The Huron Expositor, 1966-05-05, Page 3e
or
(Continued from last week), -
f
forth . .
a History by— Isabelle Campbell
•
Albert Edward Hotel local coal dealers agreed to rent at $5.0.00 per annu'm'.
On Goderich St., Thomas Downey in July, 1857, responsibility to gay maintenance
and also assumed the
bought from George Snarling the first lot on the north- and the salary of the weighmaster, Albert W. Moore.
e because
east corner at the crossroads, and b0ilt on it a large Howev r,n1 962, be ... seo f the e repairs needed fhy.
frame hotel,' "The Albert Edward" or "Downey House decided to give them up. In August that year the purr
It was in Downey's Hall some of the first church serv- chase offer of $310.00 from the Snell. Feed Mill in Blyth
ices were held. In 1863, Downey advertised that the was accepted by the town council.
bar was constantly supplied with pure wines and liquors, The transformer station here was built by the
the table covered with all the substantials and luxuries.. Public Utility Commission in 1911, k but was replaced
of the season, and that a capable and attentive hostler by' a much larger one in the ,1950's en Chalk Street
was always in attendance. The stable and livery were east of Victoria Park. Littlg use, if any, is made of
east of the hotel. Thomas Stephens was the one at the 1911 building now.
the helm when, all were burned in 1876. At that time In the 1870's, ust north of what is now John
it was known as "The British Hotel". Within days, ' Tremeer's apartment house, Joseph Able had a livery,
Stephens ,had arrangements made with James Mullen and in part of it David Stewart had a paint shop. These
for the erection of the present hotel. It was officially lots from the early 1880's were owned by Davidsons,
opened April 2, 1877, and named "The Queen's", the of the Commercial Hotel. Part of this land is now the
name by which it has been known ever since. hotel parking lot.-
Thomas Stephens, when he came to Seaforth in "West .Side Main Street
1865, was a grain buyer, but before 1869 he had a pork From Goderich Street to the railway track, all the
packing plant on the back part of the lot east of first stores built 'on both sides . of Main Street were
Downey's Hotel stable till he went into the hotel busi- frame, with the exception of Dickson's, . at the corner
nese in .1875. From then till the middle 1930's this of Main and St. John Street. It, when built, was only
hotel was under the management of the Stephens fam-
ily. At the time of "Dad" Stephens' death in 1936, at a small brick building.
the age of 95 years, he was the oldest hotel proprietor „ In the same year, 1857, that Downey built his
in Ontario. Various uses have been made of parts of Albert Edward Hotel, Robert Carmichael and George
the building through the years. Alex Hassan and Hanny Soole together crossed the Atlantic. Ocean, and after a
' opened it voyage of several weeks landed at, New York. In 1859
Shousher, of London, bought it in 1960 and
again as a hotel in April, 1962. It had not been used they came to Huron County, and in 1860. Carmichael
for this purpose from 1955. gave Soole the contract to build a frame hotel on the
site where - McKernan's log tavern had stood. Some
The hotel stable was burned twice and replaced of Soole's account was paid in produce. One item men -
each time. The first fire was in September, 1876, and tioned was 33 pounds of beef at 6c 'per pound. The
the second in September, 1910. Stephens had the pres- kitchen of this hotel was moved to St. John Street by
ent cement building with iron' roof built in 1912. In the 1870's, and it was here `Robert Carmichael and his
1940 it was bougllt by the Imperial Oil Co., who in-
stalled gas tanks. Andrew W. Dunlop used it as a
garage and was followed by Rowcliffe Motors in the
1940's. Where buggies were formerly parked while
horses were fed, cars are parked now for repairs.
Next was" Downey's livery, but owned by Thomas
Sharp at the time of the 187.6 fire. In a building here,
John S. Walsh, from 1892, made and repaired pumps,
and was followed by his son, Fred Walsh. Still later
this building was part of Cluff's mill property.
From the hotel stable to the corner, several houses
were burned in the 1876 fire. By 1885 Thomas Downey,
contractor, had a 'lumber yard and implement house
here.. Cluffs bought the lumber yard from Stephen
Lamb in 1903, and in 1912 moved their planing mill
here from Franklin St. The building at the corner used
by Cluff Bros. as an office, was part of McDermid's
store,in Harpurhey, and was moved 'down in the middle
1890's. Gordon M. Ritchie, in January, 1946, bought
Cluff's. business, and the Seaforth Supply & Fuel Co.
took over in 1,947. When this company sold to the
Sunoco Gas Co. in' 1956, they moved, their supplies . to
a new building on.,Railway St. The buildings here were
all removed to make way for gas pumps and a large
garage, which opened for business in 1957. Cleave
Coombs is thepresent lessee.
