The Huron Expositor, 1963-09-12, Page 8;t
8.,'41 +F+TJRQN EXPOSITOR, SEAPORTII, Ole+,R SEPT.
*.. +fii .963
ZOQKIE'S MOTHER PREFERS
TAKING HER -WASH TO
THE LAUNDERETTE,
DOWN TH STREET.
SHE SAYS IT'S
AMAZING HOW
MUCH MORE
DIRT COMES OUT
OVER
THER
RIDICULOUS°
YOU COULDN'T
'GET ANYMORE
DIRT OUT OF
THESE CLOTHES
NOT FROM THE CLOTHES...
FROM THE PEOPLE WHO
SIT WAITING.
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HURON PRESBYTERIAL WMS
MEETS IN AUBURN CHURCH
Mrs. W. Bradnock presided
at the Fall rally of Huron Pres-
byterial WMS (W.D.) on Tues-
day. The meeting was held at
Knox Presbyterian Church, Au-
burn. Mrs. Bradnock remarked
on the theme, "That the world
may know," from St. John 17-23.
The morning devotions were
iven by Mrs. O. G. Anderson
and Mrs. Youngblutt of Bel
grave.
Reports were given by the
departmental secretaries and
the roll call was answered by
what each auxiliary planned to
do to observe the 100th anni-
versary of the WMS in Canada,
to be held in 1964. Miss M.
Moore from Goderich gave high-
lights from Belleti•ille Training
School. Prayer by Mrs. E.1
Campbell of Hensall closed the
morning session.
Dinner was served by the Au-
burn ladies. The head, table was
centred with a beautiful cake
and white candles in honor of
the 75th anniversary of their
WMS. A history of the society
was read by "Mrs. W. Sander-
son, and tribute was paid to
all the ladies who had served
as presidents through the years.
The cake was cut by Mrs. Hues -
ton and Mrs. E. Lawson.
The afternoon devotional per-
iod was' given by Mrs. W. A.
Wright and Mrs. R. Kerslake of
Seaforth. Mrs. A. Taylor of
Goderich introduced the guest
speaker., Miss Hazel McDonald,
formerly of Formosa and now
of Goderich, who with beautiful
pictures and informative talk,
took the gathering on a trip
around the world, where the
missionaries are serving. Miss
McDonald said that people ev-
erywhere are seeking knowl-
edge and freedom. Christ finish-
ed His work, but what about us?
We have not even begun to do
the work He wants us to do in
His name. It is not enough for
us to say that we are Chris-
tians; we have to show it in
our lives. Miss Belle Campbell
of Seaforth moved a sincere
vote of thanks to Miss McDon-
ald.
A solo by Mrs. McKee of
Goderich, accompanied by Mrs.
Mills, was much enjoyed. Miss
Lily McArthur dedicated the
offering, and Mrs, Farquhar of
Clinton conducted an impres-
sive "In Memoriam" service. A
moment of silence was observ-
ed in honor of the late Mrs.
Basil Edwards of Hensall.
Mrs. Ross Macdonald gave a
reading of the skit being pre-
pared for presentation at Syn-
odical at the time of the 100th
anniversary. Mrs. J. B. Russell
of Seaforth gave the courtesy
remarks, and Rev. G. L. Royal
of •Goderich, Moderator of
Huron - Maitland Presbytery,
brought greetings from Pres-
bytery.
CROMARTY
Mrs. Calder McKaig was hos-
tess for the WMS meeting.
Three visitors were welcomed.
Mrs. William Harper presided.
Rev. J. C. Boyne completed
chapter three of St. John's gos-
pel in the Bible study. Mrs.
Thomas Scott completed the
missionary study, "The Rim of
East Asia and You."
Plans for and,
thankoffering
in October were made. For her
topic Mrs. William Miller chose,
"On Getting Along With. Peo-
ple." Mrs. M. Lamond read the
Glad Tidings Prayer. Lunch,
complete with birthday cake
for the hostess, was served by
Mrs. Grace Scott and Mrs. E.
Moore.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold Patter-
son of Munro were Sunday visi-
tors with Mr. and Mrs. J. R.
Jefferson.
Mrs. Margaret Tuffin, -Fort
Credit, is visiting with Mr. and
Mrs. Calder McKaig.
Mr. and Mrs. Otto Walker
and Alice attended the 75th an-
niversary services of Trivitt
Memorial Church, Exeter, on
Sunday' and also visited with
Mr. and Mrs. Garnet Cockwill,
Dashwood.
More states in the United
States have names originated
from Indian words than from
any other language.
Oldtime General $
tore
By JIM ROPER in the Blue' Bell
The calendar on the wall was
nothing out of the ordinary.
