2022 Tales of Our Town
The following Tales of Our Town were published in 2022
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December - A Remarkable Strathroy couple by Aileen Cnockaert
E. A. “Chick” Spence and his wife Agnes were Strathroy’s ‘power couple’ through the 1940s into the 1960s. They had moved to town in 1936, after purchasing The Age Dispatch from the Evans brothers, and published the paper until Ken Campbell became the owner in 1960.
Chick was born in London in 1896. He started his newspaper career in 1915 as a reporter for the London Free Press, then the Kitchener Telegraph. By 1917 he was working at the St. Thomas Journal. It was the midst of World War I, and Chick joined the Royal Flying Corps. He trained in Texas as a pilot, then served overseas where he flew planes from an aircraft carrier. Upon returning to Canada in 1919, he rejoined the Free Press. The 1921 census shows both Chick and Agnes living in the Hamilton Road area in London. Perhaps they met at the local grocery store where Agnes worked. Who knows? They were married in 1925 in Cobden in the Ottawa Valley, Agnes’s home. Their move to Strathroy in 1936 brought them into the publishing side of the newspaper business.
Chick’s career was again interrupted by war. In 1941, now age 45, he joined the RCAF. In May 1942 he went to London, England as a public relations officer with the Air Ministry. He also worked on a weekly publication for RCAF personnel overseas, and wrote stories and radio scripts for Canadian newspapers on RCAF activities. While he was gone the Age was capably run by Agnes. She was certainly a woman ahead of her generation.
As the Spences settled back into town life they both became deeply involved in their community. Agnes served as a member of the police commission and the museum board. Over time, she was on the executive of the Women’s Hospital Auxiliary, the IODE and the figure skating club. She worked with the Strathroy Agricultural Society for over 24 years, helped out at Red Cross blood clinics and Cancer Society events, and was an active member of St. John’s Anglican Church. In 1967 she was awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal for “valuable service to Canada”, and in 1977 the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for “devoted service to community”.
Chick was honoured by the Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association as “Weekly Newspaperman of the Year” in 1959. He served on the executive of both the provincial and the national Weekly Newspaper Associations. Locally, he sat on the Strathroy Hospital Board and the recreation commission, and was active in the Lions Club and the Masonic Lodge. He also volunteered with the Sydenham Valley Conservation Authority, was a director of District Trust, and a member of the Toronto Press Club.
Although Chick and Agnes led busy lives they both found time to participate in municipal government. In 1946 Agnes became the first woman elected to town council, defeating Clarence Lloyd by only four votes. She lost her seat the following year but won again in 1948 and remained on council until 1955. She ran successfully for deputy-reeve in 1957 and represented Strathroy on county council. After Agnes had her turn, Chick was elected to the 1960 town council. In 1961 and 1962, he was acclaimed deputy-reeve.
Patti (Temple) Harris recalls growing up next door to the Spences on Hull Road. “They were wonderful neighbours!” One stormy March night, her parents were stranded in Toronto. “Chick and Agnes came to the rescue, bringing us to their home for the night. Three rambunctious kids in a home with no children must have been a challenge but that's the kind of neighbours they were.” Patti also remembers Chick’s chihuahua, Mitzie, who was often to be found tucked inside his sweater. She was very tiny and very protective. Patti’s brother Scott and Agnes both loved horses, so Kentucky Derby day was a shared occasion. And Agnes was a mentor to Patti’s mother, Marie Temple, as she pursued her political ambitions. A frequent visitor to the Spence home was Agnes’s niece, Mary Tasker, a teacher in Toronto.
The Spences were friendly and well regarded. When Chick stepped out the door at the Age, people stopped to chat. Mary MacDonald of Strathroy still recalls the crab dip Agnes served when she hosted county council members. And friends and family enjoyed the clear peanut brittle she made every Christmas.
Chick died in 1966. Agnes followed him almost 30 years later, in 1995. They are buried in Strathroy Cemetery.
And the story behind Chick’s unusual nickname? It’s still a mystery.
E. A. “Chick” Spence and his wife Agnes were Strathroy’s ‘power couple’ through the 1940s into the 1960s. They had moved to town in 1936, after purchasing The Age Dispatch from the Evans brothers, and published the paper until Ken Campbell became the owner in 1960.
Chick was born in London in 1896. He started his newspaper career in 1915 as a reporter for the London Free Press, then the Kitchener Telegraph. By 1917 he was working at the St. Thomas Journal. It was the midst of World War I, and Chick joined the Royal Flying Corps. He trained in Texas as a pilot, then served overseas where he flew planes from an aircraft carrier. Upon returning to Canada in 1919, he rejoined the Free Press. The 1921 census shows both Chick and Agnes living in the Hamilton Road area in London. Perhaps they met at the local grocery store where Agnes worked. Who knows? They were married in 1925 in Cobden in the Ottawa Valley, Agnes’s home. Their move to Strathroy in 1936 brought them into the publishing side of the newspaper business.
Chick’s career was again interrupted by war. In 1941, now age 45, he joined the RCAF. In May 1942 he went to London, England as a public relations officer with the Air Ministry. He also worked on a weekly publication for RCAF personnel overseas, and wrote stories and radio scripts for Canadian newspapers on RCAF activities. While he was gone the Age was capably run by Agnes. She was certainly a woman ahead of her generation.
As the Spences settled back into town life they both became deeply involved in their community. Agnes served as a member of the police commission and the museum board. Over time, she was on the executive of the Women’s Hospital Auxiliary, the IODE and the figure skating club. She worked with the Strathroy Agricultural Society for over 24 years, helped out at Red Cross blood clinics and Cancer Society events, and was an active member of St. John’s Anglican Church. In 1967 she was awarded the Canadian Centennial Medal for “valuable service to Canada”, and in 1977 the Queen Elizabeth II Silver Jubilee Medal for “devoted service to community”.
Chick was honoured by the Ontario Weekly Newspaper Association as “Weekly Newspaperman of the Year” in 1959. He served on the executive of both the provincial and the national Weekly Newspaper Associations. Locally, he sat on the Strathroy Hospital Board and the recreation commission, and was active in the Lions Club and the Masonic Lodge. He also volunteered with the Sydenham Valley Conservation Authority, was a director of District Trust, and a member of the Toronto Press Club.
Although Chick and Agnes led busy lives they both found time to participate in municipal government. In 1946 Agnes became the first woman elected to town council, defeating Clarence Lloyd by only four votes. She lost her seat the following year but won again in 1948 and remained on council until 1955. She ran successfully for deputy-reeve in 1957 and represented Strathroy on county council. After Agnes had her turn, Chick was elected to the 1960 town council. In 1961 and 1962, he was acclaimed deputy-reeve.
Patti (Temple) Harris recalls growing up next door to the Spences on Hull Road. “They were wonderful neighbours!” One stormy March night, her parents were stranded in Toronto. “Chick and Agnes came to the rescue, bringing us to their home for the night. Three rambunctious kids in a home with no children must have been a challenge but that's the kind of neighbours they were.” Patti also remembers Chick’s chihuahua, Mitzie, who was often to be found tucked inside his sweater. She was very tiny and very protective. Patti’s brother Scott and Agnes both loved horses, so Kentucky Derby day was a shared occasion. And Agnes was a mentor to Patti’s mother, Marie Temple, as she pursued her political ambitions. A frequent visitor to the Spence home was Agnes’s niece, Mary Tasker, a teacher in Toronto.
The Spences were friendly and well regarded. When Chick stepped out the door at the Age, people stopped to chat. Mary MacDonald of Strathroy still recalls the crab dip Agnes served when she hosted county council members. And friends and family enjoyed the clear peanut brittle she made every Christmas.
Chick died in 1966. Agnes followed him almost 30 years later, in 1995. They are buried in Strathroy Cemetery.
And the story behind Chick’s unusual nickname? It’s still a mystery.
November - Nuggets from a wartime Age Dispatch by Libby McLachlan
Eighty years ago, Canada was just over three years into World War II.
With military and consumer goods being shipped overseas, some items were in short supply at home, including gasoline and tires. Coupon rationing was being introduced on specific food items and would last until 1947. The Wartime Prices and Trade Board, set up by the government in 1939, constantly changed its regulations to keep prices under control. Government sales campaigns of Victory Bonds raised funds for the war effort. Posters and radio ads urged everyone on the home front to make do with less as their part in the war effort. And the whole community was concerned about ‘their boys’ serving overseas.
A look through the November 19, 1942 issue of the Strathroy Age Dispatch shows how deeply local life was affected by the war. Every page included war-related items.
The IODE, always at the forefront of support work, had already mailed 10 parcels to local men in the Air Force, 89 to the Army, and had 79 ready for the Navy. Each parcel, valued at $5.50, included hand knitted socks, food and personal care items. Women’s groups in churches were also sending Christmas boxes.
A letter from F\Lt ‘Chick’ Spence to Mrs. E.A. Henderson, thanking her profusely for “your most thoughtful gift of cigarettes”, was printed in full. With his experience as publisher of the Age, Spence was serving with the Air Ministry in London, England, assigned to a department searching out news and pictures of overseas RCAF personnel to send back home. He worked in underground offices all day, and coped with the blackouts at night.
A box item urges farmers to lock up their rubber-tired equipment when not in use, as there had been recent reports of tire thefts from tractors and wagons.
Two carloads of blood donors from various businesses attended a clinic at Victoria Hospital in London. Another two cars would be leaving from Grieve’s Drug Store “next Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.”. A separate item noted that a mobile Red Cross service in Toronto would expand to communities throughout the province to save on tires and gasoline.
“The Honour Roll” listed names and locations of the many “Strathroy boys on active service overseas”. A random few: the Adair brothers (Fred, Kenneth and Robert), Gordon Downham, A.H. Dunsmore, Murray Lambert, Norman Smith, R.E. Prangley, Wilfred Snelgrove and Leroy Swales. Another list showed those stationed in Canada, and a Women’s Divisions list included Mary Wright (London, England) and Dorothy Doan (South Africa).
In Kerwood, about 65 neighbours gathered at the local schoolhouse to present Lawrence Pike with a watch and an Air Force ring as he was leaving for RCAF training. They expressed their good wishes and enjoyed an evening of entertainment, cards and dancing.
An ad for the King Theatre announced that ‘Mrs. Miniver’, “voted the greatest movie ever made”, would be coming soon. A war story set in an English village, it starred Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Another ad, addressed to “Mrs. Housewife” by the Department of Munitions and Supply, pleaded “War plants must have more power – you must use less”. And A&P advertised bread at two loaves for 15 cents.
Eleven winners of Victory Loan public speaking contests, including Laurie Hathaway of Melbourne and Lewis Coughlin of Lobo, were on a two-day tour of Toronto, supervised by Public School Inspector Gordon Young.
A Q&A column gave updates on Prices and Trade Board rules – from the price of butter, to the hem length of children’s woolen skirts, to upcoming mileage restrictions on commercial trucks.