In a•frame building on the north part of the next
lot east, for a number of years from the 1870's,
Zawrence Murphy sold implen ents. From 1893 this
was Adam Hays' first, livery, and James, Barron used
it later for his workshop -.–sharpening lawn mowers,
wife spent the last years of their life. It is now the
home of Mrs. William Montgomery and family.
Carmichael replaced the frame hotel with a brick
one, containing two stores, in the spring of 1869. This
"Mansion House" was burned in 1876, and again he
built in 1877 the present brick building with two stores
to the south of it. This hotel was opened for business
on May 1, 1878. This now houses the Royal Apart-
ments, Broderick Billiard Room and lunch counter,
Dave Tremeer's barber shop, and Harold Whyte's
butcher shop in the part added in later years.
The hotel stable was demolished bit by bit, and
a Cities Service gas station and car repair shop was
built in,1957 on part of the same site. It is now run
by J. Robert Huard.
Two stores were in Carmichael's first brick hotel,
built in 1869. James Jamieson's shoe shop and John
Edy's harness shop were: here at the time of the. fire.
When Carmichael rebuilt and opened in 1878, two stores
were attached to his new hotel. These are now owned
by John C. Crich—one is his bakeshop and restaurant,
and the other has been vacant since Dublin Creamery
Export Packers Ltd. left in 1963.
From the late 1860's till 1879, the Victoria Skat-
ing Rink was just south of the Mansion House.
Two other frame stores built by . Carmichael in
1864 were first occupied by Fred Veale and H. W.
McCann. They were burned in 1876. From then this
space was vacant till Carmichael built again in 1895
two brick stores. These are now G. A. Whitney's furni-
ture store and Lorne MacDonald's shoe store,
On the south side, east of the McGonigle store, In 1878 John Kidd replaced, with a large brick
Grassie had a and - shop store, the one lost in the 1876 fire, which had been
Williamom 1867. Its was burned blacksmithin 1869.The one wagonhe shopbuilt first occupied by Arthur Veale, but was George Dent's
. general store at the tune of the fire. Kidd carried on
met the same fate in the September )876 fire.Cour-
a hardware business in the new store. Hildebrand
ageously', he faced his loss and had his new shop ready
Paint and Paper Shop, is now housed in the Kidd build -
to open in, August, 1877. A few months after John ing.
Dorsey got it in.April, 1880, he commenced to build a The next store, occupied by Allan Mitchell from
brickblacksmith and carriage shop, which was coin- the early 1860's and by Thomas Lee at the time of the
pleted by January, 1881. When this shop burned on fire, was replaced by George Mitchell in 1878. Melvin
November 18;1882, it was'the':.third time a blacksmith Staffen did business here until April, 1966.
shop had been burned on this same site. Dorsey was In 1863,, W. Scott Robertson had a grocery and
doing business again tin the present brick building by seed store in the "north part of Duncan & Co.'s frame
1883. Robert and Frank Devereaux carried on after store that extended to the corner. At the time of the
Dorsey till William A. r -Wright made it into a garage fire this part was Mrs. E. Whitney's tinsmith shop.
in 1929 to meet the needs of the time. It is now owned
by Rowcliffe Motors..
Her hardware store and home were in the south part
Froin 1872 William Grassie hada paint shop east where Duncan & 'Co. formerly had been. In March,°
of his blacksmith shop.. James Williams and William
1877, Mrs. Whitney 'let the contract to Walte`. Mullen
Henderson .both had it before the 1876 fire.. Hander- •to build three brick stores. Two of these are occupied
now by Canadian Tire Co., and the corner' one, now
son was the one who suffered from the fire loss. empty, was vacated in 1964 by United Dairy & Poultry
On the corner was Thomas Downey's lumber yard 'Co-operative Co.
• where he lost lumber in the 1876 fire. On these vacant p
lots John Dorsey built a carriage showroom in 1885. 'First Brick Store
Devereux also had it till Bruce Phillips opened a
James Dickson, M.P., in 1863, built across on the
garage in part f it in 1924, and Williard Elliott, a corner the first brick store in Seaforth. It was used by
gas station at the front. Elliott later had a lunch booth his son, Archibald. The Post Office 'was here from
and taxi service here. The British American Oil Co. 1863 till 1869. Additions were made in later years.
took over in 1928. After a $3.000 fire in 1959, exten-
sive improvefnents were made. During the years there This is now R. R. McKindsey's drug store, also the
have been many lessees and many periods when the office of Dr. M. W. Stapleton, XV .D., and Dr. M. R.
