HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1966-03-24, Page 13•
-The StOry... ..
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(Continuedfrom last week)•
Salvation Army .
It was not till 1Vfarch 29, 1884, that the Salvation
Army arrived in Seaforth. The first few weeks th
meetings were held in the Town }fall. at the Market
Square, with a small group of five Mien and four
women. Later they moved to Cardno's Hall, where
4 they retrained till the new barracks was ready for
occupancy. •Captain Gage was the leader at this time.
This barracks was built on North Main St. on a lot
formerly occupied by Sam Stark. Their meetings were
held at the front of the building, and the officers living
quarters were at the rear. The building was dedicated
on January 9, 1887. In July, 1914, tenders were called
4 for a new Citadel to replace the old one. Here the local
corps carried on till 1955:
During the `first year or two, boys and young men
several times caused disturbances at the Army meet-
ings and paraded on Main St. at night singing'parodies
of the hymns used by the Army. This was offensive
to many citizens, and also to the constable, Ebenezer
Lusby. When these problems were brought to the
magistrate, the young men pleaded for leniency .and
promised to behave. Soon peace was resumed,
Prominent in Army work were Mrs. Robert
`Army" Smith, Brigadier John Habkirk, Mr. and Mrs.
John McLennan, Miss Ida McTaggart, Mr- and Mrs.
John Lightowler, Miss Elizabeth Thompson and Mrs.
Robert Ritchie. A memory of their work, dill lingers,
singing and speaking on the street corners, and their
sincere `Thank You" and "God Bless You" as you drop-
ped a donation on their plate, or purchased a "War
Cry" from them at your door.
The Army Barracks was sold in 1957 to the Sea -
forth Orange Lodge--L.O.L. 793. Lodge meetings of
both thea men and- women's 'groups are held here, and
also other social gatherings.
Since Bethel Bible Church was organized in Sep-
tember, 1964, the services conducted have been held in
this building.
Still another church group, this one of the Pente-
costal faith, in 1956 built a small white stuccoed place
of worship on East William St., where John Peters in
the early days had his -"Pleasure Garden". The church
was built under the supervision of Rev. H. T. Kendrick,
who is°still in charge. His home is on the adjoining lot.
•
Pride in Education
Public Schools
In the early 1840's, children in the vicinity of what
is now Seaforth had to foot it through the woods to a
log Union School, near Irishtown, and a .little later to
another in McKillop, where Maitlandbank Cemetery is
now.
• As the Seaforth population increased, more school
accommodation wasneeded than a one -teacher school
could provide. In Confederation Year, 1867, land was
procured on James Street and on it was built a sub-
stantial brick two-storeystructure, containing' two
rooms, facing on Church St: Archibald Dewar was the
first principal, and Miss Jennie Guthrie was his assist-
ant. There were over two hundred pupils in attendance.
When opened, . the school had a lopsided appear-
ance, but the ratepayers had an eye to future additions,
and by 1872, the need arose and . a wing was added to
the south, which balanced the outside appearance. Five
teachers were then .ori`the staff. .In 1874, Seaforth had
592 children, between five and 16 years, -making it nee-
., essary to add a north wing, and to hfre two more teach-
ers, making the -total -seven. Later, a rear addition was
made, completing the eight -room school. In all, the
price, including the wings, amounted to around'`$ 10,000.:
Originally, the building was white brick. Later it was
painted barn red, but in a few years the "elements' and
green ivy toned down the harsh red, and gave the front
• an imposing appearance. The back was different. Here,
no paint had been wasted, no ivy planted, and only a
cinder playground surrounded the building. It was here
that all the town children, both Protestant and Cath-
olic, were taught the three R's, till St. James' Separate
School opened in 1902.
•A kindergarten 'was opened on June 1, 1910, with
„ Miss Sarabel McLean as. teacher; She faithfully and
lovingly carried on her task for 41 years, till she re-
tired on June 30, 1951. No one can estimate the influ-
ence for good she had upon the lives of the thousand
or more children she introduced to school life.
In 1878 the last year before a secondary school
• opened, the school expenses were $4,846.30; of this
amount, $2,658.30 went to pay the salary 'of the seven
teachers. The attendance at this time reached almost
five hundred.
Leonard McFaul, the principal, with the shining q
boots, laid a solid foundation and gave unstintingly of
his time for 26 years. For many years • he walked in n
daily twoand a half miles through the winter storms t
• and summer rains from his home in McKillop. Despite t
this long walk, no pupil ever saw his principal with
dusty boots. Just as his boots showed something of his b
nature and his thoroughness, so did these qualities ex-
tend into his school work.