Arthur Wright and H.W. Rivers had attended a meeting of regional shoe dealers in London. They were encouraged to repair shoe soles, as “tire and gasoline restrictions are forcing Canadians to walk more and wear out more shoes”.
The “sensational new” variant of the de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber would be manufactured in Canada. Made of wood, its role would be daylight and night raids over enemy territory.
Another IODE scrap drive was scheduled, to be followed by an afternoon and evening of movies at the Town Hall, showing four of the “latest talkies”. Admission tickets could be obtained by making a donation of scrap rubber or metal items at Muxlow’s service station.
Local newspapers like the Age provide a remarkable insight into the war. We see the details of wartime life from so many perspectives in every issue. And we begin to understand how individuals, communities and the whole country came through those six challenging years.
Eighty years ago, Canada was just over three years into World War II.
With military and consumer goods being shipped overseas, some items were in short supply at home, including gasoline and tires. Coupon rationing was being introduced on specific food items and would last until 1947. The Wartime Prices and Trade Board, set up by the government in 1939, constantly changed its regulations to keep prices under control. Government sales campaigns of Victory Bonds raised funds for the war effort. Posters and radio ads urged everyone on the home front to make do with less as their part in the war effort. And the whole community was concerned about ‘their boys’ serving overseas.
A look through the November 19, 1942 issue of the Strathroy Age Dispatch shows how deeply local life was affected by the war. Every page included war-related items.
The IODE, always at the forefront of support work, had already mailed 10 parcels to local men in the Air Force, 89 to the Army, and had 79 ready for the Navy. Each parcel, valued at $5.50, included hand knitted socks, food and personal care items. Women’s groups in churches were also sending Christmas boxes.
A letter from F\Lt ‘Chick’ Spence to Mrs. E.A. Henderson, thanking her profusely for “your most thoughtful gift of cigarettes”, was printed in full. With his experience as publisher of the Age, Spence was serving with the Air Ministry in London, England, assigned to a department searching out news and pictures of overseas RCAF personnel to send back home. He worked in underground offices all day, and coped with the blackouts at night.
A box item urges farmers to lock up their rubber-tired equipment when not in use, as there had been recent reports of tire thefts from tractors and wagons.
Two carloads of blood donors from various businesses attended a clinic at Victoria Hospital in London. Another two cars would be leaving from Grieve’s Drug Store “next Tuesday at 8:30 a.m.”. A separate item noted that a mobile Red Cross service in Toronto would expand to communities throughout the province to save on tires and gasoline.
“The Honour Roll” listed names and locations of the many “Strathroy boys on active service overseas”. A random few: the Adair brothers (Fred, Kenneth and Robert), Gordon Downham, A.H. Dunsmore, Murray Lambert, Norman Smith, R.E. Prangley, Wilfred Snelgrove and Leroy Swales. Another list showed those stationed in Canada, and a Women’s Divisions list included Mary Wright (London, England) and Dorothy Doan (South Africa).
In Kerwood, about 65 neighbours gathered at the local schoolhouse to present Lawrence Pike with a watch and an Air Force ring as he was leaving for RCAF training. They expressed their good wishes and enjoyed an evening of entertainment, cards and dancing.
An ad for the King Theatre announced that ‘Mrs. Miniver’, “voted the greatest movie ever made”, would be coming soon. A war story set in an English village, it starred Greer Garson and Walter Pidgeon. Another ad, addressed to “Mrs. Housewife” by the Department of Munitions and Supply, pleaded “War plants must have more power – you must use less”. And A&P advertised bread at two loaves for 15 cents.
Eleven winners of Victory Loan public speaking contests, including Laurie Hathaway of Melbourne and Lewis Coughlin of Lobo, were on a two-day tour of Toronto, supervised by Public School Inspector Gordon Young.
A Q&A column gave updates on Prices and Trade Board rules – from the price of butter, to the hem length of children’s woolen skirts, to upcoming mileage restrictions on commercial trucks.
Arthur Wright and H.W. Rivers had attended a meeting of regional shoe dealers in London. They were encouraged to repair shoe soles, as “tire and gasoline restrictions are forcing Canadians to walk more and wear out more shoes”.
The “sensational new” variant of the de Havilland Mosquito fighter bomber would be manufactured in Canada. Made of wood, its role would be daylight and night raids over enemy territory.
Another IODE scrap drive was scheduled, to be followed by an afternoon and evening of movies at the Town Hall, showing four of the “latest talkies”. Admission tickets could be obtained by making a donation of scrap rubber or metal items at Muxlow’s service station.
Local newspapers like the Age provide a remarkable insight into the war. We see the details of wartime life from so many perspectives in every issue. And we begin to understand how individuals, communities and the whole country came through those six challenging years.
On Remembrance Day 1942, the Strathroy Lions presented a new field ambulance to the federal government. It was large enough accommodate four wounded soldiers on stretchers that could be slid into a bunk-bed style frame, as well as two stretcher bearers, two drivers and countless emergency medical supplies. (Age Dispatch, Nov. 19, 1942)
Photo: Museum Strathroy-Caradoc; possibly taken by the Strathroy Age Dispatch.
October - The Lions Pool Story by Aileen Cnockaert
The swimming pool in Alexandra Park, where so many of us learned to swim, opened in 1950 – fully 25 years after it was first proposed as a Lions Club project. When it closed in 2013 it had been a fixture in town for over 60 years.
In May 1924, the London Lions Club approached men in Strathroy about forming a local Club. The following year fundraising started for the Club’s first major venture: a swimming pool for the town. Lion Rev. George Pugsley started the fundraising with a personal donation. Although plans for the pool didn’t go ahead, Rev. Pugsley insisted that the fund remain in place for a future pool. Through the years proceeds from events like the Lions Club Carnival or Donkey Baseball were deposited into the account.
By January 1936, the town and the Lions Club began again to discuss a new pool, to be on the northwest corner of Frank and North Streets, near the Sydenham River. The estimated cost was $6,500, with $1,700 already set aside. By May, The Age Dispatch was encouraging citizens to ramp up their contributions for the pool. The goal was to raise $1,500 by the end of the month. The story then seems to disappear, until the next mention of the pool in the April 22, 1937 Age. An article informed citizens that the Lions Club pool project, which had been temporarily shelved the previous summer, was being revived again. A new committee was appointed with Frank Langan as chairman and members Avrom Hyman, A.E. Ditchburn, Mac Waddell and E.A. ‘Chick’ Spence.
One week later, on April 29, 1937, the Age reported that the committee was expected to announce that the pool would be adjacent to Alexandra Park. The committee was recommending that the original plan be modified to bring down the estimated cost to slightly more than $4,000, as opposed to the original $6,500. By this time $3,600 had been raised, with only $500 more needed to reach the new goal. Again, the story seems to fade away. Perhaps the war set new spending priorities.
An editorial in the Age on July 7, 1949 mentioned the sweltering weather, then urged the Lions Club and the Recreation Commission to meet without delay and restart a plan for a pool.
Maybe this time the pool would become a reality! In September, a special “Swimming Pool Committee” of the Strathroy Lions Club was given the green light to go ahead with the project. However, the committee warned the Lions Club that the estimated cost was now around $40,000, which meant Club members had to contribute personally as well as help with fundraising. The Club voted unanimously to go ahead. Town residents were encouraged to donate generously to the cause. Soon work was proceeding rapidly and cement work was almost completed.
The committee began planning the grand opening for July of the next year, to be held in conjunction with the 18th annual Lions Club Frolic. Lions Club Secretary Doug Geddes issued invitations to Ontario Premier Leslie Frost and Paul Martin, federal Minister of Health and Welfare, as well as members of parliament. The London Police Boys Band would attend opening night, along with the Strathroy Band. A Friday night carnival was scheduled for kids. Three renowned swimmers would be part of the opening ceremonies. Kay Miles, secretary to the Recreation Director, would take the first dive. She held two Ontario records and was a member of the Canadian team which had competed in the British Empire Games in New Zealand the year before. June Taylor from Kitchener and Glenna Mills of Fergus would also participate. June was recognized as the women’s amateur synchronized swimming world champion. Glenna, a Strathroy native, was a member of the Canadian Olympic swim team.
The official opening took place at 8:00 p.m., July 27, 1950. Several thousand people attended. H.C. Downham chaired the program. After an opening prayer by Rev. Wm. Raithby, Mayor Winston Pearson, Lions President T.J. Kersey, past president Leonard Pearson and Public Utilities Manager A.E. Ditchburn each spoke briefly. Premier Frost officially cut the ribbon and the three celebrated swimmers plunged into the pool!
The Lions Pool continued to provide lessons and recreational swimming until the end of summer 2013. A new pool, constructed by the town, opened at the Strathroy Fairgrounds on June 13, 2015.
By the way, does anyone else think the Lions Pool water was actually melted ice cubes?
The swimming pool in Alexandra Park, where so many of us learned to swim, opened in 1950 – fully 25 years after it was first proposed as a Lions Club project. When it closed in 2013 it had been a fixture in town for over 60 years.
In May 1924, the London Lions Club approached men in Strathroy about forming a local Club. The following year fundraising started for the Club’s first major venture: a swimming pool for the town. Lion Rev. George Pugsley started the fundraising with a personal donation. Although plans for the pool didn’t go ahead, Rev. Pugsley insisted that the fund remain in place for a future pool. Through the years proceeds from events like the Lions Club Carnival or Donkey Baseball were deposited into the account.
By January 1936, the town and the Lions Club began again to discuss a new pool, to be on the northwest corner of Frank and North Streets, near the Sydenham River. The estimated cost was $6,500, with $1,700 already set aside. By May, The Age Dispatch was encouraging citizens to ramp up their contributions for the pool. The goal was to raise $1,500 by the end of the month. The story then seems to disappear, until the next mention of the pool in the April 22, 1937 Age. An article informed citizens that the Lions Club pool project, which had been temporarily shelved the previous summer, was being revived again. A new committee was appointed with Frank Langan as chairman and members Avrom Hyman, A.E. Ditchburn, Mac Waddell and E.A. ‘Chick’ Spence.
One week later, on April 29, 1937, the Age reported that the committee was expected to announce that the pool would be adjacent to Alexandra Park. The committee was recommending that the original plan be modified to bring down the estimated cost to slightly more than $4,000, as opposed to the original $6,500. By this time $3,600 had been raised, with only $500 more needed to reach the new goal. Again, the story seems to fade away. Perhaps the war set new spending priorities.
An editorial in the Age on July 7, 1949 mentioned the sweltering weather, then urged the Lions Club and the Recreation Commission to meet without delay and restart a plan for a pool.
