Longest street

One of Stratford's oldest, longest and widest streets, Ontario Street, was originally part of the old Huron Road, which led into the Huron Tract from the east and continued through to Goderich on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. The trail was first blazed by Dr. William (Tiger) Dunlop, who brought a survey party through in May, 1827. Ontario, Erie and Huron streets were named for the lakes to which they led.

Ontario Street was well named, because the Huron Road was the main route from Stratford to Lake Ontario settlements. Ontario Street derives its name from Lake Ontario and the name is believed to be a corruption of the Iroquois Indian phrase "Kanadario."

According to an early traveller in Ontario, Father Louis Hennepin, the word means "sparkling or beautiful water," and was used by the Indians to describe the beautiful lake now known as Lake Ontario. Another source says the name Ontario means "rock standing high or near the water," probably referring to the Niagara Escarpment, but we will stick with the "sparkling water" school. By Stanford Dingman

It's the story of the site, 1 Ontario St., that is our focus. In the early settlement days of the 1830s, the site was occupied by the Monteith general store. It was a wooden building that, like many of its era, have given way to multi-storey Victorian stone and brick structures. The building at b1 Ontario St. housed furniture builders and sellers, undertakers, another grocery business, and for many years the Public Utilities Commission offices, before financial institutions dominated the corner. Many will remember British Mortgage and Trust and its dark days of 1966, and the advent of Victoria and Grey Trust, before Scotiabank took over the site. 

The story of 1 Ontario St. is presented in a Feature Article (see 1 Ontario Street).

For Brooks, Stratford was a wise choice because it was at the intersection of three railways, which would merge and become the Canadian National Railways. It was, therefore, a major maintenance centre for steam engines, and had an excellent pool of workers skilled in steam locomotion.

The Brooks' Steamer, produced only as a sedan, had a standard wood frame. But its body was made of a leather-like fabric called Meritas, which consisted of wire, canvas and artificial leather. Meritas was produced in Walkerville, Ont., home of the Ford Motor Co.'s Model T factory. The Brooks' steam car, though easier to drive once it was moving, took a long time to get started and then could reach a maximum speed of only 56 km/h (35 mph). Compared to the similarly priced, gas-powered Cadillac, which could reach a speed of 80 km/h (50 mph) or more, the Brooks Steamer was a hard sell.

Dubbed the "Gentle Giant of Motion," the Brooks sold for the gigantically uncompetitive price of $3,885 or about the same as a Pierce-Arrow. That explains why, along with its lack of performance and operational complexity, there were few takers. To showcase his cars, Brooks established taxi companies in Stratford and Toronto using his steamers. 

As the business began to fail, Brooks misled his investors by reporting inflated production figures; in reality, the company built only 18 cars in 1926. When it went into receivership in 1929, Brooks Steam Motors Ltd. had assembled only 180 vehicles and its investors had lost close to $4,000,000. Brooks disappeared with "millions of dollars unaccounted for" and, after the mid-1930s, there was nothing heard of him and his "beautiful second wife and playboy son" until a death notice appeared in a Florida newspaper in 1961. Avalon Fabrics (later Collins and Aikman Ltd.) took over the Brooks plant at 494-500 Ontario St., but the building was eventually torn down and on the site now is a luxury hotel, The Bruce, on the corner of Ontario Street and Park View Drive. 

In 2014, the Stratford Perth Museum acquired a long sought-after artifact from Stratford’s brief heyday as a Canadian auto manufacturing centre. The museum's general manager, John Kastner, said it took seven years and fundraising for $50,000 to buy a 1926 Brooks Steamer. “It is a complete car, and fully restored," he said, "But no, it does not run," For anyone interested in a Brooks that does run, Kastner suggested Jay Leno. “He has one, and it runs.” Sources: Haggerty Media;  Motoring Memories: Brooks Steamer, 1924 - 1926 - Autos.ca; Brooks Steamer | Designed by Canadians | In Search of the Canadian Car 

 * For more information on the Brooks Steamer see Flashback article: Brooks Steamer Stock Certificate  

Footnote: Vince Gratton noted that the first job for a future Stratford mayor, Clarence H. (Dutch) Meier, was at the Brooks factory. His role included driving new cars to the train yard and helping to load them for shipment. (see C. H. Meier Street). 