Principals who taught till the new school opened t
• in 1953 were : Archibald Dewar, 1868-1871; William
" O'Connor, 1871-1873; I., J. Birchard, 1873-1874; Leon- h
and McFaul, .1875-1901; 'William . J. Moffat, 1902-1910; s
J. T. Curtis, . 1910:1912; Alfred Naylor, 1912-1919; v,
Foster T. Fowler, 1919-1924; E. R. Crawford, 1924- T
1931; Peter B. Moffat, 1931-1949; Donald N. Eastman, s
1949-1953; J. W. Talbot, 1953.
The old school was taken over in 1953 by Seaforth s
• Shoes Ltd., and has been used ever since as a ware- d
housa: -
'On September 8, 1953, the new modern red brick G
school was opened. It was, built on seven acres of land
at the west end of the town—land which had been M
formerly the old fair ground. The cost was over b
$275,000—twenty-seven times as much as the old one. la
• The general contractor, was Pounder Bros,, of. Strat-
ford, and the architect was the firm of Shore & Moffat, v,
Toronto. The principal at the time of the opening was a
John W. Talbot, and he islstill head of the teaching s
staff. . fi
Separate School
• M
for
0 IN 0
a
History by, .Isabelle CanliPb011
chosen was St. James' Separate school, It was opened
in January with two teachers and 82 pupils. The
cipal was Miss La Chance,'
After Father Corcoran bought Duncan McMillan's
home in 1912 to be used as a Convent, he brought the
Sisters of St. Joseph to teach in the sehool and also oto
teach music in the Convent, In 19.65 the home of Miffs.
J. M. McMillan, adjoining the Convent, was, also bought
by the Diocese for future use 4f the parish.
By 1959 the old school building was taxed to ca-
pacity, and in the 'summer of 1960 a new modern red
brick one -storey was built, just south of the .old one,
facing on Chalk St. The contractor was Frank Kling,
and the total cost was $124,266.89. Moving day from
the old to the new was Friday, December 16, 1960,
so as to be ready for lessons on Monday, December 19.
Bishop John C. Cody, of London, officiated at the dedi-
cation on April 16, 1961. The contractor wrecked the
old school in January, 1961.
High School
During the Iatter part of the 1870's, the need of a
secondary school was felt to be a necessity. Some of
the overcrowding in the public school was due to lack
of such a school, as the principal, Leonard McFaul,
did all in his power to assist anyone desirous of obtain-
ing a higher education.
The original High School, built in .1878, was white
brick with red brick trim, and was considered a very
fine specimen of architecture. The site was the same
as the present District High School. The building and
grounds cost $6,000. The school was opened January 7,
1879, with Charles Clarkson, B.A., as principal, and
with him were two other teachers—Joseph Morgan and
Fred T. Congdon. ,Because of lack of space, exarhina-
tions were held in the old Town Hall on the Market
Square.
By 1887, needs for other school facilities arose,
such as central heating, gymnasium and laboratories.
The contract for the new two -room addition was grant-
ed to Messrs. John Lyon and Frank Gutteridge, at a
cost of approximately $5,000. This' provided for the
laboratories. The gymnasium, erected in the spring
of 1888, was a large frame barn -like structure, heated
by a stove in one corner. In winter the temperature
was frigid enough to make even non-sportminded stu-
dents willing to participate actively in all phases of
the physical training program. The school, in 1888,
was raised to the status of Collegiate Institute, a stand-
ing which it retained. ,for, many years...
In 1939, Harry Edge had the contract to erect a
two-storey addition to include . a new gymnasium, a
workshop and a home economics room. Fifty thousand
dollars was spenton this project; Other additions were
made in 1954 and again in 1960, both of which cost
much over the $100,000 mark. The original building
is to be torn down and• a new addition erected in 1966...
The first headmaster, Charles Clarkson, remained
till 1882. J. C. Harstone followed till Clarkson return-
ed in 1886. Harstone maintained the high -standard
laid by Clarkson and also laid the foundation for the
school's athletics, which developed . many successful
teams, especially in football. Another principal of a
high calibre was -;G:` F: Rogers, who served from 1900
until 1913. Two of the earliest lady teachers, Mir§.
Barbara Kirkman and Miss Ethel Kirkwood, merit
special mention.
Following Charles Clarkson in 18999 other,princi-
pals have been Alexander " Mowat, 1899-1900; G. F.