Maybe this time the pool would become a reality! In September, a special “Swimming Pool Committee” of the Strathroy Lions Club was given the green light to go ahead with the project. However, the committee warned the Lions Club that the estimated cost was now around $40,000, which meant Club members had to contribute personally as well as help with fundraising. The Club voted unanimously to go ahead. Town residents were encouraged to donate generously to the cause. Soon work was proceeding rapidly and cement work was almost completed.
The committee began planning the grand opening for July of the next year, to be held in conjunction with the 18th annual Lions Club Frolic. Lions Club Secretary Doug Geddes issued invitations to Ontario Premier Leslie Frost and Paul Martin, federal Minister of Health and Welfare, as well as members of parliament. The London Police Boys Band would attend opening night, along with the Strathroy Band. A Friday night carnival was scheduled for kids. Three renowned swimmers would be part of the opening ceremonies. Kay Miles, secretary to the Recreation Director, would take the first dive. She held two Ontario records and was a member of the Canadian team which had competed in the British Empire Games in New Zealand the year before. June Taylor from Kitchener and Glenna Mills of Fergus would also participate. June was recognized as the women’s amateur synchronized swimming world champion. Glenna, a Strathroy native, was a member of the Canadian Olympic swim team.
The official opening took place at 8:00 p.m., July 27, 1950. Several thousand people attended. H.C. Downham chaired the program. After an opening prayer by Rev. Wm. Raithby, Mayor Winston Pearson, Lions President T.J. Kersey, past president Leonard Pearson and Public Utilities Manager A.E. Ditchburn each spoke briefly. Premier Frost officially cut the ribbon and the three celebrated swimmers plunged into the pool!
The Lions Pool continued to provide lessons and recreational swimming until the end of summer 2013. A new pool, constructed by the town, opened at the Strathroy Fairgrounds on June 13, 2015.
By the way, does anyone else think the Lions Pool water was actually melted ice cubes?
September - Growing up in Christina General Store by John Fekete
In 1961 my parents, John & Anne Fekete, bought the Christina General Store at the corner of Longwoods Road and Christina Road in south Caradoc Township. It turned out to be more than a business venture. Neighbours dropped in for coffee and to discuss local and world events or share belly laughs. And ninety percent of our customers became our friends.
The store had been moved from its original site across #2 Highway and lost its second storey. Attached to it was the old buggy shed, which became our garage and storage space. Here we found, among other treasures, the original scales used to weigh nails. In the store’s attic were boxes of long woollen underwear from the 1940’s, as well as my favourite, a Hawaiian shirt. And outside, a ten-foot-long tin sign was on display: a hillbilly lying on his side with a keg tilted up, pouring “Ya Hoo Fer Mountain Dew!”. The Greyhound Bus stopped out front, and since Christina was an official post office, Father was sworn in as the postmaster.
I was just learning to walk when our family moved into the tiny two-bedroom apartment attached to the store. My older sister, Sue, and brother Mike were already out having fun in the small yard that faced an old one-room, weather-beaten clapboard schoolhouse that had been abandoned for years. Like our apartment, the store was heated by a single coal-oil stove. It had four aisles of eight shelves that held every item a customer might desire.
Everything from groceries to batteries, radios to blue jeans, ammunition to tobacco, and from shoes and boots to the ever-popular candy shelf. There was a big Pepsi cooler, which everyone congregated around, and three gas pumps out front.
As we came to know the community the shelving and stock items grew. I might need to move the “Win a free rabbit” cart (filled with baby bunnies), to get at the record stand. Or I’d take someone to the ‘Santa chair’ to try on a pair of Hushpuppies. Santa spent time each December just east of the long meat counter where Father became a butcher, among his other hats. When I turned five one of my chores was re-bagging potatoes, sugar and even tea from the original large bags into smaller ones. And outside the store I sorted the sea of returned pop bottles into their wooden crates.
I remember lots of calls with my friend Bradley Carruthers on our crank telephone. Our number was 289R32 on a huge party line. When the phone bell rang three long and two short rings, that was ours to answer. It was some years before we got a dial phone and a forced-air furnace.
The business was run by my father, the 6’ 4” idea man, and my mother, his 4’ 11” powerhouse executive assistant. Father was always trying to discover the needs of the community, leading to new ventures that came and went over time. There was the fruit and vegetable stand at the front of the property. Then we got into selling toppers for pickup trucks. We rented out canoes and tent trailers and even house trailers. I was in charge of cleaning the trailers, checking the canoes and making sure the life preservers and oars were returned. When gas hit 36 cents a gallon in 1974, people stopped traveling and that business was gone within a few years.
We also had a 50-acre farm with 50 head of cattle. This was sold in 1972, when we bought the old Balznick farm a mile down the road. Finally, a house with bedrooms! The barn was my responsibility. Eventually there were cattle, goats, pigs, ducks, geese and chickens, plus 90 acres of corn and soybeans. The farm and house renovations meant less time for the store. But by then the community had grown and its needs had changed.
Tragically, we lost Mike in an accident in 1975. Sue and I still helped out at the store and the farm, and I worked in construction in London. Before I knew it, my two daughters were running the adding machine at the cash counter where I used to do my homework. A few years later, although my parents didn’t really want to retire, the economy forced their hand. In 1989 they sold the store to a family who planned to renovate it into a house. It meant the end of a neighbourhood tradition, dating from Christina’s founding in the 1800s. My family was a big part of that long run. And I was blessed to be along on the ride!
Sadly, John Fekete died on August 10, 2022. We are grateful that he recorded these memories.
In 1961 my parents, John & Anne Fekete, bought the Christina General Store at the corner of Longwoods Road and Christina Road in south Caradoc Township. It turned out to be more than a business venture. Neighbours dropped in for coffee and to discuss local and world events or share belly laughs. And ninety percent of our customers became our friends.
The store had been moved from its original site across #2 Highway and lost its second storey. Attached to it was the old buggy shed, which became our garage and storage space. Here we found, among other treasures, the original scales used to weigh nails. In the store’s attic were boxes of long woollen underwear from the 1940’s, as well as my favourite, a Hawaiian shirt. And outside, a ten-foot-long tin sign was on display: a hillbilly lying on his side with a keg tilted up, pouring “Ya Hoo Fer Mountain Dew!”. The Greyhound Bus stopped out front, and since Christina was an official post office, Father was sworn in as the postmaster.
I was just learning to walk when our family moved into the tiny two-bedroom apartment attached to the store. My older sister, Sue, and brother Mike were already out having fun in the small yard that faced an old one-room, weather-beaten clapboard schoolhouse that had been abandoned for years. Like our apartment, the store was heated by a single coal-oil stove. It had four aisles of eight shelves that held every item a customer might desire.
Everything from groceries to batteries, radios to blue jeans, ammunition to tobacco, and from shoes and boots to the ever-popular candy shelf. There was a big Pepsi cooler, which everyone congregated around, and three gas pumps out front.
As we came to know the community the shelving and stock items grew. I might need to move the “Win a free rabbit” cart (filled with baby bunnies), to get at the record stand. Or I’d take someone to the ‘Santa chair’ to try on a pair of Hushpuppies. Santa spent time each December just east of the long meat counter where Father became a butcher, among his other hats. When I turned five one of my chores was re-bagging potatoes, sugar and even tea from the original large bags into smaller ones. And outside the store I sorted the sea of returned pop bottles into their wooden crates.
I remember lots of calls with my friend Bradley Carruthers on our crank telephone. Our number was 289R32 on a huge party line. When the phone bell rang three long and two short rings, that was ours to answer. It was some years before we got a dial phone and a forced-air furnace.
The business was run by my father, the 6’ 4” idea man, and my mother, his 4’ 11” powerhouse executive assistant. Father was always trying to discover the needs of the community, leading to new ventures that came and went over time. There was the fruit and vegetable stand at the front of the property. Then we got into selling toppers for pickup trucks. We rented out canoes and tent trailers and even house trailers. I was in charge of cleaning the trailers, checking the canoes and making sure the life preservers and oars were returned. When gas hit 36 cents a gallon in 1974, people stopped traveling and that business was gone within a few years.
We also had a 50-acre farm with 50 head of cattle. This was sold in 1972, when we bought the old Balznick farm a mile down the road. Finally, a house with bedrooms! The barn was my responsibility. Eventually there were cattle, goats, pigs, ducks, geese and chickens, plus 90 acres of corn and soybeans. The farm and house renovations meant less time for the store. But by then the community had grown and its needs had changed.
Tragically, we lost Mike in an accident in 1975. Sue and I still helped out at the store and the farm, and I worked in construction in London. Before I knew it, my two daughters were running the adding machine at the cash counter where I used to do my homework. A few years later, although my parents didn’t really want to retire, the economy forced their hand. In 1989 they sold the store to a family who planned to renovate it into a house. It meant the end of a neighbourhood tradition, dating from Christina’s founding in the 1800s. My family was a big part of that long run. And I was blessed to be along on the ride!
Sadly, John Fekete died on August 10, 2022. We are grateful that he recorded these memories.
August - A chance meeting at Strathroy Collegiate by Libby Dawson
Small towns can sometimes turn up surprising memories of people who would later become famous. A story from the early days of Strathroy high school is a case in point. By 1880 Strathroy schools had acquired a reputation for good teaching, good teachers and eager hard-working students. In 1883 a well-educated and very likeable high school principal, James Wetherell (referred to as “Jimmy” by the students), was hired. By 1885 he had introduced up-to-date methods that raised the school’s scholastic standards to the level required to earn the title of “Collegiate Institute”, putting Strathroy on the map of educational institutions.
Thanks to Wetherell, in 1883 the Department of Education chose Strathroy as one of the new Ontario teachers’ training schools known as “model schools”, where skilled teachers would model or demonstrate appropriate pedagogical methods. When high school graduates from throughout the province were chosen to come to Strathroy Model School they boarded a train to the town and found accommodation in local boarding houses for their three months of teacher training.
One morning, as classes began, a very bright 13-year-old pupil and six male model school students were in the room to observe Principal Wetherell’s methods in action. Wetherell was planning to assess one of the student teachers as he taught his first class. After teaching the first half of the class himself, he stopped and chose a young man to take over for the rest of the lesson. More than a century later, that young man’s name, Stephen Leacock, is familiar to readers in Canada and around the world.
The 23-year-old Leacock had not planned to become a teacher. He was part of a large family that had fallen on hard times. While money was still available he graduated from Toronto’s Upper Canada College and completed two years of university. This allowed him to teach high school, provided that he took a three-month training course at a model school. Jobs were scarce and he needed money, so he signed up for the course and was one of those accepted for Strathroy Model School.
Years later Leacock had become Canada’s most successful author. His many books of humour certainly brought in more money than his early teaching career. Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, published in 1912, is probably his best-known book. But included in the list of his writings is an autobiography, The Boy I Left Behind Me (1946), in which he describes his first teaching experience. “I had a natural gift of mimicry, could easily hit off people’s voices and gestures.” He recalls that day in Strathroy when he continued the principal’s lesson with Wetherell’s voice and gestures, much to the amusement of those watching, as giggles ran through the room. When he finished, Principal Wetherell observed “I am afraid that I admire your brains more than your manners.” Leacock had not intended to be insulting, but this comment made him realize the need for human kindness as an element in humour.
