By Ashley Harper Written for Look Back at the Past, an initiative by the Township of North Dundas In the midst of the Great Depression, hundreds of people travelled to Winchester from all over Canada and the United States to attend Old Home Week—a grand reunion for current and former residents of the district. The idea was first proposed in the summer of 1933 by village reeve James H. Ross, who was also the owner and editor of the Winchester Press. The plan was immediately put into motion and Old Home Week Association was formed with Reeve Ross as chairman and local insurance agent Walter Moffatt as secretary-treasurer. Committees were organized, and residents and businesses all did their part to bring the plan to life. From August 4th to 8th 1934, hundreds of visitors came together in these streets to celebrate the one thing they had in common—their love of Winchester and its people. There were events for everyone, old and young, including parades, concerts, midway rides, horse races, street dancing, and sporting matches. The Press dedicated almost three full pages to covering the reunion.
One of the surviving legacies of these Old Home Weeks are two short histories of Winchester and Chesterville that were written to promote the villages and their progress. A Historical Review of Winchester, Ontario, written by Fern Workman, a long-time employee (and later owner) of the Winchester Press, was available at the reunion for just 25 cents. A History of Chesterville, written by businessman and former Dundas MP Orren D. Casselman, likely cost about the same.
Today, these brief snapshots of our communities are priceless.
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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.
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 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.
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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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