Rogers, 1900-1913 ; G. A: Miller, 1913-1914; D. A. Mac-
Kay, _1914-1915 ; J. F. Ross, 1915-1.922; M. J. O'Neil,
192271923; G. W. Spencer, 1923-1929; A. B. Farmer,
1929-1930; George A. Ballantyne, 1930-1944; .,Lorne
Fox, 1944-1.948 Laurence P. Plumsteel, 1948 till the
present time.
When the Secondary School District was created
in 1947, school buses came into use to transport the.
pupils from Tuckersmith, McKillop, Hibbert, Hullett,
Grey and. Morris 'Township's to the Seaforth District
High School, with Scott Habkirk, bus contractor, at
a cost of $10,000. The three buses used have : increased
now to eight. Leslie Habkirk, since 1963, has been in
charge of .this: --deet of buses, which since 1964 also
transports pupils from the Seaforth School= to the Cen-
tral Huron Secondary School in Clinton. The distance
travelled in one year is now well over 100,000 miles.
Scholarships
Carter and Scott Scholarships, which are available
each .year to students of Seaforth High School, have
created a challenge to outstanding students, and quite
a number from the school have Won this honor.
The Carter Scholarships, which are given how to
ualified students throughout twenty-five counties in
Ontario, were originated by James Irving Carter, a
ative of the village of Ethel, Ont. James -nil ht be
ermed a 'self=Made man, as his schooling ended with
he third reader. When quite young he came to Sea -
forth and first clerked in a store, then became a grain
uyer ; had a . stave factory, formed a company which
manufactured and sold the "Rod Beam Plow", and also
pened a --salt block. He endured many hard knocks in
he salt industry in various places after he left Sea -
forth, but eventtially he struck the "gold pot." During
is retirement he heard of two or three students in
arnia Collegiate who had gained Honor Matriculation
ho would be unable to go to college for want of money.
his led to the scholarship offer. The first year, only
tuderrts in Lambton County benefited to the amount
f $200. The next year the Counties of Huron, lVtiddle-
ex, Perth and ,Wellington were added. This continued
urine- his lifetime; then under the terms of his will
He scheme was extended to 25 counties. The Ontario
overnment distributes yearly $5,000.00, which is the
nterest on a capital sum of $100,000 bequeathed by
r. Carter for this purpose. James Irving Carter was
orn in 1850 and died -in 1913. He is buried in Mait
ndbank Cemetery, Seaforth.
When the Seaforth School Alumni Association
as reorganized in 1931, steps were taken to establish
scholarship fund, to be . awarded each year to a
enior student. This Alumni Memorial Scholarship was
rat awarded in 1934.
Bruce Scott, the founder of the Scott Scholarship,
as a native of the communityand an alumnus of the
chool. These scholarships are giver annually to
orthy students graduating from Seaforth School.
ruce Scott was born in 1894 and died in 1951. He is
so buried in Maitlandbank Cemetery.
Bruce Scott's scholarships were given because he
ealized from. experience the value of good education,
d. James I. Carter's because he also knew from ex-
erience what a hardship lack of advanced education
uld be to one throughout his lifetime.
The Separate School Board was organized on
October 31, 1901 and the first business of the Board w
was to arrange for the building of a school. Rev. P. B
Corcoran was the 'parish priest at this time. Within a al
few weeks a two-storey white brick was'erected on
land owned by the parish 'on the corner of Goderich r
and Chalk. St., and was ready for occupancy by the an
beginning of the New Year., However, the dedication p
by Rt. Rev. Bishop P. P. McEvay, of London, assisted, co
by Rev. P.. Corcoran and Rev. G. R. Northgraves, Sea -
forth, did not take place till May 4, 1902,.,. .The name
•
CTo be continued)
A. =Board of
ctors' Neeting
J. To.1 oaks, Gnelp1i; 4, It.*ger,% Elora; 0. J. Wessman,
Grand Bend; and '. 11. Isley,.
°W'atertgo Township, have. been
,appointed to, a president's. com-
mittee to study the location of
the association offices' to deter-
mine the advisability of reloca-
tion.
The board of directors has
established a membership fee
and terms of reference for Fed-
erations of Agriculture wishing
to become an active part of
MODA.
The new "MODA Means Busi-
ness" promotional program and
the increased municipal • fee
schedule was officially adopted
by the Board with a strong re-
commendation that membership
be implemented on a county-
wide basis.
The final report of the Econ-
omic Research and Feasibility
Study was released after a re-
view by the Board with How-
ard Smith, of Dryden, and Mr.
Smith, Kitchener.
The tenth anniversary of
MODA will be celebrated on
FIRST CHURCH' WMS. MEETS
There was a good 'attendance
at the March meeting of First
Church WMS on Thursday in
the Centennial Room.