And the 13-year-old boy sitting on the bench in the class that day, taking it all in? He was Arthur Currie, destined to become General Sir Arthur Currie, Commander in Chief of the Canadian Army in World War I.
Stephen Leacock was determined to complete his education, and earned a PhD in economics at the University of Chicago. This eventually brought him to McGill University as a professor in 1903. Later, after the War, General Currie became Principal of McGill, so Leacock went to Currie’s office to welcome him. “I think, General Currie, I must have had the honour of teaching you when I was a teacher in training at Strathroy in 1888”. Currie responded, “Why, yes. I recognize you now. You were the young man to whom Jimmy Wetherell, the Principal, said that he admired your brains more than your manners!” The shared memory must have broken the ice and led to their friendship throughout their McGill years.
Small towns can sometimes turn up surprising memories of people who would later become famous. A story from the early days of Strathroy high school is a case in point. By 1880 Strathroy schools had acquired a reputation for good teaching, good teachers and eager hard-working students. In 1883 a well-educated and very likeable high school principal, James Wetherell (referred to as “Jimmy” by the students), was hired. By 1885 he had introduced up-to-date methods that raised the school’s scholastic standards to the level required to earn the title of “Collegiate Institute”, putting Strathroy on the map of educational institutions.
Thanks to Wetherell, in 1883 the Department of Education chose Strathroy as one of the new Ontario teachers’ training schools known as “model schools”, where skilled teachers would model or demonstrate appropriate pedagogical methods. When high school graduates from throughout the province were chosen to come to Strathroy Model School they boarded a train to the town and found accommodation in local boarding houses for their three months of teacher training.
One morning, as classes began, a very bright 13-year-old pupil and six male model school students were in the room to observe Principal Wetherell’s methods in action. Wetherell was planning to assess one of the student teachers as he taught his first class. After teaching the first half of the class himself, he stopped and chose a young man to take over for the rest of the lesson. More than a century later, that young man’s name, Stephen Leacock, is familiar to readers in Canada and around the world.
The 23-year-old Leacock had not planned to become a teacher. He was part of a large family that had fallen on hard times. While money was still available he graduated from Toronto’s Upper Canada College and completed two years of university. This allowed him to teach high school, provided that he took a three-month training course at a model school. Jobs were scarce and he needed money, so he signed up for the course and was one of those accepted for Strathroy Model School.
Years later Leacock had become Canada’s most successful author. His many books of humour certainly brought in more money than his early teaching career. Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, published in 1912, is probably his best-known book. But included in the list of his writings is an autobiography, The Boy I Left Behind Me (1946), in which he describes his first teaching experience. “I had a natural gift of mimicry, could easily hit off people’s voices and gestures.” He recalls that day in Strathroy when he continued the principal’s lesson with Wetherell’s voice and gestures, much to the amusement of those watching, as giggles ran through the room. When he finished, Principal Wetherell observed “I am afraid that I admire your brains more than your manners.” Leacock had not intended to be insulting, but this comment made him realize the need for human kindness as an element in humour.
And the 13-year-old boy sitting on the bench in the class that day, taking it all in? He was Arthur Currie, destined to become General Sir Arthur Currie, Commander in Chief of the Canadian Army in World War I.
Stephen Leacock was determined to complete his education, and earned a PhD in economics at the University of Chicago. This eventually brought him to McGill University as a professor in 1903. Later, after the War, General Currie became Principal of McGill, so Leacock went to Currie’s office to welcome him. “I think, General Currie, I must have had the honour of teaching you when I was a teacher in training at Strathroy in 1888”. Currie responded, “Why, yes. I recognize you now. You were the young man to whom Jimmy Wetherell, the Principal, said that he admired your brains more than your manners!” The shared memory must have broken the ice and led to their friendship throughout their McGill years.
July - Grattan Bars by Paul Long
As you arrive at Strathroy’s Aquatic Park on a warm July morning, take note of the nearby carved oak tree stump topped by a man, a horse and a racing sulky. It captures the history of the fairgrounds and is a tribute to Grattan Bars, the most famous horse to race on the former track on this site. Grattan Bars was a champion that broke many records in 1927 and 1928, and became a sensation in the United States by winning three high stakes races in thirteen days. The take-home winnings were substantial for his owner, Fred Thrower, an Adelaide Township farmer.
A century ago many farmers were third generation descendants of the original settlers. They kept horses for work, pleasure and sometimes for competitive harness racing at the local track. The Thrower family had emigrated from England in 1832, and the Peddens, who lived a few miles away, came from Scotland in the 1840s. Fred Thrower dreamed of owning a champion pacer. In September 1924 he sold 13 calves to Archie Pedden for $200 plus an unbroken colt, Grattan Bars. The colt was sired by Grattan Royal, a famous racehorse owned by Charles Barrett of Parkhill.
Fred broke the colt while driving a cutter during the 1924/25 winter. He continued to train Grattan Bars seven miles a day on a jogging cart during 1925. The three-year-old practiced on the Strathroy track through the summer of 1926 and raced at the Canadian National Exhibition that fall. As a four-year-old in 1927, Grattan Bars started eleven times on Canadian tracks and broke nine records.
My aunt, Ruth Long, remembers her father Art Pedden and grandfather Jim Pedden telling the story of Grattan Bars at the July 1927 Strathroy Dominion Day races. On the home stretch, he was blocked behind the other horses and the driver called out “Get out of the way boys, I’m coming through!” To avoid an accident, the other drivers moved aside and Grattan Bars won the race. Driven by Gid Litt at Western Fair Raceway on September 16, 1927, he broke the world half-mile record twice on the same afternoon, pacing 59 1/2 seconds.
As Grattan Bars’ winning reputation grew, his owner received lucrative offers to sell him. Instead, Fred leased the horse to Vic Fleming, a talented Canadian driver, and shipped him south of the border to race. For two dazzling months in 1928 Grattan Bars was almost unbeatable. During a 13-day stretch in July, he achieved victories in three $25,000-purse races. The pacing derbies were in Windsor, Connecticut; Toledo, Ohio and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Despite the stress of travel time between events Grattan Bars set a new record for cash winnings and paced at 1.59 1/2 minutes, breaking the two-minute mile. American horsemen were stunned!
Unfortunately, Grattan Bars became lame before the end of the racing season. Since his earnings of $46,915 far exceeded any single-season winnings by a pacer, Fred Thrower decided to bring his horse back to Canada and retire him to stud undefeated, a very profitable move. Vic Fleming suggested that this powerful bay stallion was never fully tested, so it is unknown how fast Grattan Bars could have paced a mile. Currently, the fastest one-mile pace time is only 14 seconds faster than his achievement almost 100 years ago. Grattan Bars was honoured in 1976 when he was inducted into both the Canadian and American horse racing Halls of Fame.
Fred Thrower built a horse barn on his “Grattandon” farm on Lot 11, Concession 2 SER (Mullifarry Drive). For many years, the barn roof displayed the words “Grattan Bars 1:59 1/2”. Grattan Bars sired over 60 mares and stallions. In 1941, he broke loose from his stall and was kicked by another horse. His leg was casted but, sadly, he succumbed to his injuries.
Fred celebrated his racing success with the purchase of a new Packard four-passenger coupe. Grattan Bars was his most successful pacer, but Fred continued raising and training horses, farming and selling maple syrup until the family farm was sold in the late 1940’s. The Throwers retired to High Street in Strathroy. Much of the Grattan Bars memorabilia was donated to Museum Strathroy-Caradoc.
So when you look at the wooden carving of Grattan Bars on Park Street, remember this legendary horse, as well as the Throwers, the Peddens and other horse owners and trainers who pursued their passion at Strathroy’s old racetrack.
As you arrive at Strathroy’s Aquatic Park on a warm July morning, take note of the nearby carved oak tree stump topped by a man, a horse and a racing sulky. It captures the history of the fairgrounds and is a tribute to Grattan Bars, the most famous horse to race on the former track on this site. Grattan Bars was a champion that broke many records in 1927 and 1928, and became a sensation in the United States by winning three high stakes races in thirteen days. The take-home winnings were substantial for his owner, Fred Thrower, an Adelaide Township farmer.
A century ago many farmers were third generation descendants of the original settlers. They kept horses for work, pleasure and sometimes for competitive harness racing at the local track. The Thrower family had emigrated from England in 1832, and the Peddens, who lived a few miles away, came from Scotland in the 1840s. Fred Thrower dreamed of owning a champion pacer. In September 1924 he sold 13 calves to Archie Pedden for $200 plus an unbroken colt, Grattan Bars. The colt was sired by Grattan Royal, a famous racehorse owned by Charles Barrett of Parkhill.
Fred broke the colt while driving a cutter during the 1924/25 winter. He continued to train Grattan Bars seven miles a day on a jogging cart during 1925. The three-year-old practiced on the Strathroy track through the summer of 1926 and raced at the Canadian National Exhibition that fall. As a four-year-old in 1927, Grattan Bars started eleven times on Canadian tracks and broke nine records.
My aunt, Ruth Long, remembers her father Art Pedden and grandfather Jim Pedden telling the story of Grattan Bars at the July 1927 Strathroy Dominion Day races. On the home stretch, he was blocked behind the other horses and the driver called out “Get out of the way boys, I’m coming through!” To avoid an accident, the other drivers moved aside and Grattan Bars won the race. Driven by Gid Litt at Western Fair Raceway on September 16, 1927, he broke the world half-mile record twice on the same afternoon, pacing 59 1/2 seconds.
As Grattan Bars’ winning reputation grew, his owner received lucrative offers to sell him. Instead, Fred leased the horse to Vic Fleming, a talented Canadian driver, and shipped him south of the border to race. For two dazzling months in 1928 Grattan Bars was almost unbeatable. During a 13-day stretch in July, he achieved victories in three $25,000-purse races. The pacing derbies were in Windsor, Connecticut; Toledo, Ohio and Kalamazoo, Michigan. Despite the stress of travel time between events Grattan Bars set a new record for cash winnings and paced at 1.59 1/2 minutes, breaking the two-minute mile. American horsemen were stunned!
Unfortunately, Grattan Bars became lame before the end of the racing season. Since his earnings of $46,915 far exceeded any single-season winnings by a pacer, Fred Thrower decided to bring his horse back to Canada and retire him to stud undefeated, a very profitable move. Vic Fleming suggested that this powerful bay stallion was never fully tested, so it is unknown how fast Grattan Bars could have paced a mile. Currently, the fastest one-mile pace time is only 14 seconds faster than his achievement almost 100 years ago. Grattan Bars was honoured in 1976 when he was inducted into both the Canadian and American horse racing Halls of Fame.