It was one of a batch that
had been printed as "hand-outs"
for customers, an advertising
gimmick.
"Cook's General Store, Brook-
let," it read, "Proprietor, Miss
Minta Cook, Telephone 116-F-3.
The calendar was hanging be-
hind the counter, next to a lat-
ticed window. On the sill was
a holder of postcards and views
of big cities, beauty spots and
tourist traps in Canada and the
U.S. Just inches away, rows of
bottles, tins, boxes and items
stretched along several feet of
upright shelves. Glass display
cases stood on the counters,
proudly boasting their assort-
ment of wares. A ready-to-wear
dress hung on a dummy at the
far end of the counter, with a
slightly - dated military tunic
close by. Books, threads, bolts
of cloth, patterns, trinkets, jew-
elry, a small pocket model of
the English Coronation Chair in
London's Westminster Abbey,
and a coffee grinder lay waiting
for an eager customer. The
wooden floor sagged a little,
and the paintwork was faded.
"Like any typical village gen-
eral store," I thought as I walk-
ed up to the old wood stove in
the centre of the main aisle.
There was only one differ-
ence. The date on the calendar
was 1932—the store I was stand-
ing in was genuine 1930 vint-
age!
That's not all, the store is in
two countries—the Canada -U.S.
Border cuts right through it!
The original building was er-
ected by a Mr. Standish from
Plattsburg around 1825, to car-
ry on business with the locals
in the area, Canadian and Am-
erican, and any itinerants who
might pass by.
It changed hands some ten
years later; when Standish sold
it to his clerk, George McCoy,
for $500.
The McCoy family ran the
store for the next 20 years, be-
fore selling out to a Mr. and
Mrs. Henderson. Shortly after,
the property again changed
hands, this time to Anne and
Jerris Cook. -
Cook's 'General Store, as it
became known, was run prim-
arily by Anne Cook, while her
husband did a roaring business
with his blacksmith's shop next
door.
Under Jerris Cook's skilled
hands, the building and its out-
houses began to grow. The Mc-
Coy's had built a large family
house just across the narrow
road, .on the Canadian side of
the border, while another house,
later to be occupied by Anne
Cook's stepson, was built along-
side the store: -This too was on
the Canadian side,
An extension planned for the
south side of the main building
—in the U.S,—was left unfinish-
' ed, when Jerris Cook died sud.
denly in 1910.
When his wife died some few
short years later, the store was
left to their daughter, Aram-
inta.
For the next 30 years, the
establishment blossomed under
the personable fun -loving spin-
ster. It became a gathering
place for people from miles
around, and its mistress became
one of the "characters" of the
area.
Now, 30 years• later, it still
retains the warmth and friend-
liness of those by -gone days,
like a page of history that stood
still.
Closed -up by her step -brother
when Araminta died, the store
lay still and quiet, like some
emporial sleeping beauty, until
it was bought, cleaned, renovat-
ed and opened as a museum by
Leslie Rennie, a retired local
school teacher in 1960.
Since then, over 5,000 people
have signed the visitor's book,
propped up against an old fash-
ioned coffee grinder just inside
the door.
"I knew Minta Cook right
from my boyhood," Leslie Ren-
nie told me as I looked around
the place.
"I have always been interest-
ed in local history, and when I
learned that Minta's store= clos-
ed up for all those years—was
up for sale, I was very inter-
ested in buying.
"Minta's step -brother had no
interest in the business when
she died, and he just turned
the key in the lock, and shut
all the old goods and merchan-
dise away. When he died, his
children decided to sell the pro-
perty. I knew that if I didn't
buy it, it would go to someone
who wanted to pull it down.
"I just couldn't stand by and
see all that local history de-
stroyed," he explained.
"When I bought the store, I
bought the old smithy and the
barns, and later on got the old
McCoy family home — that
hadn't been lived in for about
12 years—and the store across
the street.
"There's a good story behind
the other place," he went on.
"It was built by George Mc-
Coy's son, to set up in opposi-
tion to Anne Cook: It held a
real ace over Cook's General
Store , it sold beer!"
The old store was everything
out of an •old-time silent movie,
but more, a comment on life
in the 30's.
On the shelves were rows of
old bottles and jars, at one time
filled with the spices and oint-
ments and 'balms that make
life. Packages of brand -goods
lined other shelf areas, their
wrappers faded and old fash-
ioned, but still carrying the all-
important message of their
maker's name.
Trinkets, baubles and beads
—lamps, wicks and 1f1gs—box-
es, pots and pans—tools, cut-
lery and hardware , . . all a la
1930 or earlier . , , were there
to back the proud claim, that
"we sell anything."
