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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1966-07-14, Page 8.T.1l Q111 EXPOSITOit, 81 AFORTIL QNT., JULY 14, 1906 (Continued front last week) RACE HORSES • Several owned horses which made use of the Sea - forth race tracks. By the 1870's George Whitely, a dealer in thoroughbred horses, had a stable to house his on the lot now owned by Earl Montgomery. In1890 he sold his. celebrated "Florence G" to E. C. Coleman of town for $2,400.00. This trotting mare was considered one of the best on the Canadian Turf. George Murray, in 18,92, bought the Whitely property, but it was dray horses that Murray and others who followed him kept here. While George Murray had the draying business his six teams of horses were kept busy hauling frieght, logs, etc., daily from Monday till Saturday. Robert Wilson stabled his race horses in a large building across from the flax mill, near Patrick Keat- ing's lumber yard and office. This stable was later moved to the Wilson farm, where the new hospital now is located. Tom Case was another interested in horse races. He kept his horses in a stable on West Street, just north of Mrs. John Cumming's home. One of his best horses was lost here when the bafn was burned in the early 1900's. It was also in this barn that Arnold West- cott, when a small boy, • was kicked on the head by one of• Case's horses. After this accident, a plate was placed in his head, which he wore for the remainder of his life. Other race horse owners were T. T. Cole- man, ' Thomas Lapslie, Forbes and Donovan, Frank Kling, W. Cudmore and W. Govenlock. Jake Broome and Gordon Pullman are the only two whp own race horses at the present time. LEGION Following World War I Seaforth Branch 156 of the British Empire Service League was organized; at a meeting held in the G.W.V.A. Hall on October 15, 1929. A charter was issued to the Branch on -October 25 of that same year, with 14 charter members. The first officers were president, S. W. Archibald; secre- tary, Dr. J. A. Munn ; treasurer, George Scott. Accom- " modation was made available . for the group in the post office building, but later it became necessary to seek 'larger quarters, and for several years the Sea - forth Branch 156 of the'• Royal Canadian Legion ob= tained temporary quarters in Cardno's Hall, planning to soon provide its own accommodation. However, when the Community Centre was about to be built in 1949, the Legion donated approximately $10,000 to the pro- ject in exchange for free accommodation in the Arena. By 1959 the members again felt more space was need- ed, and this led to the building of a two-storey cement block hall, 80 feet by 40 feet, on a lot purchased a num- ber of years earlier, north of the bowling green. This Legion Memorial Hall was officially opened Friday,, June 2, 1961; although it had been in use from early in 1960, but finally was completed in 1961. A Ladies' Auxiliary was organized April 18, 1952. Mrs. Jessie Cameron was the first president. THEATRES - On September 7, 1907, The Star Theatre, owned by Dill and Cady, opened in William A. Crich's south store. Silent pictures were shown, and an oldscratchy phonograph provided the music. From 1909 till he retired in 1932 John McKenzie ran this theatre under the name of the. "Princess". The pictures were still silent, but by this time Mrs. W. H. Bullard and others provided piano music. Jim Thompson sold tickets and the admission was five cents. In 1910 the second show opened a few .doors south of the Princess. This one was run by Ben Duffy, but only carried on -for a short time. At the end of the show each night, Duffy's little son appeared on the platform in his sleepers and bid, the people "Good Night". In 1.917 the Strand was opened by James Willis on the east side, in part of what is now R. S. Box's Furniture. Store, but by the early 1920's the Strand al- so closed its doors. •It was on September 8, 1932, that Mr. and Mrs. Herb Sutherland of St. Marys, .Ontario, opened the Regent Theatre where McConnell and Stewart's Law., Office is today. A community sale, held on . September 9 and 10,, by the Business Men's Association in con- nection with the opening= was a success and attracted