Fred Thrower built a horse barn on his “Grattandon” farm on Lot 11, Concession 2 SER (Mullifarry Drive). For many years, the barn roof displayed the words “Grattan Bars 1:59 1/2”. Grattan Bars sired over 60 mares and stallions. In 1941, he broke loose from his stall and was kicked by another horse. His leg was casted but, sadly, he succumbed to his injuries.
Fred celebrated his racing success with the purchase of a new Packard four-passenger coupe. Grattan Bars was his most successful pacer, but Fred continued raising and training horses, farming and selling maple syrup until the family farm was sold in the late 1940’s. The Throwers retired to High Street in Strathroy. Much of the Grattan Bars memorabilia was donated to Museum Strathroy-Caradoc.
So when you look at the wooden carving of Grattan Bars on Park Street, remember this legendary horse, as well as the Throwers, the Peddens and other horse owners and trainers who pursued their passion at Strathroy’s old racetrack.
June - Bear Creek Golf Course – then and now by Carol MacPherson
Long before there was a Strathroy golf course, an annual tournament began during the August 1930 Old Boys’ Reunion at an out-of-town course. The winner’s trophy, the “Old Boys’ Golf Cup”, was donated by J.W. McCoubrey of Toronto, president of the Rexall Drug Co. In 1932, a number of older residents decided to build a simple 3-hole layout in the centre of the racetrack at the fairgrounds. Until grass was established the ‘dirt greens’ had to be raked after each hole was played.
The golf course most of us know as Bear Creek began around 1933 on a portion of Stewart Scott’s 45-acre farm, facing what is now Hickory Drive, northeast of the town limits, with the Sydenham River meandering through it. Three greens were built in 1934 and the other six by 1938. The course, laid out by John Innes, former professional at the Thames Valley Golf course in London, officially opened in August 1935 as the Sydenham Valley Golf and Country Club, with five holes completed.
Also on the Scott property was the “Wayside Gas Station.” It had a large white building with the Scott’s home upstairs, and included a clubhouse and dance hall. When the Scotts sold the property in 1939, the Strathroy Golf Club officially opened, owned and operated by its members. Annual membership was $10, and members were expected to volunteer free labour when required.
In 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Milhell donated the materials to build a new clubhouse to be constructed by member volunteers under the direction of chief carpenter Ken Martin. It included a fireplace, snack bar, and veranda. In 1951, the club purchased 40 more acres from Stewart Scott and sold debentures in multiples of $25 to raise the funds. The following year, all new equipment was purchased, including a proper greens mower. Mr. and Mrs. W. Goodall of Tottenham were retained to manage the clubhouse and grounds. Membership fees rose to $30 for men, $15 for women, and $5 for social.
In 1953, a state of emergency was declared after a tornado swept through the area destroying 200 trees on the course. The militia was called in to help with cleanup, and they camped on the golf course as their work progressed. In 1958, an addition to the clubhouse doubled the kitchen facilities, and a new greens keeper from Oshawa, Joe Peters, was hired. He turned the course into one of the finest in Ontario. Sadly, Joe died in March 1967.
Around 1963, a $125,000 clubhouse addition opened with 4 sheets of artificial ice for curling, forming the Strathroy Country Club. (The previous curling site was West Middlesex Memorial Arena.) The new restaurant/lounge had windows for viewing curling, a natural stone fireplace, and a balcony overlooking the golf course. There was also a 2-bedroom apartment for the club stewards, Molly and Ernie Taylor. Adult membership ranged from $35 - $55, and green fees were $1.50 to $2.50. Local car dealer, Al Reddock, was chairman of the Club, and the first golf professional was Bob Willis, assisted in the pro shop by his wife Edna. By 1979, the curling arena was transformed into a banquet hall, a more profitable venture.
A major $350,000 project in 1977 saw the course expanded to 18 holes. Strathroy native, Rene Muylaert, one of Canada’s foremost golf course architects, designed the new layout which officially opened that September. Peter Boyce held the pro position from 1970, through the expansion, until 1978, followed by Bill Pollock.
The club was sold to a private enterprise in 1980. Along with golf, it flourished as a prime banquet and wedding venue through a series of owners. In 1988, it was renamed Bear Creek Golf and Country Club after the Sydenham River’s original name. In the early 2000s, competition arose from several new courses in the area, and Bear Creek’s popularity started declining around 2008. About 10 years later, a portion of the course was transformed into a seniors’ condominium development, occupying one entire par-3 hole. Now under new management in 2022, the course is being restored to 18 holes, as stipulated by the town. Other extensive upgrades promise to improve the condition of the facilities, bringing it back to life as Willow Tree Golf Club. Many dedicated golfers look forward to resuming play on Strathroy’s new/old gem of a golf course as it reopens this summer.
Long before there was a Strathroy golf course, an annual tournament began during the August 1930 Old Boys’ Reunion at an out-of-town course. The winner’s trophy, the “Old Boys’ Golf Cup”, was donated by J.W. McCoubrey of Toronto, president of the Rexall Drug Co. In 1932, a number of older residents decided to build a simple 3-hole layout in the centre of the racetrack at the fairgrounds. Until grass was established the ‘dirt greens’ had to be raked after each hole was played.
The golf course most of us know as Bear Creek began around 1933 on a portion of Stewart Scott’s 45-acre farm, facing what is now Hickory Drive, northeast of the town limits, with the Sydenham River meandering through it. Three greens were built in 1934 and the other six by 1938. The course, laid out by John Innes, former professional at the Thames Valley Golf course in London, officially opened in August 1935 as the Sydenham Valley Golf and Country Club, with five holes completed.
Also on the Scott property was the “Wayside Gas Station.” It had a large white building with the Scott’s home upstairs, and included a clubhouse and dance hall. When the Scotts sold the property in 1939, the Strathroy Golf Club officially opened, owned and operated by its members. Annual membership was $10, and members were expected to volunteer free labour when required.
In 1948, Mr. and Mrs. Gordon Milhell donated the materials to build a new clubhouse to be constructed by member volunteers under the direction of chief carpenter Ken Martin. It included a fireplace, snack bar, and veranda. In 1951, the club purchased 40 more acres from Stewart Scott and sold debentures in multiples of $25 to raise the funds. The following year, all new equipment was purchased, including a proper greens mower. Mr. and Mrs. W. Goodall of Tottenham were retained to manage the clubhouse and grounds. Membership fees rose to $30 for men, $15 for women, and $5 for social.
In 1953, a state of emergency was declared after a tornado swept through the area destroying 200 trees on the course. The militia was called in to help with cleanup, and they camped on the golf course as their work progressed. In 1958, an addition to the clubhouse doubled the kitchen facilities, and a new greens keeper from Oshawa, Joe Peters, was hired. He turned the course into one of the finest in Ontario. Sadly, Joe died in March 1967.
Around 1963, a $125,000 clubhouse addition opened with 4 sheets of artificial ice for curling, forming the Strathroy Country Club. (The previous curling site was West Middlesex Memorial Arena.) The new restaurant/lounge had windows for viewing curling, a natural stone fireplace, and a balcony overlooking the golf course. There was also a 2-bedroom apartment for the club stewards, Molly and Ernie Taylor. Adult membership ranged from $35 - $55, and green fees were $1.50 to $2.50. Local car dealer, Al Reddock, was chairman of the Club, and the first golf professional was Bob Willis, assisted in the pro shop by his wife Edna. By 1979, the curling arena was transformed into a banquet hall, a more profitable venture.
A major $350,000 project in 1977 saw the course expanded to 18 holes. Strathroy native, Rene Muylaert, one of Canada’s foremost golf course architects, designed the new layout which officially opened that September. Peter Boyce held the pro position from 1970, through the expansion, until 1978, followed by Bill Pollock.
The club was sold to a private enterprise in 1980. Along with golf, it flourished as a prime banquet and wedding venue through a series of owners. In 1988, it was renamed Bear Creek Golf and Country Club after the Sydenham River’s original name. In the early 2000s, competition arose from several new courses in the area, and Bear Creek’s popularity started declining around 2008. About 10 years later, a portion of the course was transformed into a seniors’ condominium development, occupying one entire par-3 hole. Now under new management in 2022, the course is being restored to 18 holes, as stipulated by the town. Other extensive upgrades promise to improve the condition of the facilities, bringing it back to life as Willow Tree Golf Club. Many dedicated golfers look forward to resuming play on Strathroy’s new/old gem of a golf course as it reopens this summer.
May - John Seaton – “No Common Man” by John Brennan
In his September 1903 obituary in the Strathroy Age John Seaton was considered to be “no common man”, a person of “marked individuality and strong personal qualities.” His career was remarkable. He lost his sight at age twelve, yet “Blind John Seaton” became a local construction and drainage contractor. A man of great strength and stamina, he travelled on horseback and on foot unattended, despite his poor vision. Few men were better known in West Middlesex.
But John Seaton was not without his faults, nor immune from controversy. Sometimes his “inflexible resolution degenerated into obstinacy and bluntness that was tinctured with rudeness.” Although seen as something of a curmudgeon, he was a booster for the town. He constantly lobbied Town Council to stimulate the local economy by providing bonuses and tax breaks to attract new industries or to expand local railroad systems. He was forever proposing schemes which would benefit both the growing town and himself. Disagreeing with him in print or in public could lead to swift denunciations or threats of court action.
In 1874 John approached Council with an offer to build a much needed three-storey building with a second-floor meeting hall. He would rent this hall to the town for $160 a year for seven years. When Council delayed a decision Seaton made a similar offer to house rooms for a new high school, but the school board also demurred. Undeterred, he found a tenant and built the Athol Block on the former site of Fitzpatrick’s Hotel, a few doors east of the southeast corner of Front and Caradoc Streets. The building was one of the largest in town, containing two stores, a hotel (Revere House), and Chase’s Hall (later known as Seaton’s Music Hall), which measured 80 x 40 feet, with 18-foot ceilings and a seating capacity of 500. It was his pride and joy - and his undoing.
On August 6th, 1895, at 3:40 a.m. the entire building went up in flames, but did not burn to the ground. Suspicions were aroused and a fire inquest was held. It was learned that Revere House had been in need of expensive repairs and the Seatons, the proprietors, had been informed its license would not be renewed if the required renovations were not soon completed. Also, in the days preceding the fire the Seatons had been in the process of moving out of their rooms below the Music Hall to the Western Hotel.
R. C. Wilhelm saw the fire first. He smelled coal oil at the site, and while running for the fire bell at the corner of Frank and Caradoc Streets, saw a man of medium build run from the back of the Seaton property across Caradoc street.
J. W. Prangley testified that he arrived before the engine began to throw water. He found fire in six or seven rooms of the hotel. The smell of coal oil was in the air and wherever the fire was burning there were holes in the walls exposing the wood lath, and small piles of split-up pine kindling. He also saw an open six-quart can that smelled of oil and a rag saturated with coal oil. Fire captain James Wood and town engineer John Mallon corroborated this evidence.