On one counter was a box of
folding "Sanitary Pocket Cus-
pidors," a relic from the First
World War.," Mr. Rennie ex-
plained.
"Around that time, a lot of
men came back from the
trenches with TB and other ill-
nesses, and needed such things."
Close by the cuspidors was
an • old-fashioned shaving -mug
with the motto "for my dear
boy" neatly entwined among a
flowery decoration. •
t On other counters, bolts of
cloth—the originals—faded but
still strong and clean, and reels
of cottons, most of them as
shiny and new as the dap they
were delivered (probably in the
early 30's), attracted my eye. A
few feet away was a pile of old
catalogues offering ready -made -
clothes, patterns and style
guides.
On the front window sill lay
a weather-beaten sign„ torn
from its hinges by the ravages
of time. It read: "Gas 19.5
cents, tax 4 cents." That, ob-
viously was before the inflation
boom set in. •
In a room at the back was a
huge, old -wood -burning cooking
range, Moffat's original "Crown
Pearl Range," with the sort of
armour .that a Churchill tank
would think twice about as-
saulting. Alongside it lay the
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t
handle of an old pump, the
main part still standing in the
back yard, ready to supply the
water for that early -morning
cup of coffee.
A calendar showing a plump
little piglet wearing a gold
medal round his neck hung
from the door frame, advertis-
ing wares for John P. Squire &
Company, Fine Food Products.
'That is original," my guide
grinned, "I expect Minta liked
it so she kept it all those
years." It was dated March
1910.
In a display case close to the
door was a selection of trinkets
for the fashionable women,
1930 style. Hair combs and
brushes, yellowing with age:,
beads and little clothes pegs
fought for attention with a
selection of 'Paris Mode But-
tons," but they were all dom-
inated by the "star" of the dis-
play . . , a shining gold silk
band with blue flowers and lace
edges. "Garters by Kathryn
Grawford" was printed neatly
on a faded sales slip attached
to it.
Immediately above was a loft
used as a storage room.
In this veritable corner of
history, I found more cata-
logues, like the one from the
National Cloak and Suit Co.,
New York City, outlining their
Fall and Winter Styles for 1925
and 1926.
Two feet away was a pile of
old wallpaper samples, slightly
dry and faded, but looking al-
most modern in many respects.
Among the wallpaper oddments
were old newstgapers and per-
iodicals, many dating back to
the turn of the century or earl-
ier, -
A copy of the Social Visitor
Magazine, datelined Boston, Oc-
tober 1899, caught my eye. In
it was an advert for the latest
advance in writing, a fountain
pen, sent post free for a quar-
ter!
Under this mine of social gos-
sip lay a copy of "Cheerful
Moments," dated November
1902, which contained an ad-
vertisement for a "17 -jewelled,
adjusted, patent regulater, stem
wind and stem set genuine Na-
tional Special pocket watch,
warranted 20 years," all for
$5.85! The model, brand name
and prices may have altered,
but the sales spiel is still the
same!
Also in tis literary .epic was
a notice from an employment
agency, the Michigan Business
Institute, Kalamazoo, offering
to place "professional men" in
excellent positions "paying $60
to $100 or more per month."
Another paper laying nearby,
the Cht uguay (N.Y.) Record,
announced" the death of a local
man with these opening words
"How ethereal is that peal of
death that -has sounded in the
ears of man -since time began."
The message followed in the
same stylized prose of the era,
telling readers that one Louis
H. Beckwith, a master printer
who had started his career as
an apprentice on the Record
("the writer can but picture
the , manly young fellow") had
died of consumption at the age
of 38.
Two other objects took my
eye. Bi-culturalism was a prob-
lem even in those days, appar-
ently, I thought, as I glanced
through a copy of Radway's
Almanac for 1891, and the Al-
manac Francais D'Ayer for
1899.
Descending the stairs back
into the store, I noticed a row
of bottles on a shelf half way
down the flight. There were
two main brands stocked here:
Flower City Club Straight Rye
Whisky (all empty) and Nor-
wegian Cod Liver Oil (all full).
From the store, I went next
door tote smithy, housed in
an old -barn. At the door, an
ancient thresher greeted me,
its metal parts rusted over, and
the wooden body showing signs
of bad weather long past. In
the -main workshop, the ancient
bellows and fireplace still look-
ed as if they were waiting to
to be put to use forging new
plough -shares, or iron shoes for
Dobbin the carthorse. Tools,
strips of leather and metal,
horse•brasses and shoes hung
from the low wooden beams
and cluttered up the work
benches and window sills, rud-
dy with age and the rust of
time.
