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The Citizen, 1999-12-29, Page 15THE CITIZEN MILLENNIUM ISSUE, WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 29,1999. PAGE 15. Township of East W aw ano sh Churches, cemeteries remember past communities Westfield’s Hoover Church 1870 The Township of East Wawanosh was created in 1867 by an act of par­ liament splitting the larger territory of Wawanosh into two sections, east and west. The division was made between Cone. 27 and 28 (Donnybrook Line). Fordyce There is barely a trace of what was once Fordyce and new Fordyce in Wawanosh Twp. The original post office was founded in 1865 on the south half of Lot 28, Cone. 9 on East Wawanosh Twp. School at Hwy 4 picnic area was built in 1870 southwest of the school. Westfield had been a mission until that time. It joined with Donnybrook and Auburn in the Auburn circuit in 1870. In the late 1880s, the congregation decided to build a new church. On land donated by John Clinton, the new building was constructed on Lot 33, Cone. 5. Two cornerstones were laid in June 1889. In the first 50 years of the church, there had only been two weddings. This church was also involved in The store and post office were sit­ uated on the southwest comer of Lot 34, Cone. 9. There were also weavers, a horse trader, tailor and shoemaker. U.S.S. No. 8 was situated on the southeast comer of Lot 36, Cone. 9 and opened in 1858. After more land was purchased in 1874, a new frame school house was built. The school was closed “temporarily” in 1951, but never reopened. () Proposed road names Westfield Church today The first school was built on Lot 28, Cone. 9 in 1857. It was soon replaced with a school on the West Wawanosh side of the county road. This was not a good location as the surrounding soil was black muck requiring a log walkway to be built from the school to the road. In 1872 a frame building was con­ structed to the north. The current building was constructed in 1909 on Cone. 8 and 27 years later the chil­ dren from Donnybrook school were transferred to the location. Fordyce almost developed into a hamlet when it had three houses and a blacksmith shop. However, in 1880, the post office moved to Lot 27, Cone. 10 of West Wawanosh Twp. A general store was built at the new location. The last recorded postmaster at the Fordyce outlet was in 1914. Westfield Most early communities centred around the post office. Such was the case for Westfield, first settled by Hezekiah Helps at Huron County Rd. 22 (Donnybrook Line) and Cone. 5 (Westfield Rd.) on Lot 28. The post office operated from 1854 to 1918. There was a blacksmith shop, store, carriage maker, a school and church (Hoover’s Church) one block east and many mills. The church was built in 1870. The church began in Adam Hoover’s home on Lot 31, Cone. 5, as a Wesley Methodist congregation. After holding services for some time at the schoolhouse, Hoover’s church the church union of 1925 when a fractured Presbyterian church joined with the Methodists. In 1965, Westfield and Donnybrook congregations agreed to hold joint services in both church­ es, on alternate Sundays. Westfield still holds services in 1999. U.S.S. No. 6 first gathered stu­ dents together in 1856 when a cedar log building was constructed on Lot 31, Cone. 5. To accommodate grow­ ing numbers a new school was built in 1872. Twenty-one years later it was moved farther back from the road, on the same property. It was bricked in 1912. It closed with the centraliza­ tion of schools in 1966. What is known today as Westfield is two concessions to the east at Sideroad 33/34 (Mamock Line). A small restaurant operated for some time but now a mill, farm-related business and the church, are the last markers for the community. Marnock Located centrally in East Wawanosh Twp,. Mamock, at Cone. 8/9 (Belgrave Rd.), Sideroad 33/34 (Mamock Line), was the site for the first East Wawanosh Twp. council meeting in 1867. Store owner Peter Porterfield named the hamlet Marnock and became the first postmaster in 1861. He held the post until his death in 1907. The post office was reopened three months later and remained until 1915 when rural delivery took over. Bly th Inn houses a century of history Blyth Inn has a- long and infamous history which dates back to the temperance movement of the late 1880s. Since its beginnings, the Commercial has had several owners including Mr. Milne, John McCaughey, Frank McCaughey, John Emigy, E. Johnston, William Johnston, Harry Johnston, Grover Clare Sr., A. J. Glass, Kenneth Poole in 1944, Mr. Caves, Grover Clare Jr., Norman Hamilton in 1952, Mr. Daley, Mr. A. Wild, Adrianus Schipper, Ann and Harry Kowlachuk, Harold Ferguson and Peter and Carol Irwin in 1983. As the Temperance Act came into effect on May 1, 1884, the reporter of the day awoke on May 2 to find the main street of Blyth lined with bottles which apparently contained rye and port. The villagers were lamenting the passing of their love, he said. In that year, there were five hotels in town, all selling liquor with or without a license. In 1886, Blyth established four hotels and one liquor shop. Among them was the Commercial Hotel, which is now the Blyth Inn. Though the sale of liquor continued through the turn of the century, Blyth did not officially become a "wet" town again until 1964. In 1962, Daley purchased the hotel from Clare Sr. and began renovations on the building which had sat empty for two years. It had closed because residents had voted down a request by Clare for beer and liquor privileges. In September 1964, spirits could again be sold legally in the village after the Temperance Act of 1946 was repealed. With the opening of the hotel, a new cement structure, which had been constructed al the rear of the building, replacing a frame structure, now housed the men's and ladies' beverage room. In those early years, the Commercial also contained a small grocery store and ice cream parlour. The hotel building went through dramatic changes after the Irwins purchased the property. The first, and most visible to the public was the remodeling of the front entrance and the change from the old whitewash to the blue exterior seen today. Soon, the interior underwent renovations to create a more open, brighter look. The dividing walls between the old Hub bar and the main area was eliminated, windows were added to the back and side of the structure, halls were opened up and the dining room was moved. In the area which is now the non-smoking section, the Hub once stood, followed by a coffee shop, in 1990, before the Irwins added it to the main room. In 1992, the dining room was moved from the front area of the building to its present day site. This change allowed two stores, one of which is Carol's Candies, to be added. Another improvement which came early in the proprietorship of the Irwins was the removal of the old balcony and construction of the new one. The Blyth Inn has changed many times over the past century as it follows the changing times and trends of the community.