A price of $43,000. was agreed on and with a non-refundable deposit it was ours. Once trailered back home it became a big volunteer effort to raise the balance of the money needed to honour the deal and it would be 2014 before the deal was honored. The car was hauled to numerous vehicle events and other venues where it would be welcomed. Many of the Foundation members volunteered their time and local business their expertise and money to help with fund raising. In 2014 the Foundations Board made the decision to gift the Brooks over to the new Stratford-Perth Museum for permanent display.  Source: Vince Gratton

However, the Albion was not the only hotel constructed after fire had taken down the Shakespeare Hotel. John Sharman (see Sharman Street), a blacksmith, built the Farmers Inn at the corner of Mornington and Huron streets. The Rob Roy hotel was south of the river on Ontario Street ,as was the Union hotel. Robert Johnson arrived in town and opened his Queen’s Arms, a fine wooden hotel. (see below on Ontario Street). And soon after that, Peter Woods had The Albion.

In the wake of the Shakespeare Hotel, the Albion was probably the best known of the early Stratford hotels. In Floodtides of Fortune, Adelaide Leitch wrote, “It pulled in the farmers from the township and the citizens from the village and the commercial travelers en route to Goderich. Ben Douro, a black man, drove for the hotel with a fine team of grey horses and a wagon. Adjoining the hotel, were Corey’s Livery Stables which operated the Albion Hotel minibus to and from the(railway) station.”

According to Mary Jane Lennon in Stratford, An Album, the overhanging balcony “witnessed many fiery speeches, not to mention a riot or two.” The Albion was a favourite meeting place for Tory politicians just as the Queen’s was the special headquarters for the county councillors and their friends.  

When the hotels began closing, Stratford acquired business “blocks.” After 1875, the historic Albion was replaced by three stores: a grocery known as the Italian Warehouse; a jewelry store (Goldsmith’s Hall); and George Klein’s dry goods and ready-to-wear clothing. By then, there was a “new" Albion Hotel (see below on Ontario Street), farther east on the opposite (south) side of Ontario Street. It had originally been the Waverley House. After the new Albion was built, the hotel was referred to as The Albion Block and later it too was converted into a business block, known as the Waverley Block, at 87 Ontario St.

The original Albion Hotel, at the northwest corner of the junctions of Erie and Ontario streets and Lakeside Drive, was home to many other businesses in Stratford after the first three stores became part of the "old" Albion Block. Over the years, it housed J. H. Kenner’s City Bookstore, Thornton and Douglas men’s wear, Northway’s ladies wear (see Northway Circle) and Wade’s Flowers.

Sources: Adelaide Leitch, Floodtides of Fortune and Mary Jane Lennon, A Stratford Album: Memories of the Festival City. Compiled by Gord Conroy

However, like most downtown hotels, it was unable to survive the economic ravages of The Depression. It also suffered the debilitating effects of at least two more fires, including one in 1936 that burned all day, and destroyed the mansard roof and entire top floor. Only a fraction of the original structure remains, at 111 and 115 Ontario St. Source: Stratford-Perth Archives

Ralph Donaldson

Ralph Donaldson was the caretaker at Knox church at the time of the disastrous fire. He supervised the work of rebuilding and took part in much of its reconstruction. 

In was in his honour for his splendid services, which extended over a period of nearly half a century, that the Knox congregation installed a stained glass window to honour him. The window bears the inscription “And He laid His hand upon him and gave him Charge.” The window depicts a knight in armour kneeling before Christ and taking his oath to serve faithfully.

See his window (Jones Street).