people for many miles from the surrounding communi- ty. Sound pictures were shown in this theatre till 1958,. when lack of patrons made it necessary to go out of business. This was the last theatre in the town. Picture shows were not the only . source of enter- tainment around the turn of the century and later. Many good concerts were held in Cardno's Hall. For many years, Brothers Minstrels were regular visitors for one night yearly, about the middle of No- vember. They made their last appearance in Seaforth in 1914. Other concerts presented used local talent. Among these were the home minstrel shows with L. T. DeLacey, George Cardno, Frank Sills, John F. Daly, Dal- ton Reid, J. E. Keating and others taking leading parts. One concert entitled "Sale of Old Bachelors", giv- en in the early 1900's, is still remembered and talked about, also the poem of the same title, written by Mrs. t Wes Meredith, and used in connection with the concert. Billie McLeod was well known as an entertainer. He sang Scotch comic songs. Several prominent quar- tettes and soloists, also Jim Robb's drills all added variety to the local concerts. By the 1920's The Murless Players, with Mrs. Murless Jones as director, put on several plays, using dramatic talent. A patriotic con- cert, put on during World War I, and directed by Mrs. J. G. (Grace 'McFaul) Mullen, was a huge success. Miss Mabel E. Turnbull contributed much to the development of musical talent among the children of school age, from the late 1930's. She was director of music, for over twenty years, in both the public school and Junior Choir of Northside United Church. Many concerts, during these years, were presented under her leadership, with Mrs. J. A. Stewart as pianist. Another, not an actor or singer who brought en- joyment to his readers back in the early 1900's was George Scott. He wrote and had published in the local paper humorous articles, under the penname of "Gro- gan". Equally enjoyable are the humorous poems writ- ten by a present-day citizen, Mrs. Barbara Sproat Sykes. Two original plays, "Crossroads", written by a native son, James R. Scott, son of Mrs. H. R. Scott, and grandson of Dr. J. G. Scott, an early Seaforth medical practitioner, drew large crowds in 1955 and 1956. They brought to ,light much local talent. These variety nights were sponsored by the Agricultural So- ciety, and the ° plays were directed by Mrs. P. ' L. Brady and S, It. Scott. A 1`ilstor'y of Huron .County is another Of Professor James ,R..8r ott's plrojects..This book, ulr- on '1oujiity Coundll hope will be off the •iiress in 196e. YiF tYiM At IYr 1 ,O • a History by Isabella Campbell GREENHOUSES ANZ MARKET. GARDENS Before the day of refrigeration, when fresh vege- tables were not available as they are today in grocery stores and supermarkets, most home owners had on their home plot both a flower and a vegetable garden. Small market gardeners supplied the heeds of people who had no garden, and greenhouse owners supplied the plants for the gardens. Charles Williamson and later Donald McLennan and•son Greg had a greenhouse in the northwest section of the town, off Centre Street. William H. Morries also had one on North Main, Street. Others who followed were William Bissell, John Finch, Adrian Porteous and William Bradshaw. At the pre- sent time the two who are carrying on ,this business. are Albert Baker and Mel Staffen,. John Peters opened to the public his pleasure gat - den in 1875, where Charles Holbein later had his mar- ket garden on Franklin Street. William Hartry was a flower fancier, exhibitor and prize winner for . many years. Till his death in 1934, he was an enthusiastic member of the Seaforth Horticulture Society. PARKS What is now Victoria Park was, from the 1860's, owned by Dr. W. C. Gouinlock. In May, 1875, it was donated free to the town by Gouinlock under one con- dition, namely, that the town council that summer deepen the lower part of Silver Creek so as to allow him to drain his property into that stream. An open bandstand was erected- here, where for, many years all band concerts were held. The present shell bandstand replaced this old one in the 1920's. A War Memorial Monument was erected in this park after World War I, and more