Buljubasic, D.D.S.
building was closed. At the present time it operates West of Dickson's store, McIntyre & Willis had
under the name of Bob's B%A Service Station. their shoemaker shop in the early 1860's. Gordon
When David McNaught left North Main Street
Wright has his cabinet shophere today.Later,Robert
he had ,his blacksmith shop, office and. home east of Willis was in the retail buiness. Beteen the making
the Toronto -Dominion Bank on Dr. Gorwill's property. and retailing of shoes and gaiters; he and his descend -
The shop was torn down by, lawyer L. 'E. Dancey when ants carried on a shoe business on Main Street for a
he moved here in 1886. When McNaught left this shop full century, plus a few years.
in 1875 he did his blacksmith work where the red brick
town house is now located. He was followed by Thomas Moses R. Counter's jewellery store came next. He
bo
Redmond till the late 70's. The Commercial Hotel own -
present
part of the Dickson lot in 1874 and built the
ars °then . had the lot till the town built the house with present brick stoz#e which he openedon. March 1, 1875.
scales attached to the north side in 1923, This was the It is here John P,uIllrian has his barber shop, and Don
home of those in charge of the Hydro sub -station to Eaton his insurance office.
the northof it,, also the waterworks, and for a few J (Tobe continued) -
years the scales. Those who lived .here were ` Adam
McKay,, Ed. Mole and Ray "Jake" Holmes. It is now
rented by the, town to a private tenant.
From an early date till 1960,.the town was re -
WEDDING INVITATIONS
sponsible for the scales, which were used to weigh
Phone 527-0240 Seaforth '
coal, etc., but in May, 1960, a change was made. The
Remember! It takes but a
moment to place an Expositor
Want Ad and be money in
pocket. To advertise, just
Dial Seaforth 527-0240.
INSURANCE
WIND
TORNADO CYCLONE
JAMES F. KEYS
Phone 5274467 Seaforth
Representing . the Western
Fanner'* Weather Insurance
Mufual Co., Woodstock, Ont.
TRAIN TO
tORONTO
Ask about convenient departure
and return times
For Informatton,•phone the focal
CN Passenger Sales Office
tit' iti
SEAPORril
90
wH�rs
Ono
FAae $3.0 Wa ARAR Fare
e 0.0
CANADIAN NATIONAL
DEAR DORIS
advice from
Doris Clary
Dealing With A Gossip.
DEAR DORIS .-- The gossip
next door is always watching
out her window and the least
little thing she sees is magni-
fied out of all proportion.
Her dog dug up my, flowers
and knocked over my garbage
continually. I ignored this. • But
when my dog broke his chain
and got loose, she would im-
mediately call the neighbor on
the other side and tell her that
my dog was on her lawn.
As a result of this continuous
harassing, we were forced to
give our dog away. My son cried
for three days. "This is 'just one
sample of the trouble she
causes, yet she is nice to my
face,
Speech1eSs
DEAR SPEECHLESS — Your
window -watching gossip is a sort
of parasite — living off the
lives and doings of others. How
empty her oWp life must ,be!
She exults in causing mis-
chief, and preens herself, in a
perverted sort of way, when her
tale -bearing brings results. If
she feels any guilt it "is buried
in a heavy overcoat of pseudo -
virtue.
Isn't it time to protest! Fur-
ther conversation, with her
would only be. reported and dis-
torted; but you could contact a
lawjer. A warning letter outlin-
ing ' the penalties for slander
has been known to silence ma-
licious gossip before this.
DEAR DORIS -- A younger
son wants his brother to be his
hest man. The brother has re-
fused because his fiancee has
not been asked to be a.brides-
maid. Yet same fiancee is not
a particular friend of the bride.
I think it is the fiancee who -
is really making the protest,
and that she is very wrong in.
doing so.
I. M. Interested
DEAR I. M. -it's unreason-
able. A bride chooses her at-
tendants on the basis of warm,
intimate friendship. The groom
chooses his the same way. Sel-
dom would the chosen attend-
ants of a bride and groom be
engaged to each other!
V Iw911 .
Min 4
Homemaking
Seventeen Tuckers met at the
home of Mrs. Barbara Gem-
mell. The roll call, "One point
I have learned about selecting
accessories," was answered by
13 girls. Notes were taken on
the selection and care of gloves,
belts and jewellery. Mrs. Mc-
Gregor demonstrated how to
steam a hat.