"We lifted until we saw stars, but the frame did not go up. We felt something slipping and knew, if it fell, someone would get hurt. Suddenly there was a roar by an unfamiliar voice and the frame went up as if by magic." A group of Perth County farmers had come to the rescue.

The first pastor (in the new church) was Rev. John McLaurin, who departed the following year to become a missionary in India. The church was torn down in June 2019 because of a dwindling congregation and to make way for a condo development. Plans for that development have been enacted. 

Dick and Karen Rigg compiled a history of the church. The History of Ontario Street Baptist Church Sesquicentennial Celebrations 1859-2009 Stratford, Ontario: The Ontario Genealogical Society Collections  Source:  Church History

The Larkworthy House incorporates a variety of architectural styles popular at the time of its construction in 1926. Edwardian Classicism is most prevalent on the exterior. Typical of this style is the simple composition, massing of form and large fenestration. Though missing the Edwardian detailing, Tudor influences can be seen in the half-timbered gables and clipped roof ends. A large Prairie-Craftsman-style veranda adorns the front of the house. Source: Historic Places

Following graduation, she practised in Stratford but later opted to be a medical missionary in China. After a few years, she returned to her practice in Stratford. In 1911, according to the census, she was living at 196 Ontario St. with a boarder and two teens, for which she was providing care and support. 

Her brother, Dr. William Macklin, and his wife Dr. Dorothy DeLany, went to China in 1886 to found a medical mission in Nanjing, which was sponsored by the Disciples of Christ Church. In 1892, the Nanjing Christian Hospital was built, and they served the hospital and the people of Nanjing for 40 years, before returning to North America in 1927. Shocked by the opium trade and addiction, William opened an opium clinic in the hospital. He objected to Western economic imperialism in China and helped translate progressive books in an effort to advance reform in China. More than 100 years later, that hospital is still open and part of the Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, one of China’s important treatment and medical research facilities.

Daisy Macklin died in 1925 at the age of 42 and was buried in St. James Church in Toronto. She and others of her large family remain an inspiration.   Source. Historic Plaque Properties;  Dr. Daisy Mary Moore Macklin (1873 – 1925) – Stratford & District Historical Society (sdhs2019.ca) 

The London, Ont., architect William Robinson secured Hepburn for the woodwork contract on St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church and the Toronto firm of Gundry and Langley obtained Hepburn's services on the interiors of the new St. James Episcopal Church.

His major commissions in Stratford include the Royal Canadian Bank (1868), Romeo Ward school (1873-74), and the Phoenix Block (1875). Among his signficant works ion nearby Mitchell, Ont., were the Royal Block of stores and hotel (1872-74), the Hicks House hotel and stores (1872-73), and the Oddfellows Hall block (1875). After 1880, Hepburn became the city engineer in Stratford, and was joined in his architectural office by his son Thomas J. Hepburn. 

A major collection of original architectural drawings by Hepburn has survived, and is now held by the Stratford-Perth Archives. This collection includes more than 120 projects, dating from 1867 to 1892. A detailed finding aid to the collection was prepared in 1995 by Kent Rawson, a Toronto architect. A list of Hepburn's works can be found at  Biographical Dictionary of  Architects in Canada    Picture: Stratford-Perth Archives

Thomas Hepburn, architect

Thomas Hepburn was the successor to his father Alexander Hepburn, a prolific Stratford architect during the late 19th century. Born in Stratford on Oct. 14, 1861, he was educated at elementary and secondary schools in Stratford. He trained under his father and later worked as an assistant in his father’s office from 1880 until 1897, when he opened his own office on Market Street. He was among the first architects from western Ontario to join the new Ontario Association of Architects in March, 1891, while still employed in his father’s office. 

His best known Stratford works include the substantial Romanesque Revival headquarters for the Perth Mutual Fire Insurance Co. building in 1897 (since demolished), and the Perth County Registry Office (1910), a late example of the elaborate High Victorian style of architecture which he employed, in this case, to reflect the appearance of the adjacent Perth County Courthouse (built 1885-87, designed by George F. Durand of London, Ont.). 