• The president, Mrs. Francis
Coleman, opened the meeting
by reading a prayer -by Tenny-
son. Hymn 374 was sung, and
the minutes were read and
adopted. The roll calf was- tak-
en and the treasurer's report
was given by Mrs. Charles Mc-
Kay. Arrangements regarding
the spring thankoffering were
discussed. Mrs. Charles McKay
took up the collection.
The meeting was' taken over
by Mrs. Helen McMillan. Hymn
448 was sung, Mrs. McMillan
then read from the study book,
the lesson being based, on the
Scriptures, John, chapter 4,
verses 1 to 12„ the first Chris-
tian Ynissionaly work. This was
followed by brief reports of the
present day missionary work in
India, Formosa, Nigeria, British
Guiana and Japan. A prayer
ways offered by Mrs. McMillan
for all women missionaries
around the world. Hymn 365
was sung.
_Mrs, McMilIan thanked all
who took part. Tea was served
and a special welcome was giv-
en, Mrs. Charles McKay and
Mrs. Thomas McMillan.
Classified ads pay dividends.
IJSBORNE AND
HIBBERT
'MUTUAL FIRE
INSURANCE CO.
HEAD OFFICE - EXETER, Ont.
Directors:
Robert G. Gardiner R.R. 1,
President Cromarty
Martin Feeney - R.R. 2, Dublin
Vice -President
Wm. H: Chaffe - RR. 4, Mitchell
E. Clayton Colquhoun R.R. 1,
Science Hill
Raymond McCurdy •R.R. 1,
Kirkton
Tim Toohey • R.R. 3, Lucan
Agents: '
Hugh Benninger - Dublin
Harry Coates - - Exeter
Clayton Harris - Mitchell
Secretary -Treasurer:
Arthur Fraser - - Exeter
ASK FOR
efteA
tB INVITATIONS
d ANNOUNCEMENTS
ACCESSORIES
COME IN AND
ASK FOR YOUR
FREE BRIDAL GIFT
REGISTER
THE
SON
.EXPOSITOR
May 31,st- in New. I1aburg.
Authorisation was given to
the general manager to attend
the annual, Industrial Develop,
nient Council Conference, to be
held in Seattle in mid April:
Several industrial commission-
ers from member rnunicipalities-
of MODA will also be attend-
ing this conference.
The Association agreed to •
support the municipality of
Grand Bend in its efforts to
obtain Federal Government as-
sistance' in preserving t h e.
Grana Bend harbor. The con-
stant shifting of sand poses an.
increasing problem in keeping
channels into the harbor open.
Next meeting of the Associa-
tion Board of Directors has been
scheduled for May .1.lth in Strat
ford.
, BURNS
CLEANEIt
NO SMOKE, NO ODOUR
HEATING OIL
Walden _& Broadfoot
Phone 527-1224 — Seaforth
Ti' wituRON' wow
Ar011,114,ONT., M240 1
it. dot 141*
*Oil) '1
1 ,1501
throughout 4110.4434
4411 #14 SOS 010
aaos .> 'I►+
+roc i'7►� pf orpket
JOHN J. WALSH
-Phone 271-3000 48 Rebecca St,, STRAT ,ORD
Sun Life, Assurance Company A Cautida
BEAT THE ALE
TAX
DRAW! DRAW!
During the month of March, with every
chance nn a POLAROID
a FREE
$1.00 purchase,, you
ID LAND CAMERA
(takes pictures in .10 seconds).
Not only do you save the tax, but you also
get a chance to win this popular camera.
ANSTETT JEWELLERS LTD.
Phone 527-1720 •Seaforth
The
Cascade 40
electric water heater
was creatcI for people
who insist .n hV:g
abun ant ; ;fit water
at low Cgs
The Cascade 40 electric water heater will produce all the hot
water you're ever likely to need. Cascade 40 is flameless, safe
and clean. Since there is no combustion, the Cascade 40 needs
no flue and can be installed in any convenient location in your
home. Cascade 40;s"'tank is guaranteed for ten full years.
If you insist on having abundant hot water. at low cost, call
your Hydro and ask about the Cascade 40 electric water heater.
your -hydro
C6.6.3384.W/F
FRANK KLING • LTD.
Phone 527-1320
Seaforth
BOB DOM
Phone 527-0387
Seaforth
GINGERICH
SALES & SERVICE LTD.
Phone 527-0290 Seaforth
GEO. A. SILLS. & SONS
Phone 527-1620
Seaforth
DUBLIN ELECTRIC
Phone 7082 : Dublin
Consult your
Electrical Contractor
4
for further information
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