At a further meeting at the
home of Mrs. McGregor, roll
call; "One point I havelearn-
M the reception soznekte is
delegated to take good care of
the detached fiancee ---who oth-
erwise might feel very much
at loese ends..
DEAR DORIS—My husband
gives me $200 a month to buy
groceries, clothe the•three chil-
dren and myself, cover spend-
ing
pending money and sundries. The
budget is based on what we re-
quire, then he sets outto earn
it. Of course, earnings fall
short and, we are in more finan-
cial straits.
_ We lease a "top o' the lithe"
car and go to, all "do's": "In
business we can't afford not to"
=�-quote and unquote. My sunny
disposition is fast disappearing
and I feel I am on a ship with
no captain.
I don't ask for a solution but
perhaps you have some philoso-
phy I can adopt.
Going Numb
DEAR GOING—If there's one
thing a budget has to be, it is
realistic. Making a list of ex-
penses, then setting out to earn
the money and not quite mak-
ing it, ruins the whole idea.
Try again. This time start
with a little research. Record
expenses and income—actual in-
come — for the next three
months. ,Together keep track of
where the money goes. This will
show up' overspending as well
as skimped -on . items.
A budget then undertaken
'with some "give-and-take should
a11oW for holidays and diver-
sions, and make life better in
general.
CONFIDENTIAL TO STILL
IN LOVE—Moodswings, hus-
band -rejection and that "dead"
feeling, are not uncommon on
the approach to nienopause. It's
your good fortune that your re-
buffed husband cared, a n d
cares enough to "'Confess being
attracted to 'the other woman,
even though nothing happened.
Get ready for the next periodic
upset by coming to understand
it. I'm 'sending you my pamph-
let, "Facing Forty," which can
help. (Available to other read-
ers sending in ten cents and a
stamped, self-addressed envel-
ope.)
Club Meets
ed about caring for accessor-
ies," was answered by 14 girls.
The secretary, Miss Cathy Rob-
erts, read the .minutes. Lois
Jackson was elected secretary,
and plans for achievement day
were discussed.
Remember! It takes but a
moment to place an Expositor
Want Ad and be money in
pocket. To advertise, just
Dial Seaforth 527-0240.
All Kinds .of
EVERGREENS
for
Spring Planting
LANDSCAPING - "PLANTING
Trimmingtand Spraying Services Available
- We guarantee Every Tree We Sell
-SEAFORTH NURSERY
NURSERY.
Gordon Noble — Phdne 527-0840 ,
Kindergarten
Registration
_Would parents of children , to
start Kindergarten at 'Seaforth
Public School in September,
1966, send the child's name
and date of birth to the Prin-
cipal as soon as possible.
J. W. TALBOT
Principal
'HOHURON oxPostroRe'sgmioarni,
xo holit
?
,ds •114Asi,; 141 "'dryY0106Otte is 'Me' °
.^ A =auk 1'11' rairli i r,
.i
JOHN J. WAIS
Phone 2714000 4$• Rebecca St., STRATFORD
Sun Life Assurance Company. of nada ., .
WANT 4.DS BRING"QUICK ,RF Sli7, 'S: Dia1527 0240
Read the Advertisements -- It's a Profitable Pastime
.).
60 a day, plus the
cost of propane
used, delivers a
Superior Automagic
water heater to your
home.
Call your Superior man ... he'll explain
the Superior Water Heater Rental Plan.
features.
Automagic Temperature Control ' . .
Delivers over. 25 gallons of hot water per
hour. Free installation. Free service. Now
enjoy Oceans of Hot Water 'the modern
way'. -
FOR HEATING,
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DRYING T00...
SUPERIOR IS
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66-2
�upOt91
PROPANE LTD
MONTEITH STREET,
STRATFORD, ONT.
2710810
HOUSE
NU.M BERI N G
TOWN OF SEAFORTH
• Numbers havd been assigned to
each property in the Town of
Seaforth in accordance with the
provision of an enabling bylaw
recently adopted by Council.
• 'Lists indicating the number as-
signed to' a particular- property
may be examined in the Clerk's
Office. Copies of these lists will
be available in stores handling
numbers and in other public
places.
• Owners of properties are urged
to determine the number apply-
- ing to each property, and teob-
tain and apply applicable num-
bers as soon as possible.,
• Odd numbers have been assign-
ed to the south and west sides of
streets; even numbers to the
north and east sides.
* Numbers have been assigned on
the basis of a number to each 20
feet of frontage in the central
core of the 'Town, and on the
basis of 30 feet of frontage else-
where.
ERNEST !WILLIAMS
Clerk.
.rw.1w..,.wra'014, r.4,u