Hepburn died in Stratford on Nov. 3, 1932. The Stratford-Perth Archives in Stratford holds a small collection of his original architectural drawings from about 1900 to 1930. A  list of his works can be found at  Biographical Dictionary of  Architects in Canada

The photo above is George Waugh standing in front his store at 36 Ontario St., which was in the block  at the far end on Ontario Street, on the right. The photo below was taken in 1928. By this time the Waugh store had become James Meyers' hardware business. The building has lost its cornice and the street façade was refurbished. The stairs to the middle level were gone, but the second floor was intact.

A memory: My great grandfather, William Mark O'Beirne (1854-1921) was the proprietor and publisher of the Beacon from 1891 to 1921. He built the original Beacon building on Ontario Street in 1906, mostly to increase its office space. In 1923 the Beacon merged with the Herald (which was at 15 Market Pl.) to form the Beacon-Herald. In the former newspaper building on Ontario Street now is Mercer Hall, a hotel and restaurant. Tim Robertson: If You Grew Up in Stratford . . . FB

The Stratford City Directory in 1876 still lists the Perth Mutual Fire Insurance Office in the Mowat Block. Dr. John Hyde was still president. He was also the coroner for Stratford and area, with his office over The Beacon, on Ontario Street. His home was on Brunswick Street near Waterloo. (see Brunswick Street). 

Other officers of the Perth Mutual in 1876 read like a who's who of Stratford: William James Trow, M.P. vice president; William  Davidson, warden, general agent for South Riding; William S. Cowan, general agent for North Riding; Wm. J. Hyde, brother of Dr. John Hyde, assistant secretary; William Mowat, owner of the Mowat Block and owner and manager of Mowat and Sons Bank in the same building, as manager and secretary.

Mr. Imlach was succeeded as secretary by that same Mr. William Mowat, and he, in 1877, by Mr. Packert. Dr. Hyde, as president, was followed by Mr. James Trow, and he by Mr. William Davidson, county clerk, who was president in 1902..

In the 1880s, Thomas Ballantyne, of cheese fame, was a director of the Perth Mutual Fire Insurance  Company. Ballantyne was at the height of his influence. He had moved to Stratford around 1878, and devoted himself almost exclusively to politics and his mercantile interests. Ballantyne led the consortium of Stratford businessmen who bought out and reorganized the British Mortgage Loan Company in 1879 (see Albert St. and One Ontario St.). Source: Biography  For a more detailed entry, see Ballantyne Avenue. 

Fred Corrie was born on Jan. 21, 1862, in St. Marys, Ont., the second child of John Corrie and Mary Ann King, who both had emigrated from England and were married in Stratford on Feb. 23, 1860.

Fred Corrie began running the Queen’s Arms in 1904 and immediately rebuilt it as “The New Queen’s Arms,” which opened in 1905. The new hotel was constructed in the Neo-Classical Revival Style, characterized by the cupola on the angled corner of the building that includes a doorway that led to the original tavern. That tavern, according to contemporary newspaper accounts, had "the finest bar in the province . . . built of massive quarter-cut oak.” The hotel was lit through by a combination of electric and gas lamps. The restaurant was decorated in an oriental style, fashionable at the time, and the second- and third-floor hallways were carpeted in red velvet. There were bathrooms and lavatories on each floor, with hot and cold running water. In the 45 spacious guest rooms were Belgian carpets. The rooms rented for $1.50 to $2 per day. Fred sold the hotel in 1914.    Source: Stratford-Perth Archives

There were other owners including the Pinkney family, father and son. In 1992, the Ford family took over the Queen's and the Boar's Head restaurant and then in 2024,  the Queen's was sold again. It became part of the the Marriott Group and is slated to re-open in 2024 after a major five million dollar re-modelling as a 31 bed boutique hotel: the Queen's Cue Marriott Tribute Hotel. Jay Ford, who himself started to work at the Queen's in 1994 after his parents bought the establishment, will remain in charge of the Cheers-like pub.  Dan Mathieson, former Stratford mayor, is a member of Boarshead Hospitality Inc., a local company backed by the same developers as the Bradshaw Lofts. (see Downie Street).   Source: The Beacon Herald, Feb 15, 2024; Stratford Today, Feb.17, 2024..          