Handyman Henry Mitchell swore that the afternoon before the fire Mrs. Seaton had directed him to break up a pine box for kindling. This he did, and left it in the Seaton woodshed behind the building. He identified the charred kindling from the fire site as part of what he had split up.
Further testimony involved Mrs. Seaton and a handyman, Henry Mitchell, who was helping the Seatons move out. It centred on a missing key to the back kitchen door of the building and who would have had access to the rooms where the fires had been set.
In October the inquest declared that the fire had been deliberately set. In January 1896, John Seaton and Henry Mitchell were charged with attempting to burn down the Revere House and the Music Hall. Both were acquitted at a trial in London. The two men presented conflicting testimony, and the judge felt there was insufficient proof of their guilt. Charges against Mrs. Seaton had been dropped before the trial.
John Seaton lost all his property and much of his good name. He was admitted to the House of Refuge in February 1896, where he lived for the next seven years. Upon his death he was buried in Strathroy Cemetery.
In his September 1903 obituary in the Strathroy Age John Seaton was considered to be “no common man”, a person of “marked individuality and strong personal qualities.” His career was remarkable. He lost his sight at age twelve, yet “Blind John Seaton” became a local construction and drainage contractor. A man of great strength and stamina, he travelled on horseback and on foot unattended, despite his poor vision. Few men were better known in West Middlesex.
But John Seaton was not without his faults, nor immune from controversy. Sometimes his “inflexible resolution degenerated into obstinacy and bluntness that was tinctured with rudeness.” Although seen as something of a curmudgeon, he was a booster for the town. He constantly lobbied Town Council to stimulate the local economy by providing bonuses and tax breaks to attract new industries or to expand local railroad systems. He was forever proposing schemes which would benefit both the growing town and himself. Disagreeing with him in print or in public could lead to swift denunciations or threats of court action.
In 1874 John approached Council with an offer to build a much needed three-storey building with a second-floor meeting hall. He would rent this hall to the town for $160 a year for seven years. When Council delayed a decision Seaton made a similar offer to house rooms for a new high school, but the school board also demurred. Undeterred, he found a tenant and built the Athol Block on the former site of Fitzpatrick’s Hotel, a few doors east of the southeast corner of Front and Caradoc Streets. The building was one of the largest in town, containing two stores, a hotel (Revere House), and Chase’s Hall (later known as Seaton’s Music Hall), which measured 80 x 40 feet, with 18-foot ceilings and a seating capacity of 500. It was his pride and joy - and his undoing.
On August 6th, 1895, at 3:40 a.m. the entire building went up in flames, but did not burn to the ground. Suspicions were aroused and a fire inquest was held. It was learned that Revere House had been in need of expensive repairs and the Seatons, the proprietors, had been informed its license would not be renewed if the required renovations were not soon completed. Also, in the days preceding the fire the Seatons had been in the process of moving out of their rooms below the Music Hall to the Western Hotel.
R. C. Wilhelm saw the fire first. He smelled coal oil at the site, and while running for the fire bell at the corner of Frank and Caradoc Streets, saw a man of medium build run from the back of the Seaton property across Caradoc street.
J. W. Prangley testified that he arrived before the engine began to throw water. He found fire in six or seven rooms of the hotel. The smell of coal oil was in the air and wherever the fire was burning there were holes in the walls exposing the wood lath, and small piles of split-up pine kindling. He also saw an open six-quart can that smelled of oil and a rag saturated with coal oil. Fire captain James Wood and town engineer John Mallon corroborated this evidence.
Handyman Henry Mitchell swore that the afternoon before the fire Mrs. Seaton had directed him to break up a pine box for kindling. This he did, and left it in the Seaton woodshed behind the building. He identified the charred kindling from the fire site as part of what he had split up.
Further testimony involved Mrs. Seaton and a handyman, Henry Mitchell, who was helping the Seatons move out. It centred on a missing key to the back kitchen door of the building and who would have had access to the rooms where the fires had been set.
In October the inquest declared that the fire had been deliberately set. In January 1896, John Seaton and Henry Mitchell were charged with attempting to burn down the Revere House and the Music Hall. Both were acquitted at a trial in London. The two men presented conflicting testimony, and the judge felt there was insufficient proof of their guilt. Charges against Mrs. Seaton had been dropped before the trial.
John Seaton lost all his property and much of his good name. He was admitted to the House of Refuge in February 1896, where he lived for the next seven years. Upon his death he was buried in Strathroy Cemetery.
Pictured here is the current site of the old Seaton Music Hall, just east of the former Age building at Front and Caradoc Streets. After another fire in 1910 the property was purchased by a dentist, Dr. Forsyth. In 1913 he renovated the parts of the building that were still standing to become his office and private residence.
Photo courtesy of Bill Groot
April - “Number, please!” by Janet Cummer
Getting a job at ‘The Bell’ in Strathroy was my lucky break in high school. By 1958 my father was on a sick pension and money was tight. I knew that going to university would be expensive and I would need all the money I could make. My part-time job as an operator was perfect!
Bell Telephone had installed telephone poles and wires downtown in late 1884, just eight years after Alexander Graham Bell transmitted his first phone message. There were only a few subscribers, most from the business and professional community. A small simple switchboard was installed in a corner of Fred Meek’s drugstore to make connections among those local phones. Over time the service in town was expanded and improved. But the manual switchboard remained until dial service arrived here in 1962. A customer would ring the switchboard ‘central’ and ask the operator to connect them to another phone number. The operator would plug the cord from one into a socket for the other.
Women worked as Bell operators for many years. This was a woman’s world. There were advantages to working for such a big company. It was a respected job in a supervised environment with the protection of labour legislation, as well as scheduled hours and breaks. If you were dependable, had a pleasant voice, could work flexible hours and had a grade 10 high school diploma, it was a good steady job that didn’t change all that much. And you might well be able to walk to work. For the Chief Operator, frequently unmarried, it represented a chance to work in the business world in a supervisory capacity. There was little turnover in this position. Leafa Smith stayed for forty years, until her retirement in 1955.
Married women preferred daytime hours. Evenings and weekends were usually covered by single women. The night operator worked 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. She could sleep on a cot by turning on an alarm that would wake her if a light came on the switchboard, a setup that began many years earlier.
During my high school years the Bell Office was at the northwest corner of Frank and Centre Streets, the location of Rob Waters’ law office until recently. It included the business office where you paid your bill. At the back was a home base for the repair crew and a staff room. The switchboard was just inside the large front window. Passersby could see the operators handling calls, usually four operators during business hours. Telephone numbers were either private, semi-private, or on a party line. The operator would ring a few times to make a connection, then ask the customer “Should I keep ringing?” Finally, “They don’t answer”. At that time, we handled mostly local calls, but there were some long distance calls to Kerwood, Coldstream and London, and a few as far away as Harriston.
We also set off the fire alarm on top of the town hall. The operator would pull out a wooden plug on the switchboard and ring “100”. But first she had to quickly decide whether the call was real or a false alarm - more than a little stressful! The fire fighters were volunteers who would have to leave their jobs to rush to the fire trucks at the back of the town hall. The operator stayed on the line to make sure everything was underway.
Over my time at the Bell I made a number of friends among the other operators. I am probably forgetting some names, but I enjoy remembering them. Here are the ones that come to mind: Helen Stacey, Doris Smith, Marjorie Kerr, Diane Kenney, Gloria Keck and Lucille Wills. The Chief Operator was Donna Hawke, a kind and capable boss.
When the new dial system arrived in February 1962 it was promoted as a modern convenience. The operators, now out of work, would have received severance pay. From there they would have moved on to other employment. But perhaps something got lost in all this. No longer could you just pick up the receiver and hear a real voice ready to place your call. And gone was the personal touch of the operator who could stay with you in an emergency and help get you the assistance you needed. Technical advances often involved some trade-off.
Getting a job at ‘The Bell’ in Strathroy was my lucky break in high school. By 1958 my father was on a sick pension and money was tight. I knew that going to university would be expensive and I would need all the money I could make. My part-time job as an operator was perfect!
Bell Telephone had installed telephone poles and wires downtown in late 1884, just eight years after Alexander Graham Bell transmitted his first phone message. There were only a few subscribers, most from the business and professional community. A small simple switchboard was installed in a corner of Fred Meek’s drugstore to make connections among those local phones. Over time the service in town was expanded and improved. But the manual switchboard remained until dial service arrived here in 1962. A customer would ring the switchboard ‘central’ and ask the operator to connect them to another phone number. The operator would plug the cord from one into a socket for the other.
Women worked as Bell operators for many years. This was a woman’s world. There were advantages to working for such a big company. It was a respected job in a supervised environment with the protection of labour legislation, as well as scheduled hours and breaks. If you were dependable, had a pleasant voice, could work flexible hours and had a grade 10 high school diploma, it was a good steady job that didn’t change all that much. And you might well be able to walk to work. For the Chief Operator, frequently unmarried, it represented a chance to work in the business world in a supervisory capacity. There was little turnover in this position. Leafa Smith stayed for forty years, until her retirement in 1955.
Married women preferred daytime hours. Evenings and weekends were usually covered by single women. The night operator worked 11 p.m. to 7 a.m. She could sleep on a cot by turning on an alarm that would wake her if a light came on the switchboard, a setup that began many years earlier.
During my high school years the Bell Office was at the northwest corner of Frank and Centre Streets, the location of Rob Waters’ law office until recently. It included the business office where you paid your bill. At the back was a home base for the repair crew and a staff room. The switchboard was just inside the large front window. Passersby could see the operators handling calls, usually four operators during business hours. Telephone numbers were either private, semi-private, or on a party line. The operator would ring a few times to make a connection, then ask the customer “Should I keep ringing?” Finally, “They don’t answer”. At that time, we handled mostly local calls, but there were some long distance calls to Kerwood, Coldstream and London, and a few as far away as Harriston.
We also set off the fire alarm on top of the town hall. The operator would pull out a wooden plug on the switchboard and ring “100”. But first she had to quickly decide whether the call was real or a false alarm - more than a little stressful! The fire fighters were volunteers who would have to leave their jobs to rush to the fire trucks at the back of the town hall. The operator stayed on the line to make sure everything was underway.
Over my time at the Bell I made a number of friends among the other operators. I am probably forgetting some names, but I enjoy remembering them. Here are the ones that come to mind: Helen Stacey, Doris Smith, Marjorie Kerr, Diane Kenney, Gloria Keck and Lucille Wills. The Chief Operator was Donna Hawke, a kind and capable boss.
When the new dial system arrived in February 1962 it was promoted as a modern convenience. The operators, now out of work, would have received severance pay. From there they would have moved on to other employment. But perhaps something got lost in all this. No longer could you just pick up the receiver and hear a real voice ready to place your call. And gone was the personal touch of the operator who could stay with you in an emergency and help get you the assistance you needed. Technical advances often involved some trade-off.
