By Ashley Harper Written for Look Back at the Past, an initiative by the Township of North Dundas This year marks one century since construction began on the North Mountain Consolidated School in Hallville. On August 8, 1922, four hundred people gathered to witness the school’s cornerstone being laid at the southwest corner of County Road 43 and Shaw Road. Founding a consolidated school, which would accommodate students from kindergarten to Grade 13, was an ambitious plan for this little community. At the time, the school was said to be only the second of its kind in Eastern Ontario, and it remains the first and only consolidated school in the history of Dundas County.
The school was a source of pride for the community but falling enrollment over the years threatened its survival. In 1960, all secondary students were transferred to South Mountain Continuation School, which became known as Mountain District High School. The consolidated school became Hallville Public School. The same issue of low enrollment caused both schools to close just ten years later in June 1970. While secondary students were split primarily between Seaway High School and North Dundas District High School, elementary students got a new facility: Nationview Public School. The old buildings were temporarily revived during the 1970/71 school year when the construction of Nationview was delayed. To mark the end of an era, a giant reunion for students of the two schools was held in the summer of 1970 with about 1,200 people in attendance. Another was held in 1995 and a third was planned for 2020, which would have marked the 50th anniversary of the closing. However, it was postponed due to COVID-19.
0 Comments
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. 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]
|
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]
Archives
August 2023
Categories
All
|