In 1959, the building was razed, and in its place the federal government built the city's current post office, with accommodation on the second-floor for its own agencies and services. Source: Vince Gratton 

Diana Olson, Balzac's

The president and founder of Balzac’s Coffee Roasters, Diana Olsen, found her passion while at university studying French literature. She discovered a kindred spirit in Honor De Balzac and his genuine passion for coffee. 

After graduating, she spent a year and a half in France, immersing herself in authentic French culture. She passed many enchanting afternoons in the grand cafés of Paris, which inspired her to bring such sophisticated celebration of coffee and social tradition home to Canada. But San Francisco was her next stop, in 1993, to learn the craft of coffee roasting and bean selection at the West Coast Specialty Coffee Training Institute. In 1996, the first Balzac’s café was opened at 149 Ontario St., in Stratford, Ont., and now there are 16 locations across the province. Source: Women of Influence

Diana left Balzac's in December 2020 to start a new venture called Inner Beach. It sells beach-oriented products online and out of its store in Port Credit.

To hear about Balzac's history click below.

McCully was a 27-year-old "dairyman" when he bought the land for his house from a marble cutter, James Gadsby. The house he had built was valued at $2,750.In the 1911 census, McCully was listed as a grocer. After his success in the creamery business, he partnered with John Haugh in the purchase of a grocery business. He remained a grocer, first at 12 Downie St., and then at 92 Ontario St., until his retirement in 1933. He became widely known throughout Ontario for his business integrity and at one time was president of the Ontario board of the Retail Merchants Association.

 McCully was interested in all sports and was a promoter of soccer, softball, hockey, and horse racing. He was also among the founders of the Stratford Country Club.  Source: Historical Plaque Properties

The Avery family’s stay in this early Stratford house was brief as they moved back to Ingersoll in 1876 where a third daughter, Mary Ann was born in August 1876. According to Canadian census data John continued his work as a painter/plasterer in Ingersoll where he died in November 1893. Source: Historic Plaque Properties

The twin gas pumps were called Canadian Double Pumps and were manufactured by Service Station Equipment in Toronto. The series of light bulbs surrounding their top covers made these pumps unique. The vehicle parked at the pumps awaiting fuel is a 1931 Plymouth PA 3 window coupe.

This is Stillman's dairy at 185-187 Ontario St. as it was in 1926. By 1930 this business became Stillman's Sparkling Beverages at 11 Cobourg St. What follows is a memory by Brian Reis from If You Grew Up in Stratford, You Will Remember When . . . FB

"As many of you have likely never seen this building, I'll try to get you oriented. The Salvation Army Citadel would have been to the left. That building later became the Odeon Theatre, which later became the Vogue Theatre. (see Silverwood's picture below). The building to the right of the dairy was the Classic City Bakery. The signboard reads, "The home of Butter Krust Bread." Apparently there had been another building to the right of the bakery, but it had been torn down shortly before this photo was taken. In my day, there was Kennedy’s Shell gas station here (Ralph Pike later worked here before he opened his own business, but that's long gone, too), and you can see the Queen's Hotel behind the tree. 

"Originally the dairy building had been one of several livery stables that were located around the city, mainly in the downtown area. I'm not sure what year, but Stillman's was bought out by Silverwood's Dairies from London. Silverwood's Dairy store, where you could buy milk, ice cream, and other diary products, was at the front of the building. The milk processing section was behind that, and there was a long barn behind the main building that went through to Albert Street. 