March - Tobacco harvest in Caradoc by Brian Angyal
My grandparents arrived in Caradoc about 1943 and became one of the many Hungarian families to grow tobacco in the Township. Their farms grew an average of 50 acres of tobacco, and each had a greenhouse to start their plants from seed, and several kilns or small barns for curing the mature leaves. Fields were planted by hand as soon as the danger of frost had passed, in rows about three feet apart. By early August the plants were nearly four feet tall, and the pressure began to complete the harvest before frost, possible by the second week of September.
Looking at a typical day during the harvest season in the 1940s and early1950s shows how labour intensive these operations were. An average farm required up to fifteen workers. Most of the men lived on the farm. Many came from Ontario, some from Quebec or the United States.
The day began at 6:30 a.m. for the five or six pickers, or ‘primers’, as they headed for the field after breakfast. A horse pulled the ‘boat’, a narrow box on runners, through the rows as the primers walked behind, picking a few leaves of similar size off each plant.
By 7:00 a.m. the ‘table gang’, usually six women - two ‘tyers’ and four ‘leaf handers’ - were ready to start work at two long tables beside a kiln. When the first boat arrived from the field the driver unloaded the leaves onto a table and headed back for another load. Some farms had an additional driver and unloader to speed things up.
At the table, the tyer stood beside the ‘tying horse’, a stand used to hold a ‘stick’ four feet long, about 1½ inches wide and an inch thick. The two leaf handers stood beside the tyer and alternately handed her three leaves at a time. Approximately thirty bunches of three were tied on the stick. Finished sticks were placed on the ground by the handers, creating a large pile. This had to be carefully built to prevent it toppling over and damaging the leaves. Usually each table had 600 sticks tied before noon, a total of 1200. Then the primers would come in from the field and ‘hang the kiln’. One man placed the sticks on the rafters as they were passed up. Half of the kiln was finished, and everyone stopped for an hour lunch. The primers were fed by the farmer’s wife while the table gang, usually local women, brought their lunch.
In the afternoon the table was moved to the other side of the kiln and the same procedure was repeated. To fill a kiln, each tyer would have tied 1200 sticks, no easy task! A good hard-working gang could be finished by four and the primers would go back to the field to do ‘suckering’: removing suckers from the plant stems to improve leaf growth. They earned extra money for that job. All in all, it was a hard day’s work. All for about $10.00 per day. By the time I worked in the tobacco fields the pay was $13.00.
The full kiln was now ready for curing. A small coal furnace on each side of the building, with large ‘flues’ or pipes to the chimney, was kept burning, supervised by a ‘cureman’. After three to five days the leaves were golden yellow. The kiln was emptied in the damp of early morning and ready to be refilled as part of a rotation.
The primers who lived on the farm often lived in conditions considered less than basic today. Their meals were provided, but they often slept in a bunk house or barn with no running water or indoor plumbing. Our own house on the farm had no hot water, and everyone used the outhouse – hot in the summer, freezing in the winter. Yet somehow we all survived. Working conditions for the primers would never meet today’s safety standards as they climbed in the kilns without a harness.
As the 1950s progressed there were improvements such as an elevator to take the tied sticks up into the kiln, where one man, still without any safety harness, loaded the kiln. Eventually even the tyers and handers were replaced by machinery, and priming machines allowed the primers to sit as they picked. The old red and green kilns were replaced by compact, more efficient models. Only the old-timers will remember the hard-working crews that produced and harvested Caradoc’s valuable tobacco crop in earlier times.
My grandparents arrived in Caradoc about 1943 and became one of the many Hungarian families to grow tobacco in the Township. Their farms grew an average of 50 acres of tobacco, and each had a greenhouse to start their plants from seed, and several kilns or small barns for curing the mature leaves. Fields were planted by hand as soon as the danger of frost had passed, in rows about three feet apart. By early August the plants were nearly four feet tall, and the pressure began to complete the harvest before frost, possible by the second week of September.
Looking at a typical day during the harvest season in the 1940s and early1950s shows how labour intensive these operations were. An average farm required up to fifteen workers. Most of the men lived on the farm. Many came from Ontario, some from Quebec or the United States.
The day began at 6:30 a.m. for the five or six pickers, or ‘primers’, as they headed for the field after breakfast. A horse pulled the ‘boat’, a narrow box on runners, through the rows as the primers walked behind, picking a few leaves of similar size off each plant.
By 7:00 a.m. the ‘table gang’, usually six women - two ‘tyers’ and four ‘leaf handers’ - were ready to start work at two long tables beside a kiln. When the first boat arrived from the field the driver unloaded the leaves onto a table and headed back for another load. Some farms had an additional driver and unloader to speed things up.
At the table, the tyer stood beside the ‘tying horse’, a stand used to hold a ‘stick’ four feet long, about 1½ inches wide and an inch thick. The two leaf handers stood beside the tyer and alternately handed her three leaves at a time. Approximately thirty bunches of three were tied on the stick. Finished sticks were placed on the ground by the handers, creating a large pile. This had to be carefully built to prevent it toppling over and damaging the leaves. Usually each table had 600 sticks tied before noon, a total of 1200. Then the primers would come in from the field and ‘hang the kiln’. One man placed the sticks on the rafters as they were passed up. Half of the kiln was finished, and everyone stopped for an hour lunch. The primers were fed by the farmer’s wife while the table gang, usually local women, brought their lunch.
In the afternoon the table was moved to the other side of the kiln and the same procedure was repeated. To fill a kiln, each tyer would have tied 1200 sticks, no easy task! A good hard-working gang could be finished by four and the primers would go back to the field to do ‘suckering’: removing suckers from the plant stems to improve leaf growth. They earned extra money for that job. All in all, it was a hard day’s work. All for about $10.00 per day. By the time I worked in the tobacco fields the pay was $13.00.
The full kiln was now ready for curing. A small coal furnace on each side of the building, with large ‘flues’ or pipes to the chimney, was kept burning, supervised by a ‘cureman’. After three to five days the leaves were golden yellow. The kiln was emptied in the damp of early morning and ready to be refilled as part of a rotation.
The primers who lived on the farm often lived in conditions considered less than basic today. Their meals were provided, but they often slept in a bunk house or barn with no running water or indoor plumbing. Our own house on the farm had no hot water, and everyone used the outhouse – hot in the summer, freezing in the winter. Yet somehow we all survived. Working conditions for the primers would never meet today’s safety standards as they climbed in the kilns without a harness.
As the 1950s progressed there were improvements such as an elevator to take the tied sticks up into the kiln, where one man, still without any safety harness, loaded the kiln. Eventually even the tyers and handers were replaced by machinery, and priming machines allowed the primers to sit as they picked. The old red and green kilns were replaced by compact, more efficient models. Only the old-timers will remember the hard-working crews that produced and harvested Caradoc’s valuable tobacco crop in earlier times.
February - Samuel Preston: Napier Civil War Hero by Chris Harrington
Metcalfe Township is a sparsely populated township with a rich history. What Metcalfe lacks in population it makes up for in bravery and military distinction in the person of Samuel William Preston, a hero to this day to cadets at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. How did this local farm boy end up being killed in one of the last battles of the U.S. Civil War? A look at his formative years in his community provide some insight.
Samuel Preston was born April 6, 1840 in Adelaide Township near Napier. His father, Corporal Charles Preston, served in the British Army. During his career, Charles defended Britain’s colonies, including Canada, where he served with the Glengarry Highlanders and saw action at Chrysler’s Farm during the War of 1812. After that war, the Preston family lived in Cornwall, Ontario, where Charles married Jean Wilson and started a family. Samuel was the youngest of their ten children.
Charles’ military career ended around 1830. By 1831 he had chosen a land grant instead of a lifetime pension and had moved to the west half of Lot 4, Concession 10 in Adelaide Township with his large family. In 1845, when township boundaries were adjusted and this property became part of the newly created Metcalfe Township, the land was shown as Concession 5. During this time (1840-1852) the foundation was laid for Lieutenant Samuel W. Preston’s future military success during the Civil War.
Three principles bound the Preston family: a commitment to their faith and church; a calling to military service; and a duty to the betterment of one’s local community. Each of these was nurtured in Samuel as he grew up in Metcalfe.
By 1836, Charles Preston had received his crown deed to 100 acres of land in Adelaide. After performing the necessary requirements of cutting down forest to build roads and a house, Charles generously donated a log schoolhouse built on his property. This schoolhouse was used both as a church and school until about 1841 when a permanent church with a burial ground was built. Today, St. Mary’s Church on Melwood Drive is the oldest standing church in Middlesex County.
Military service ran strong in the Preston family. As mentioned, Samuel’s father Charles served, as did Samuel’s brothers Anthony and Thomas. When the Rebellion of 1837 started, Charles, despite having retired, rejoined his old regiment at Cornwall. Family lore states that two of Samuel’s brothers served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. It is estimated that nearly every farm for seven square miles around Napier was settled by former soldiers. Napier was sometimes referred to as the “Soldier’s Settlement”. These deep military traditions had an influence on young Samuel.
The third principle was a caring duty to one’s local community. Growing up, Samuel lived near an African-Canadian named Joseph Wrinkle. Wrinkle was an escaped slave from Kentucky who had fled on the Underground Railway. Metcalfe Township historian Enna Field wrote that Joseph lived “within a mile” of the Preston home, and Samuel likely heard Wrinkle’s stories and songs. Joseph lived in fear of kidnapping by slave catchers, since an educated slave was worth thousands of dollars in today’s currency. While not experiencing racial equality, Wrinkle felt some safety living in Napier, which was decades ahead of neighbouring regions. The Napier community valued human life, no matter the skin colour, more than the reward money. Enna Field wrote, “At harvest time the men worked in the fields without shirts. […] Samuel would see the marks from the lashes on Joe’s back, for he had been beaten many times.”
This early exposure to racial acceptance was key for Preston’s future success in the racially integrated Union Navy. As a naval officer, Preston would lead men, possibly including African-American sailors, into battle. To learn about his daring military actions I recommend the article “A Hero by Any Definition” by Paul Culliton.
After falling in battle at Fort Fisher, North Carolina on January 15, 1865 Samuel was buried in the United States Naval Academy Cemetery at Annapolis. To date, six naval ships have been named USS Preston in his memory. Our friends south of the border have not forgotten him. I hope this Tale will shine a light on Samuel W. Preston’s accomplishments in the war against slavery as we celebrate Black History Month.
Metcalfe Township is a sparsely populated township with a rich history. What Metcalfe lacks in population it makes up for in bravery and military distinction in the person of Samuel William Preston, a hero to this day to cadets at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. How did this local farm boy end up being killed in one of the last battles of the U.S. Civil War? A look at his formative years in his community provide some insight.