In a loft above the smithy,
one `'wall partly demolished in
bad storms, were several ornate-
ly -carved sleighs, complete with
bells and the remnants of old
blankets. . Wheel rims. and
spokes littered the floor, mak-
ing a perfect home for , the
spiders. The silence was shat-
tered by a flapping of wings
ec
Its Past
and a screech of protest as my
errtry startled a sleeping black-
bird. Maybe he couldn't find
the hole in the wall he'd en-
tered by, maybe he didn't want
to, maybe he liked the quiet
decay of a bygone age.
Across the dirt road, also
straddling. the Canada -U.S. bor-
der, the McCoy store, with its
sweeping verandah, was almost
bare, and badly in need of re-
pair. "It's something I'll have
to get started on soon," Mr.
Rennie disclosed. In a back
room stood the kind of old-
fashioned dough mixer our
great - grandmothers used to
rustle -up the raw materials for
the breakfast toast. None of
'these pre -sliced loaves for them,
my lad. '
At the back, in a battered
barn, stood an- old three -seat
buggy—"they probably used it
to bring, in the supplies, and
take the family to church on
Sundays."
Some 30 yards away, on the
Canadian side, the old McCoy
family home, probably started
around 1840 with subsequent
additions, stood open. inviting
a look around.
Its main treasure, in a bed-
room just inside the front door,
was a huge, carved bed. "Ed-
ward VII slept four nights in
that when he came over to op-
en the Victoria Bridge," my
guide enthused. "Do you see
all that ornate carving — it's
rosewood and ebony — it took
two immigrants from France
two years to complete, and they
were real craftsmen. Of course,
the bed wasn't here originally.
I bought it some time ago, and
had it moved in."
In another room, just a few
steps away, was an original bed
—a huge, high, solid pioneer
bed that looked as if it would
have held the whole village
sleeping in layers on top of it.
As I walked away, a shaft of
sunlight speeding like an arrow
to the foot of King Edward's
bed caught my eye. Somehow
it seemed a fitting finale,. . .
like interrupting old Rip Van
Winkle from his marathon
snooze, or kissing the Sleeping
Beauty back to life.
This was history for sure,
but it was history in the living.
DUBLIN NEWS OF THE WEEK
A miscellaneous shower in
honor of Miss Nancy Kelly,
whose marriage will be an ev-
ent of October, was held at, h'er
home recently, sponsored by
Miss- Margaret McCarthy.
About fifty friends and neigh-
bors assembled to extend felici-
tations to the prospective bride.
An address was read and the
guest of honor was assisted in
opening numerous and useful
gifts of china and linen.
A social hour was spent in
playing various games, and a
delicious lunch was served .by
the sponsor and her assistants.
Mr. and Mrs. Clayton Hill,
Chicago, with Mr. and Mrs. Mar-
lin Klinkhamer.
Mr. and Mrs. Cl P. Van Mill
spent the weekend in Midland.
• Rev. Father A. Durand, St.
Pete'r's Seminary, London, with
Rev. R. "Durand.
Mr. and Mrs. Carman Fadden,
Weston, with Mr. and Mrs. Wil-
fred Maloney.
Mr. Joseph Krauskopf in
Ferndale, Mie ., with Mr. and
Mrs. Harry Krauskopf.
Mrs. Mary Schulman has re-
turned home from Windsor.
Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Woods
and family, Georgetown, with
Mr. and Mrs. Fergus Horan.
Mr. and Mrs. Maurice Fitz-
patrick, Detroit, at their farm
here.
Miss Karen Dill has entered
the nurses' training class at
Victoria Hospital, London.
Mr. Neil Stapleton is on the
staff of the Kitchener High
School for the coming year.
Mrs. Rita Stapleton, Coiling -
wood, and Mr. and Mrs. George
McCann, Toledo, Ohio, with Mr.
and Mrs. William Stapleton.
CORSETTIER
Bras, Girdles, Corsets
and Support Garments
TO FIT ALL FIGURES
At Reasonable Prices
Mrs. J. 'Hoelscher.
SEAFORTH
George St. — One Block East
of Library
What is the A.B.C.?
Chatting with a merchant the other day, we mentioned
our "ABC figure."
"What," he asked, "is an ABC figure?"
Perhaps what we told him will also interest you.
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Its purpose is to provide accurate and factual reports
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At regular intervals, an ABC traveling auditor visits
our office to check our records. The findings of this
physical audit are embodied in an Audit Report pub-
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Virtually everything an advertiser should know
about our circulation is found in this report, facts and
figures without opinions.
retailers bother to ask to see a copy of our
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Attu
Phone 141 — Seaforth
MEMBER AUDIT R.URE` U OF, CIRC
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