"You can just see the barn at the extreme left. The horses were stabled here. The wagons were stored here, and there was a huge grain bin for storing the horses' oats, and space to store hay and straw. It was a special treat to get there early enough in the morning, to watch them harness up the horses to the wagons. They had already been loaded with the milk products that were being delivered that day.

"There is a note that goes with this photo concerning the difficulty that all dairies in town were having with local health officials, and their ongoing attempts to close down the dairies. Stillman's slogan was: The home of Stillman's pasteurized dairy products, where cleanliness is paramount. As far as I can remember, dairies were just as clean then as they are today." Source: Brian Wendy Reis . . . FB.

Silverwood's Dairy . . . delivery to your milk box, a Stratford institution 

Silverwood’s Dairy was a big hit in Stratford after it arrived in 1928. It had been started by Albert Edward Silverwood in nearby London, Ont. Silverwood’s bought Stratford Dairy on Albert in 1928, and then took over the Stillman Creamery premises at 187 Ontario St., next to the Queen’s Hotel. The purchase included the dairy stables on Albert Street.

Some may remember the Silverwood motto for its ice cream: Smooth as velvet. Or, how about the catch phrase in this Silverwood's ad that was popular for a long time: “You can whip our cream but you can’t beat our milk.” Many would agree.

Albert Edward Silverwood (1876-1961) did not start his work career in the milk business. In 1903 he joined Silverwood Produce, a company that dealt mainly in poultry. That business made him a wealthy man. He started his dairy company in 1928, but by then he was a dairy magnate. He bought local dairies and owned subsidiaries as far away as Western Canada. By 1928 his company was taking in more than $4 M in sales. His dairy operation was a force in Stratford for more than half a century. Home delivery of milk continued here until the late 1960s.

Part of Silverwood’s success was its willingness to invest early in new products. In 1914 he bought a multi-storey building from the London Cold Storage Co. (a company he would later buy outright). Silverwood used that building as a creamery and soon after invested in ice cream equipment. When his company began to manufacture ice cream, it was one of only two wholesale manufacturers in London. Silverwood supported the financial losses of his ice cream branches with his cream and butter production, just as he had once done for those products with his poultry returns. It paid off.

By 1919, Silverwood had seven dedicated ice cream wagons. They delivered ice cream, but also crushed ice to keep it cold. The First World War years created opportunity for fluid milk production, and Silverwood supplied pasteurized milk to the soldiers at London's Wolseley Barracks in 1916. In 1922, he began his commercial sale of milk, and in 1930 he installed Canada’s first plate-type pasteurizers in his production facilities.

In the 1920s there was a huge increase in inter-city delivery rates. Rather than succumb to the higher overhead, Silverwood bought more facilities in outside markets. He bought out local businesses and reformed them in places such as Hamilton, Caledonia, Chatham, Woodstock, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Peterborough and Regina. He set up businesses in many others, including Stratford. Into the 1940s, Silverwood continued to expand his reach.

Though fluid milk and ice cream became primary money makers, Silverwood remained diversified. In addition to his mainstays, he produced evaporated milk, creamery butter, milk powders, condensed milks, powdered buttermilk, cheddar cheese, and poultry and eggs.

Silverwood’s sold everything you would expect. Milk was the staple and sold in bottles that were delivered to small milk boxes, most of them at the side or rear of houses. Empty bottles were left there for return. Many customers had recurring orders; some required two trips to the door. Payment was commonly "on account" or by cash, or by tickets issued and sold by Silverwood's. In addition to milk, deliveries included cream and butte. Additional products, such as ice cream, popsicles, frozen novelties, and would you believe, ready-to-serve chocolate pudding, were available at the dairy and in stores. (See Feature Article dairies)

At times, drivers had helpers, especially in the summer when employees took holidays. The helpers' pay was minimal, but there was some compensation, often a bottle of chocolate milk and the joyful opportunity to care for the horses: feeding, watering and grooming. There were not many helpers in the winter months. 

