The Huron Expositor, 1955-07-29, Page 2card Swamp
orth Beginning
the flown Atlas of 1879)
•eXen'thg to Seaforth, the Atlas
•
Tift$ flottrishhtg incorporated
*0w11 may be justly described as
of the mot prosperous and
JpOgressive of a section of coun-
, :-117 where prosperity and progress
have been the .order of the day.
Not many years ago, and within
• the memory of even the "rising
generation," the spot which now
'Marks the existence of this centre
4k:,= • of trade and industry—nnw one of
the .most tinportant places, in, a
• vommercial point of view, in
Western Ontario—was a dense and
.almost impenetrable forest, echo-
ing back the scream of wild fowl
and the croak of reptile, the only
inhabitants of what has since then
been transformedinto the beauti-
ful embryo Seaforth we now see it.
Without any natural advantages
of position, and with the actual
disadvantages of what was in the
early days considered an inferior
tract of land—from being compar-
atively, low, and therefore more
difficult to bring under the subjec-
tion of the husbandman—this spot
was passed by unheeded by thou-
sands who, to use a common ex-
pression, "went further to fare
worse." Its lowness constituted a
serious impediment also to , any
approach to a "settlement" at this
point; and other places grew
apace, and prospered too, on all
sides, and. within such easy dis-
tances, that none ever dreamed of
a treat future in store for the
"Guide Board Swamp," as the
Place was familiarly known, from
the fact that there then stood for
many y&Irs at the "four corners"
a post and fingerboard, pointing
towards Egmondville, Ainleyville
(now Brussels) and Goderich,
showing the direction and. number
• of miles tio each place.
The first who ever had the cour-
age to settle in "the swamp" was
Andrew Steene, who located .on
Lot26, Con. 1, McKrnop, at an
• early day in the history of that
township. He made a clearing and
built a log house on the southeast
•corner of the lot, which was the
(trot and for a great many years'
the • only. human habitation on
what now comprises the Town of
Seaforth. This house stood till
quite recently as originally built,
but was destroyed by fire lately;
A_ part of it, the ()Weed landmark
of the place, yet remaining in the
condition of a ruin.
At a very early day, Lot 11, Con.
1, in Tuckersmith, was purchased
from the Canada Company by one
McGregor, who took up his,resi-
dence further west on the Huron
Road, beyond Harpurhey, clearing
some 10 acres, however, on the
corner where CarMichael's hotel
now stands; and after this amount
of improvement was made upon
the place, he offered the whole
hundred acres for $450, without a
purchaser for a long time, but
finally disposed of it, at about that
figure, to' Christopher Sparling.
Shortly after this, Andrew Mc-
Kearnan,, an Irishman, purchased
three acres -on the northeast cor-
ner of the lot, and erected- a log
tavern on the very spot now occu-
pied by Carmichael s hoteL This
was the second habitation and the
first public -house in the place. The
above two houses were the only
ones here till the inauguration of
the Buffalo, Brantford and Gode-
rich Railway, afterwards the Buf-
falo and Lake Huron. About this
time great activity was evinced
in speculation in lands in the vi-
cinity of the supposed line of the
proposed railway. Under this ex-
citement, the balance of McGre-
gor's lot was purchased from Mr.
Sparling by Messrs. Patton, Ber-
nard and LeFroy, professional men
from the east 4 who at once sur-
veyed the 'virtiole lot into a town
plot, and through whose enterprise
Seaforth received its first impulse.
The conscientious father was dis-
.pensing advice to his son who was
about to be • married.
"Co-operation is ' the foundation
of successful marriage," ehe said
solemnly. "You must do things to-
gether. For instance, if your wife
wants to go for a walk, go for a
walk with heT. If she wants to go
to the movies, go to the i movies
with,her. If she wants tet do the
dishes, do the, dishes with her."
The son listened dutifully, then
asked: "Suppose she wants to mop
the floor?"
•
1,‘
THIS
recognized
all, it will -
clean and
•
•
•
AERIAL VIEW OF SEAFORTH will remind returning -Old Boys and Old Girls many familiar spots in the town. There will
old landmarks that have stood for several generations, and there will be to the • returning visitors, new and different buildings.
be apparent that during the years they have been absent, there has been no deterioration in the Seaforth as they remember it.
neat; stores, homes and factories are well maintained, and everywhere there is apparently a pride. in ownerthip, a wide in the
be readily
But above
Streets are
town.
•
FOR MANY YEARS • HURON COUNTY HAS SHARED A PROUD TRADITION WITH SEAFORTH
N 0)W -•• ON. THEIR looth ANNIVERSARY
HURON COUNTY SALUTES SEAFORTH
• • and in doing so • •
Huron County Looks Forward to a Future of
Expanding Prosperity
-1955 Huron County Council:
• Townships
Ashfield
- Colborne
Goderich
• Grey
Hay
(Deputy)
Howick
(Deputy)
Hullett
McKillop
Morris
Stanley
Stephen
(Deputy)
Tuckersmith
Turnberry
East Wawanosh
West Wawanosh
Usborne°
•
- Names
Reeve Cecil Blake
Reeve Terence Hunter
Reeve John W. Deeves
Reeve Clifford Rowland
Reeve Earl Campbell
Reeve Valentine Becker
Reeve Harold Gowdy
Reeve Arthur Gibson
William Jewitt
Reeve Daniel Beuermann
Reeve Bailie Parrott
Reeve Harvey Coleman
Reeve John Morrissey
Reeve Wellington Haist
Reeve James Doig
Reeve John Fischer
Reeve Orval Taylor
Reeve John Durnin
Reeve Verne Pincombe
rsg/0.1.0:19=17,61:51,gff57•72t,,,,3/17/71/ ,tr• , 4 ,, V.••••^,77•71,,
EARL c4LNIPBELL, Warden A. HI. ERSKINE, Clerk -Treasurer
1955
Towns
Clinton
(Deputy)
Exeter
(Deputy)
Goderich
(Deputy)
Seaforth
Wingham
.(Deputy)
Villages
Blyth
Brussels
Hensall
Huron County Council:
Names
Reeve Melvin Crich
Reeve Burton Stanley
Reeve William McKenzie
Reeve Chester Mawhinney
, Reeve John H. Graham;
Reeve Ernie Fisher
Reeve Norman Scoins
Reeve Ry Adair .
Reeve Joseph- Kerr
Reeve William H. Morritt
Reeve Roy B. Cousins
it Reeve A. W. Kerslake
• J. G. BERRY Deputy Clerk -Treasurer • PETER D.:PATTERS9N Engineer,
it .5
,fi.,,•,.,....p.i••,,,,J,,,, •..-.., . ,,,,•,-.. ,,,w, 1...,,, , .. ,,'••
., •
•,. .
;71 ' '4;.1. 4 . ' , . ;•; ', ti
, . .
, , •.. .,. ,. • . . ' " • ' ' '
." . t.iii.A.:444,ATiffiki.60,Alire4:11g)1214i0htilfedtgfiditkkliiiagikeAL '1,66114SiiikagrfliktaiiSagkititftg ' 'e '° It"' ' ' 4 .