Samuel Preston was born April 6, 1840 in Adelaide Township near Napier. His father, Corporal Charles Preston, served in the British Army. During his career, Charles defended Britain’s colonies, including Canada, where he served with the Glengarry Highlanders and saw action at Chrysler’s Farm during the War of 1812. After that war, the Preston family lived in Cornwall, Ontario, where Charles married Jean Wilson and started a family. Samuel was the youngest of their ten children.
Charles’ military career ended around 1830. By 1831 he had chosen a land grant instead of a lifetime pension and had moved to the west half of Lot 4, Concession 10 in Adelaide Township with his large family. In 1845, when township boundaries were adjusted and this property became part of the newly created Metcalfe Township, the land was shown as Concession 5. During this time (1840-1852) the foundation was laid for Lieutenant Samuel W. Preston’s future military success during the Civil War.
Three principles bound the Preston family: a commitment to their faith and church; a calling to military service; and a duty to the betterment of one’s local community. Each of these was nurtured in Samuel as he grew up in Metcalfe.
By 1836, Charles Preston had received his crown deed to 100 acres of land in Adelaide. After performing the necessary requirements of cutting down forest to build roads and a house, Charles generously donated a log schoolhouse built on his property. This schoolhouse was used both as a church and school until about 1841 when a permanent church with a burial ground was built. Today, St. Mary’s Church on Melwood Drive is the oldest standing church in Middlesex County.
Military service ran strong in the Preston family. As mentioned, Samuel’s father Charles served, as did Samuel’s brothers Anthony and Thomas. When the Rebellion of 1837 started, Charles, despite having retired, rejoined his old regiment at Cornwall. Family lore states that two of Samuel’s brothers served in the Confederate Army during the Civil War. It is estimated that nearly every farm for seven square miles around Napier was settled by former soldiers. Napier was sometimes referred to as the “Soldier’s Settlement”. These deep military traditions had an influence on young Samuel.
The third principle was a caring duty to one’s local community. Growing up, Samuel lived near an African-Canadian named Joseph Wrinkle. Wrinkle was an escaped slave from Kentucky who had fled on the Underground Railway. Metcalfe Township historian Enna Field wrote that Joseph lived “within a mile” of the Preston home, and Samuel likely heard Wrinkle’s stories and songs. Joseph lived in fear of kidnapping by slave catchers, since an educated slave was worth thousands of dollars in today’s currency. While not experiencing racial equality, Wrinkle felt some safety living in Napier, which was decades ahead of neighbouring regions. The Napier community valued human life, no matter the skin colour, more than the reward money. Enna Field wrote, “At harvest time the men worked in the fields without shirts. […] Samuel would see the marks from the lashes on Joe’s back, for he had been beaten many times.”
This early exposure to racial acceptance was key for Preston’s future success in the racially integrated Union Navy. As a naval officer, Preston would lead men, possibly including African-American sailors, into battle. To learn about his daring military actions I recommend the article “A Hero by Any Definition” by Paul Culliton.
After falling in battle at Fort Fisher, North Carolina on January 15, 1865 Samuel was buried in the United States Naval Academy Cemetery at Annapolis. To date, six naval ships have been named USS Preston in his memory. Our friends south of the border have not forgotten him. I hope this Tale will shine a light on Samuel W. Preston’s accomplishments in the war against slavery as we celebrate Black History Month.
January - Madill Cemetery and Memorial Gardens by Paul Long
A cemetery is a place to bury, remember and honour our deceased loved ones. Cade, Campbell, Hess, Madill, McLean, Troops – these are all Caradoc Township cemeteries with family surnames. Most were established almost two hundred years ago and are now inactive, except for Madill Cemetery and Memorial Gardens, which was opened at the beginning of this century.
Our pioneer cemeteries were often family burial grounds because the need was immediate - an early settler was killed by a falling tree, a mother and child died during childbirth or a new immigrant succumbed to cholera. The first burials were often on a sandy knoll. Some of these family burial grounds remain unmarked and unrecorded, while others had the burial areas severed from the farm and churches later built beside them.
Establishing a cemetery is much more complicated these days. In Caradoc, Ron Madill, owner and operator of the R C Madill Funeral Home from 1969 to 1994, spearheaded the purchase of land and the development of two cemeteries. This was a 10-year project that resulted in the unique creation of a Protestant and a Catholic cemetery side by side.
Shortly after Ron’s arrival in Mount Brydges, he had been asked to assume the role of selling gravesites and marking their location at Mount Brydges Cemetery and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cemetery. Both were approaching capacity in the late 1980s and Ron alerted both cemetery boards of the need for additional burying grounds.
There was no way to expand either cemetery. Any new location needed to be close to Mount Brydges, be well-drained level ground, be acceptable land usage to the adjacent property owners, and be financially affordable. Understandably, farmers were not willing to sell prime agricultural land, but after a two-year search, Jim and Jackie Morningstar offered to sever seventeen acres from their hobby fruit farm on McEvoy Road near Century Drive.
Then began a twentieth-century approval and development process that spanned a decade. The Middlesex-London Health Unit quickly approved the cemetery land use in December 1992, but it was 1999 before Caradoc Township confirmed the expansion of Mount Brydges Cemetery on McEvoy Road. The necessary Township approvals from the Committee of Adjustment and the Planning Committee were time-consuming and incurred considerable legal expense. The municipal planner focused on driveway access, land use changes, soil drainage and environmental concerns. With municipal approval in early 1999, the provincial Certificate of Consent was issued later that summer.
The physical cemetery development was also spread over several years, between 1997 and 2001. Initially, the McEvoy fenceline was cleared and seeded, and ornamental trees were planted. Culvert work was completed in 1998, with further earth levelling and grass planting in 1999. By 2000, Mount Brydges Cemetery was in a position to complete road excavation and receive St. Clair Region Conservation Authority approval. In October 2000, two acres of cemetery land was conveyed to the Roman Catholic Diocese of London. The cemetery gravesite plan was submitted to the Land Registry Office and signage was erected in the spring of 2001. Ten years of planning, approvals, volunteer work and approximately $60,000 in expenditures finally resulted in two new cemeteries.
The official opening ceremonies for Sacred Heart in the Fields Roman Catholic Cemetery and Mount Brydges Cemetery and Memorial Gardens occurred on May 6, 2001. There was a good turnout of cemetery board members, and local church officials, along with Strathroy-Caradoc Mayor Mel Veale, MP Rose-Marie Ur and folks from the community. The following years witnessed further land development, tree planting and signage. In 2012, the Mount Brydges Cemetery Board recognized Ron Madill’s leadership by renaming the cemetery Madill Cemetery and Memorial Gardens.
Many of our pioneer cemeteries had become overgrown and fallen into neglect during the past century. So grave markers were taken down, repaired and often placed in the walls of a cairn. But still, these can be lonely places with few visitors. The Madill Cemetery and adjacent Sacred Heart in the Fields are places for celebrating life, with daily visitors, abundant floral arrangements and LED lights brightening the evening darkness.
Ron Madill’s commitment and perseverance made it possible to continue to honour our deceased family members in a local rural setting. Although they took ten years to complete, the new sites will serve the community well into the next century.
A cemetery is a place to bury, remember and honour our deceased loved ones. Cade, Campbell, Hess, Madill, McLean, Troops – these are all Caradoc Township cemeteries with family surnames. Most were established almost two hundred years ago and are now inactive, except for Madill Cemetery and Memorial Gardens, which was opened at the beginning of this century.
Our pioneer cemeteries were often family burial grounds because the need was immediate - an early settler was killed by a falling tree, a mother and child died during childbirth or a new immigrant succumbed to cholera. The first burials were often on a sandy knoll. Some of these family burial grounds remain unmarked and unrecorded, while others had the burial areas severed from the farm and churches later built beside them.
Establishing a cemetery is much more complicated these days. In Caradoc, Ron Madill, owner and operator of the R C Madill Funeral Home from 1969 to 1994, spearheaded the purchase of land and the development of two cemeteries. This was a 10-year project that resulted in the unique creation of a Protestant and a Catholic cemetery side by side.
Shortly after Ron’s arrival in Mount Brydges, he had been asked to assume the role of selling gravesites and marking their location at Mount Brydges Cemetery and Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Cemetery. Both were approaching capacity in the late 1980s and Ron alerted both cemetery boards of the need for additional burying grounds.
There was no way to expand either cemetery. Any new location needed to be close to Mount Brydges, be well-drained level ground, be acceptable land usage to the adjacent property owners, and be financially affordable. Understandably, farmers were not willing to sell prime agricultural land, but after a two-year search, Jim and Jackie Morningstar offered to sever seventeen acres from their hobby fruit farm on McEvoy Road near Century Drive.
Then began a twentieth-century approval and development process that spanned a decade. The Middlesex-London Health Unit quickly approved the cemetery land use in December 1992, but it was 1999 before Caradoc Township confirmed the expansion of Mount Brydges Cemetery on McEvoy Road. The necessary Township approvals from the Committee of Adjustment and the Planning Committee were time-consuming and incurred considerable legal expense. The municipal planner focused on driveway access, land use changes, soil drainage and environmental concerns. With municipal approval in early 1999, the provincial Certificate of Consent was issued later that summer.
The physical cemetery development was also spread over several years, between 1997 and 2001. Initially, the McEvoy fenceline was cleared and seeded, and ornamental trees were planted. Culvert work was completed in 1998, with further earth levelling and grass planting in 1999. By 2000, Mount Brydges Cemetery was in a position to complete road excavation and receive St. Clair Region Conservation Authority approval. In October 2000, two acres of cemetery land was conveyed to the Roman Catholic Diocese of London. The cemetery gravesite plan was submitted to the Land Registry Office and signage was erected in the spring of 2001. Ten years of planning, approvals, volunteer work and approximately $60,000 in expenditures finally resulted in two new cemeteries.
The official opening ceremonies for Sacred Heart in the Fields Roman Catholic Cemetery and Mount Brydges Cemetery and Memorial Gardens occurred on May 6, 2001. There was a good turnout of cemetery board members, and local church officials, along with Strathroy-Caradoc Mayor Mel Veale, MP Rose-Marie Ur and folks from the community. The following years witnessed further land development, tree planting and signage. In 2012, the Mount Brydges Cemetery Board recognized Ron Madill’s leadership by renaming the cemetery Madill Cemetery and Memorial Gardens.
Many of our pioneer cemeteries had become overgrown and fallen into neglect during the past century. So grave markers were taken down, repaired and often placed in the walls of a cairn. But still, these can be lonely places with few visitors. The Madill Cemetery and adjacent Sacred Heart in the Fields are places for celebrating life, with daily visitors, abundant floral arrangements and LED lights brightening the evening darkness.
Ron Madill’s commitment and perseverance made it possible to continue to honour our deceased family members in a local rural setting. Although they took ten years to complete, the new sites will serve the community well into the next century.