Delivery people built friendships with customers and kids and were noted for their kindness and honesty. "Our milkman was Greg and we used to feed his horse carrots or apples. Those were the days. Greg used to just come in and put the milk in the fridge. Never locked our doors.” Linda Winters, If You Grew Up in Stratford . . . FB.

Silverwood's was an important part of everyday life, not just in Stratford. A. E Silverwood made quite an impact as well. Later in life, he established the A. E. Silverwood Foundation (1948). He was a great supporter of racial equality in Ontario as well as a benefactor to Western University’s business and music programs. Sources: Photos: Vince Gratton; If You Grew up in Stratford . . . FB; Biography of Silverwood and History of the Dairy; Vernon's City of Stratford directories.

A memory. "My husband's grandfather, W. J. Atchison used to store his horses in the Silverwood's barns. He used to deliver merchandise to various businesses with his wagons. He also would help clear Ontario Street of snow in the winter. They would load the snow onto wagons, then drive the horses and loaded wagons to the Avon River, and dump the snow into the river. " Source: Maggie Muggins on If You Grew Up In Stratford . . . FB. 

Before this time, in 1876, 2 Ontario Street was the business of McPherson and Farquharson dealers in Groceries, provisions, China Glassware and Seeds. D. R. McPherson lived at 56 Daly Terrace. John Farquharson lived on Elizabeth Street beween St. George (Mornington Street between Huron and Church)  and Mary (Waterloo). This Ontario Street building was later home to Lloyds Wholesale (see Lloyd Court) and still later Canadian Tire.  (See story below) In this photo, posted by Dave Schulthies on If You Grew Up in Stratford...FB, the Perth County Courthouse is visible across Huron Street to the right. 

The building has now been refurbished and is a small hotel. Source: Brian Wendy Reis. If You Grew Up in Stratford . . . FB

"Another house in that row that really sticks out in my mind, was next door to the orphanage. The couple in that house raised and sold canaries, and once a year, the Baptist Church held a special service, and the sanctuary would be adorned with perhaps seven or eight cages of these canaries, and they would be singing up a storm all through the service. 

"Eventually, of course, most of those houses, and the Salvation Army hall were torn down to make way for the new Loblaws store, and the Odeon (Vogue) Theatre. Now both are gone. Loblaws has become  a Shoppers' Drug Mart and on the the Children's Aid property is a takeout pizza business. The Ontario Street Baptist Church was demolished in June 2019 (see above). 

"The orphanage was built in 1911, and it seemed to me there were likely seven or eight, or maybe more, kids there at one time. This Beacon-Herald photo looks like it was probably taken in the spring of 1945. The sign on the front calls it the "Children's Aid Society Home." Source: Brian Wendy Reis, If You Grew Up in Stratford . . . FB.

Classic Palm Garden, 1914-1917, and a casualty on the home front

2-6 Ontario St.: heritage ties from Stratford in the 1860s to today's Perth County Inn

The building had started to fall into disrepair by the time Whitaker bought it in 2018, That was two years after, his first major downtown renovation project, the building up the street at -a building down the street famous for housing inventor Thomas Edison during his brief stay in Stratford.

Structural repairs and window and door replacements were among the most needed exterior fixes. Whitaker maintained the building’s elaborate brickwork, including dichromatic brick quoins and buff brick window surrounds, matching the original red and yellow when it was necessary. He also replaced That the dirt floor in the basement and the wooden support beams. Inside the five-room Perth County Inn, Whitaker has paid homage not only to the building itself but also to Stratford’s broader history. A 40-foot timeline of the city’s most interesting historical tidbits are illustrated on the walls and there are also sections dedicated to the city’s great musicians and actors, including artifacts shared by the Stratford Perth Museum. Source: Stratford innkeeper honoured for heritage efforts | The Stratford Beacon Herald 

Forbes Livery Stables

A&P was founded in 1859 as "Gilman & Company" by George Gilman, who opened a small chain of retail tea and coffee stores in New York City, and then expanded to a national mail order business. The firm grew to 70 stores by 1878; by 1900, it operated almost 200 stores. A&P grew dramatically by introducing the economy store concept in 1912, growing to 1,600 stores by 1915. 