names were added after World War II. Forty from Seaforth and the surrounding community made the supreme sacrifice in the Great War of 1914 1918 'and twenty in the'War of 1939 - 1945. Beattie's Grove in the north section, where William Hartry kept his bees in later years, and Dr. T. T. Cole- man's Grove, at the east side of the town, were early picnic grounds for small gatherings. But Case's Maple Grove, through which Silver Creek flows, was the pop- ular picnic spot most used by the people of the town. The farm was owned and used for beef grazing, from 1860 till 1934, by Francis Case and his son Arnold. On this farm was a gravel and ..sand -pit which provided building material for, many buildings and pavements in Seaforth. The stream was also a fishing paradise for the anglers, and for the young lads there was also a swimming hole. Here the trees were cut down and the stumps allowed to rot. No ploughshare broke this virgin soil till landscaping was beingdone by the Sea - forth Golf Club in 1934. This Club was active here only for a few years. The first Golf Club organized was disbanded, but in June, 1921, it was reorganized. The golf links at that time was on the farm of Thomas Dodds in McKillop' Township. Because he would not allow Sunday golfing and refused to sell his farm to the Club, even at a lucrative price, the Seaforth Golf Holding Corporation purchased the Case farm in 1934. Golfers played here till the 1940's, but.: from then the town was without a playing ground till Paul Dbig laid out a nine hole course on his Tuckersmith farm in 1964. This new course is being used now by Seaforth golfers. (To be continued) COAL - FUEL - OIL WILLIAM M. HART Phone 527-0870 • Seaforth HIGHER INTEREST RATES GUARANTEED .INVESTMENT CERTIFICATES on amounts of $100 to $100,000 A or more for 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 years. Larger aTmounts sub- ject to negotiation. An ideal investment for security and high return. The Industrial Mortgage & Trust Company ESTABLISHED 1889 OFFICES: Forest - Sarnia - Petrolia Strathroy Contact • Our Representative DONALD G. EATON Phone 527 -1610 — Seaforth DEAR DORIS advice from Doris Clark DEAR, DORIS — I am' a 22 - year old "male who is planning to he wed in the near future al- though I am not engaged. ';y' mother says I should not marry this girl because she does not know much about cooking and sewing. Both my mother and fa- ther da not like the fact, that she is a member of a couple of protest groups end makes occa- sional public alipearances. I would like to marry her but there is one thing stopping me, My parents are quite well off and I know if I marry this girl they will leave me very little in their wills, with my sister get- ting most of -their holdings. Problem Parents DEAR PROBLEM — It all sounds pretty cut and dried. Can't cook. Can't sew. Appears in public. Tut tut! Not only that, but you have taken on the color of these cold considerations too. You'll have to decide whether an eventual legacy is preferrable to the privilege of selecting your own mate. Can't ,seem to find the word love anywhere in your letter. I'll send you my leaflet "What Is Love?", in case you are wondering. DEAR DORIS — I am 69, crippled with arthritis, and have a 14 -year-old girl running my errands. I During my working years I vas a homesteader; As long as I rubbed elbows with horses and cows, and an occasional neigh- bor, I was satisfied. Now since I have to sit alone at home, there builds up tension. I call it elec- tric energy. I told my trouble to the girl and asked her to hold hands with me. My tension vanished. She is quite willing to do this. She stands with me.