,
Mir
tia11 all,
•1 31 CYA 1` •4, 1M
,�, qty
SiI 'Il �l°9)YE � Fr,z,
YI �iM' ✓1 .1
A.M:Polley's "livery and hack stable" as sketched in the Belden
tlas,1879
olley's spots made owner famous
must have been a sight to
ember, and talk about,
n certain Goderich
ens put A.M. Polley's
ro coachman in a barrel -
rolled him down harbor
This seems to have been
light expression of an -
thy toward employment
olored help at the Polley
y stable, and doubtless
uraged it. Polley and his
were from the Eastern
yes where it was
ary--and, indeed, the
ion -to employ Negro
ers. But Goderich a
Ty ago looked coldly
the practice,
ange that a man who
in Goderich at least 45
�s should be best
embered by many as the
er of a dappled grey pair
light carriage horses
wn to the public as
ley's Spots." The team
available, at an ap-
riate .charge, for wed-
s and other important
sions.
nother recollection is of
y farm. south of the
and adjunct of his
and stage business. It
so designated long'after
ey ceased to own it,
ly because it provided a
nient horse -and -buggy
e and in later years a
mile walk for ,such as
to take exercise that
Among these, the late
Ben Allen recalled, were
L.M. Mabee, Percy
ton, Jack Lawrence, John
and sometimes Will
rtson,
An 1865 gazetteer of Huron
county lists "A.M. Polley,
livery stable, cor. Lighthouse
and --Montreal," That
description applies to the site
of which the public library
was erected in 1905, 'but
research has turned up the
fact that Polley's stable was
on the corner of Montreal and
Market streets, -just west of
the present First Baptist
Church.
Mistaken identity, or a
confusion of names, may
have caused Gavin Green to
write that in the 1887
Dominion election, when
M.C. Cameron was Defeated
by Robert Porter. "the Tories
imported a young man from
down country. A.M. Polley. a
real tongue -thrasher."
There is no evident reason
for young Polley's migration
from New Hampshire, except
that young men like to travel.
Polley arrived in Canada
about 1860, spent some time
travelling for Brantford and
Hamilton firms, and came to
Goderich in 1862: Soon he
returned briefly to New
Hampshire and married
Flora Fuller of Nashua. He
bought a house on 'North
street, opposite the Registry
Office,in 1866. In 1871 he
acquired Lot 986, West street,
(the present Parsons place)
and in 1887 sold it to Colin
Campbell.
Belden's Huron Atlas
contains a line drawing of
Polley's livery stable, with
three vehicles out in front.
This shows the -arched central
corridor through which the
Congratulations
Goderich
on yourf
'Sesquicentennial"
FROM THE MANAGEMENT AND STAFF OF
I.A.C. Limited
The Square 524-4337
livery turnouts arrived and,;_, u.x.ate, this would have
meant that he came to Huron
at the age of 28, with his wife,
23, and their children were
born here. It is certain that
Polley acquired the, North
street house, opposite the
Registry Office, in July, 1866,
and an adjoining lot in- the
following year. When he sold
out his livery business in 1903,
he ha,d been in that business,
with some stagecoach
operations, for 40 years. He
resided in Goderich until his
death in 1921. Mrs. Polley
died in 1915. There were two
daughters: Charlotte, born in
departed. There are, in fact,
separate buildings. The front
section. neatly mortared to
the rear of the main building,
is of better quality stone, of
regular shape. Polley
perhaps had the front part
built to give him office room.
Later it contained the main
office of Goderich Motors.
The 1878 keystone enabled
Stanley Prevett to claim "90
years of transportation
service" for the building.
The Atlas shows the year of
A.M. Polley's "settlement in
the county" as 1862. If ac -
1865, died here in 1905. Grace,
born in 1870, died in 1923.
Helen, Mrs. Major, resided in
Toledo.
Polley's livery stable was
one of the 25 subscribers
listed in the first Goderich,
telephone directory. Others
were the town clerk, William
Lee's warehouse at the dock,
William Acheson's dry goods
store, Malcolm • Colin
Cameron and M.G. Cameron,
barristers, and a couple of
drug stores. There were no
numbers; you just asked for
the subscriber by name..
Turn to page 56•
CONGRATULATIONS
GODERICH
ON YOUR
150th
ANNIVERSARY
We wish all friends, customers
and visitors the very best during the
sesquicentennial celebrations.
L.H. Jenkins Ltd.
Auto wreckers
R.R. no. 4 Goderich 324-7111