By Ashley Harper Written for Look Back at the Past, an initiative by the Township of North Dundas In the early hours of April 6, 1909, Chesterville residents were awoken to the alarm of fire and the smell of smoke. Within hours, an entire block of the village’s business core was reduced to rubble. It would become known as the worst conflagration in the history of Chesterville. It originated in a wooden-framed building on the north-east corner of King and Water Streets, which housed W. J. Nash’s tailor shop on the first floor and the Masonic Hall on the second. The flames quickly spread east down Water Street to the Chesterville Record office, destroying the printing presses, then travelled north up King to Ralph Street. Equipped with only one hand pump and pails for water, there was very little that could be done. The fire destroyed everything in its path, including Wilford Saucier’s jewellery store, Isaac Pelletier’s confectionary and fruit store, Gordon Robinson’s blacksmith shop, Joseph Fisher and Colborne Robinson’s butcher shop and the Sanders, Soule and Casselman general store. The village was left rattled by this tragedy - it was not the first they had dealt with that spring. Exactly three weeks before this incident, the Temperance Hotel and Foster’s Hall, situated at the north end of King Street, burned to the ground, and the train station and water tower narrowly escaped with minor damage. In light of these incidents, steps were quickly taken to improve the village’s fire protection. By May, the village council was preparing a new by-law to mandate that only ‘fireproof’ (e. g. brick, stone) buildings could be erected in the business section. Meanwhile, life went on in the village. The Chesterville Record was back in print on May 6, operating from a temporary office in a blacksmith shop. By the end of the summer, bigger and better buildings replaced those that were lost. Sanders, Soule & Casselman rebuilt on their former site (now Mike Dean’s). The Fisher Block (burned in 1989, now the Mike Dean’s parking lot) was erected, where Fisher and Pelletier carried on their businesses. The new Record building (demolished in 2018) was constructed and Saucier rented part of the space for his jewellery store. Wesley Hamilton built the Hamilton Block on the corner of King and Water Streets (now Louis’ Restaurant).
The response to the King Street fire demonstrates the resilience of this village and its people - something that we continue to see today.
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By Ashley Harper Written for Look Back at the Past, an initiative by the Township of North Dundas William Bow was born on May 18, 1825 in Aberdeen, Scotland to Thomas Bow and Mary Jack. He immigrated to Canada around 1840 and settled in Mountain Township, where he farmed for a number of years. In 1846, he married Charlotte Fleming and the couple had four children: Thomas, Emily, George and Margaret.
Winchester became an incorporated village in 1888, and later that year the post office was moved to William’s newly built store on the north-east corner of St. Lawrence and Caleb Streets (now Mary’s Restaurant). William continued as postmaster until December 1912, when he was relieved of his duties at age 87. To date, he is the longest serving postmaster in the history of Dundas County. William was involved in all aspects of the community. He served as Winchester’s police magistrate for over 30 years and became known as a strict but fair enforcer of the law, especially during the years of local option when the sale of alcohol was prohibited. He was also the superintendent of the Methodist Sunday school for several decades.
His dedication to the village and its people made him a much loved and respected man, and the loss of Winchester’s ‘grand old man’ was keenly felt throughout the community.
By Ashley Harper Collection Highlights is an ongoing series that aims to shed light on some of the interesting items that have been donated to CDHS since its incorporation in 1984.
This suit is made of a thick wool fabric and consists of a vest, jacket, and a pair of pants. It would have typically been worn with a white shirt and collar (they were often separate), along with a tie.
At the time this suit was made, most clothing was still produced by hand, though with the added help of certain textile machines. Standardized items became mass produced and many pieces could be purchased from catalogues and clothing stores. It was no longer necessary for the average person to go to a tailor, but those seeking custom-made garments (such as for special occasions) usually still relied on these skilled workers. The excellent condition of this suit can, in part, be attributed to the quality of work done by S. W. Boyd. Simeon William Boyd was a native of Williamsburg Township, where he was born in 1868 to parents Nathaniel and Christie Ann (Weaver) Boyd. As a youth in the 1880s, he apprenticed under Alexander Cameron, a merchant tailor in West Winchester (now Winchester). Eventually, Simeon branched out on his own, and by 1891 he was working in Buckingham, Quebec. At the end of the year, he married Anastasia O'Neil and within a short time the couple moved to Chesterville. From 1892 to 1898, he operated a tailoring business on the northwest corner of Mill and Victoria Streets (now 2 Mill), opposite the McCloskey Hotel. At the beginning of 1899, he moved his shop to the Kearns Block on Main Street, which burned in Sep 1991 and is now the parking lot between PharmaChoice and Scotiabank. S. W. Boyd’s business moved to Winchester on 3 August 1903 and remained there until at least late 1915. The exact location of his shop has not been found, but it is known that the family lived on St. Lawrence Street. Simeon's former master, Alex Cameron, was still in business on Main Street during this time. By 1919, the couple and their four children had moved to Ottawa, where Simeon worked as an insurance agent until his death in 1933 at the age of 64. He and his wife, along with two sons, are buried at Maple Ridge Cemetery in Chesterville.
From this, we know that this suit was commissioned by Simeon Casselman. Simeon Barnett Casselman, known as Sim, was born in 1874 and was the youngest child of Philip Arnold Casselman and Catherine Elizabeth Sutherland. He was a resident of the Grantley/Goldfield area, having lived his whole life on the family farm at Lot 6, Concession 1 of Finch Township (now 14412 Casselman Road).
After they were married, Sim and Jean went on to have a large family of seven children: Margaret, Marion, Donald, Douglas (died young), Harold (killed in action in WWII), John, and Eleanor. The couple remained at the Casselman farm for the rest of their lives, with Sim passing in 1956 and Jean following in 1967. Both Sim and Jean, along with several of their children, are buried at the Grantley United Church Cemetery.
Sim was ill for some time prior to his death, so his daughter Margaret and granddaughter Mary (daughter of Donald) were living on the home farm to help care for him. After he passed, Mary was given this suit, which she held on to for over sixty years before donating it to CDHS. Over a century after it was made, it now lives on to tell the story of S. W. Boyd, Sim Casselman, and their families. By Ashley Harper By the early 1900s, Winchester was a thriving village with a population of about 1,100 people. Businesses were prospering in the downtown core (the area around Main and St. Lawrence Streets) and buildings were being erected to accommodate new merchants and tradespeople.
Another victim was the Bowen House, situated directly west of the Commercial Hotel and owned by Alexander McDonald. To the east of the hotels, the tinsmith shop of William Holmes and George Armstrong, the F. S. Manning & Co. general store, and George Hart’s law office and residence were all leveled. The medical office and residence of Dr. Peter McLaughlin and the home of Captain Suddaby, both west of the hotels, were also burned. Fire insurance plans of the village show the devastating effect of the fire. A map from January 1905 depicts a prospering village with a built-up downtown centre, while a map from September 1908 shows the aftermath of the fire more than a year later. By June of 1909, the Hotel Winchester was erected to replace the Bowen House and Commercial Hotel. It was a temperance hotel, as the village had gone “dry” in 1907. There were several fires in the Hotel Winchester and the top two floors have since burned and been demolished. The remainder of the building is now occupied by the Bank of Montreal. Beginning this week, CDHS will be posting articles about interesting photos, artifacts, people, events, buildings, etc. that relate to the history of North Dundas. If there is something that you wish to see recognized or wish to know more about, send us an email at [email protected]
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CDHS publishes articles about interesting photos, artifacts, people, events, buildings, etc. that relate to the history of Chesterville and District. If there is something that you would like to see, email us at [email protected]
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