„ for about 10 minutes; and talks. But what does the law say? Do I molest the girl by holding hands? Can she give me support to get out of the bathtub? Where I live there are no fa: cilities for the chronically ill. No Helping Hand DEAR NO — Human beings need affection, the touchof a hand, physical contact with oth- er humans. And you do not "molest" your errand girl by holding her hand... But don't keep it up. A girl of 14 is young, idealistic, impres- sionable. Her emotions are ready to be awakened to a wholesome interest in the oppo- site sex. She should not hold yr hand, help, you out of the , < th- tub nor do any small, intimate services for you. Far better for you to seek the services of a mature nurse or housekeeper. The Canadian Arthritis and Rheumatism Society will take an interest in your problems. Write to them at their National Office, 900 Yonge Street, Tor- onto 5, for steering' to their nearest branch. DEAR DORIS — I kept house for a widower, for a number of years, andlater married him. Now his boy who is at home argues and is making it misera- urEnnrmG ASK FOR �.c���c�.OUlt� • e INVITATIONS O ANNOUNCEMENTS e ACCESSORIES - 'COME IN AND ASK -FOR, YOUR FREE BRIDAL GIFT REGISTER Phone 527-0240 TRAIN TO TORONTO Askabout convenient departure and return times essig Por Infotrnettort, phone th• focal CN tiaae'•ng.t safer Ofllo• O TH $ 9r WIIre.df@ Wale roPg"$3.4o r x•94 CANADIAN NATIONAL ble all the time. I even find that I dislike the others (the older ones) when they come to visit. I get along with the youngest girl but I have been thinking of leaving as it is affecting my health, these constant upsets. I hope you can help me. My husband thinks a lot of his chil- dren. He thinks I am in the wrong. Heart Trouble DEAR HEART -- Strange to say, marrying a man doesn't au- tomatically make you fall in love with hist children. Step -relationships are among the toughest to handle; what with clashing loyalties, posses- sive, nose -out -of -joint children, set -in -their -ways adults! A cardinal rule is for the new - i r1011:0*. h�tnr�r, J uy Bride A iniseellai>+saus sol wer was held at the hoipe, of Teresa Shea 1t 11, Dublin, whose marriage to Mr. Jerome Lassalii#.e is on July 23rd. Gifts of linen, china and kit- chen ware were presentedto the future bride. The home was decorated in pink and silver. Games were played and an ad- dress of geld' wishes Was ,read ss ,AngeUehrn . The bride byMiwas msiatlaedDopeningarher gifts by *ins Iaripn McLaugh- lin arid N cs, TOO *cCart)w. marrieds to presenta united front — and there's the rub! I'm sending ypu y leaflet about "How Another 'Stepmother Sees It," which many "steps" have found helpful. (Available to oth- er readers ford ten, cents and -a stamped envelope.) HURON CO-OPERATIVE MEDICAL SERVICES offers to Residents of Huron 'County Comprehensive Medical Cover- age At Cost! - Individual and Group Rates Available --- Inquire Inquire to -day from: ROBERT McMILLAN, RR 2, Seaforth ART WRIGHT, C.I.A., Seaforth GORDON RICHARDSON, RR 1, Brucefield BERT IRWIN, RR 2, Seaforth or at HURON CO-OPERATIVE MEDICAL SERVICES 70 Ontario St., Clinton. Phone 482-9751 Christian Science Moo► recorninends you read yomr loral newspaper Yo w local rlclvspapor is.awide1eltge with nian . Al tures. Its $. o. IlartIll chis.. It -also . report the maor naUoljal and inter• opal news". - ° NNIITRR COMPUMEP T$ YOUR We specialize in analyzing inter.. Ftjng 'the important final and e arllational news. our, Intention is bring the news into sharper focus.1 The monitor has a world-wide staff of! correspondents—some of them rank: among the world's finest. And the M.onitor's Incisive, provocative edi- torleis are followed lust as closely 1 y thp. men on Capitol Hi l as they are by the intelligent, concerned adult on Main Street. WHY YOU SHOULD TRY THE MONITOR You probably know the Monitor's pro- fesslonal reputation es one of the id's Vinest newspapers. Try the lo' 'sl See 'how it• will take you elle, a the average newspaper reader. i i , fill oot the coupon Below. ottce Monitor One Nsy Se Uoston, Massachusetts, U.S.A. 02115 Please start my Monitor subscription for The period checked below. I enclose 3 (U.S. funds). CI1 YEAR $24 El6 months $12 s months ;6 Mame Street City. State ZIP Code PB1 Remember! It takes but a moment to place an Expositor Want Ad . and be money in pocket. To advertise, jut Dial Seaforth 527-0240. -"f The ,- Cascade 40 electric water heater was created for people who insist on having abundant hot water .* at low cost 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 CS•e-3394-W/P GINGERICH SALES & SERVICE LTD. Phone 527-0290 : Seaforth FRANK KLING LTD. Phone ,S27-1320 Seaforth GEO. A. SILLS & SONS ' • ‘ Consult your Phone 5214020 Electrical Contractor Seaforth for further information • • w 5. • • • 4 • r • •