Clinton News-Record, 1985-6-26, Page 48PAGE TW E Oi" Y-7'HIRE'E
Government watches establishments
Taverns are nt at all what they used to be
Taverns. Today we call them bars or
hotels and use them for different reasons
than they were used in the early days. In
those days they were a place to rest your
weary bones and wet your whistle before
continuing on your journey. Today they are
a place that provides its patrons with enter-
tainment.
In the beginning, Tuckersmith had its
share of taverns as well as shops licensed to
sell liquor. But because transportation
wasn't what it is today, a local supplier was
needed so the sellers could keep their
shelves stocked. The Egmondville Brewery
was one such supplier.
*The brewery was initially started by
eorge Weiland who, in 1850, sold it to
enry Colbert Sr. It was located on Mill
Road, west of the Colbert home which is now
occupied by John Flannery.
In January of 1889, all but th malt house of
the brewery was burned to the ground.
However, by July of the following year, a
new brick building was built to replace the
one lost in the fire.
Restrictions on the brewery employees
werenot as strict as they are today, and as a
result, some interesting stories came from
the brewery. One such story involves a man
who did his drinking on company time.
Employees at the Egmondville Brewerey
were permitted to drink all the beer they
wished while they were working. One of the
employees who took advantage of the offer,
is said to have averaged 50 glasses of beer
per day for several years. This same
employee died of internal complications at a
relatively young age.
In 1842 there were approxim. stely 42 inns
between Goderich and London, each about
one and a half miles apart.
The Colbert family operated the brewery
until the Canada Temperance Act, or the
Scott Act, carne into effect.
The number of taverns in Huron County
during its early stages is amazing. In 1874
there were 150 taverns and 18 shops licensed
to sell liquor, in 1877, 124 taverns, 16 shops
and in 1882 there were 124 taverns and 15
shops.
In 1842 it was estimated that there were 42
inns on the road between Goderich and Lon-
don, each about one and a half miles apart.
Township council kept a watchful eye on
the many taverns by sending inspectors to
inspect each inn every three mothns, collec-
ting a fee of 10 shillings from the owners. If a
charge was laid 'and the owner prosecuted,
there was an additional fee of five shillings.
If the inspector failed to lay a charge, he
was fined up to one shilling, plus the costs.
1851 tavern inspectors were William
Payne, William Hunter and John McLean.
In 1858 they were William Cooper, David
Walker and Thomas Gemmell. In 1864 An-
drew Main was hired and given $2 for each
license he granted.
A few Tuckersmith Township tavern
owners were John Daly, Susan Robertson,
Frederick Neilans; John Cock; Ed Elliott;
John Dill, William Van Egmond; William
HOURS:
SUN. & MON. TILL 11 P.M.
TUES., WED. & THURS. TILL MIDNIGHT
FRI. & SAT. TILL 2 A.M.
ON HWY. 8 NEXT TO MAC'S MILK
1111I11 ru�unun���
Dixon and William Kyle.
The temperance movement spread to the
Tuckersmith area after settlers realized
they were consuming too much alcohol,
drinking themselves into early graves.
Many of these people joined societies like
the Royal Templars of Temperance of Kip -
pen and the Seaforth Christian Temperance
Union, introduced in 1880. Some of the
groups forbid the drinking of liquor but
allowed the consumption of beer and wine
while others were for total abstinence;
against not only liquor but tobacco, profane
language and the reading of "bad books and
papers."
The government responded to the increas-
ing number of people wanting prohibition
with the introduction of the Canada
Temperance Act.
In 1884, Huron County voted on the Act,
passing it with a 1,653 majority. McKillop,
Stephen, Hay Townships and the Village of
Bayfield voted against it.
In 1888 another vote was taken, reversing
the decision and bringing back the licensing
of taverns in the area. However, some
Huron County municipalities kept the Act
until the late 1940s.
When the Temperance Act was lifted in
1888, Huron County had 108 taverns and 11
shops selling liquor. In 1892 the numbers
were reduced to 102 taverns and five shops.
During the later part of 1892, County Coun-
cil decided that the taverns were being used
mainly as drinking spots with few people
stopping to spend the night before continu-
ing on their travels. Therefore, in the best
interest of the county, many taverns were
closed, reducing the number to 85 with six
shops selling liquor.
Tuckersmith Township Council took fur-
ther steps in 1906 by passing a by-law which
allows six taverns in the township. In 1985,
the only establishment that has a license to
sell liquor is the Glasgow Restaurant in
Vanastra.
Best wishes
to all our friends
and customers
in Tuckersmith.
Have a TreeMendous
Celebration!
1
:*TREE mendous
JOHN GIBSON
R.R. No. 2 SEAFORTH 482-3229
Landscape Design
r--