In 1930, A&P, by then the world's largest retailer, reached $2.9 billion in sales ($50.8 billion today) with 15000 stores. In 1936, it adopted the self-serve supermarket concept and opened 4,000 larger stores (while phasing out many of its smaller units) by 1950. After two bankruptcies, A&P finally closed the last of its doors in 2015.

In Canada  A&P Canada Company operated from 1927 until 2009, when its stores were rebranded under the Metro name by Metro Inc.

In 1927, A&P opened its first stores in Canada. By 1929, A&P was present in 200 communities in Ontario and Quebec.

The Classic Theatre. Cliff-hangers for just ten cents. 

Does anyone remember Flash Gordon and Gene Autry and their cliff-hanging adventures during the movie serials on Saturday afternoons at The Classic Theatre on Ontario Street?  That would have been the 1940s and the cost of admission was just one thin dime. However, the movie excitement existed long before that. The photo gbelow shows The Classic Theatre  about 1923. 

Below is the only view of the Classic Theatre that we have found.  It comes from Cinema Treasures and is thought to be circa 1923 when John V. Ward was theatre manager. The man in the photo gives us a sense of the size of the posters and the standee. 

Many people will know of the Vogue Theatre on the same side of the street and a block further east and, of course, the Avon Theatre on Downie which had an earlier life as Theatre Albert but some may not know of the Classic Theatre that was in business for more than 35 years from 1914 to 1950. 

The Classic Theatre was located at 145-147 Ontario Street. It was operating by 1914, the year WW1 began, and played a role in the lives of Stratford people both young and old right through WW1 and both The Great Depression and WW2 until 1950.

The Classic Theatre was not listed in Vernon’s Stratford Directory in 1912 but it was there by 1914.  It disappeared from Vernon’s Directories in 1922 but was included again in 1924.  Then it is  listed from 1927 on right through the depression years in the 1930s and through the 1940s during WW2 and the immediate post-war years until 1950. It is not listed in 1951.  

Beginning in 1951, the location was vacant for a few years. The first listing in Vernon's Directory after that is 1957 for Metropolitan Life Insurance at 145-147 Ontario

Wesley Kemp Sr. was the manager of the Classic Theatre in its early years with John Ward taking over in the 1920s. Later, Walter F. Helm who was also associated with the Avon Theatre was the manager.

But what was it like to attend those Saturday afternoon serial adventures? Here is a short memory by Brian Reis who grew up in Stratford and attended shows at the Classic Theatre in the 1940s. 

"Can't say that I've seen anyone talk about the Saturday afternoon serial movies at the Classic Theatre. They were usually Red Ryder, Hopalong Cassidy, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Charles Starrett [The Durango Kid] or even Batman. There'd be at least four or five episodes of each, and of course, each episode ended with the hero in some sort of dire predicament, so you just had to get back the next Saturday to see if he got out of it or not. Admission was 10 cents (at some point it went up to 15), and we'd usually start lining up about half and hour ahead of the box office opening. The line-ups got to be pretty long, so you wanted to be there early. My worst punishment at home, if I strayed off the straight and narrow (an easy accomplishment for me) was to be banned from going to a Saturday serial. Source: If you grew up in Stratford...FB.

When you entered the Jumbo, a U-shaped counter greeted you and you could choose the chrome, swivel stool of your choice...and then you had your choice of shakes, sundaes or cones. And, if you had a family who knew the old- time popular songs, you may even have known at least a few words of the 1925  78 RPM hit, “I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream.”  

And we did. 

There was nothing fancy about the Jumbo. There was no juke box as in some of the restaurants during the 1950s. However, there were newspapers and we kids would devour the sports pages and argue while we enjoyed our sundaes or shakes and spun around on the stools. All the ice cream freezers were right there behind the counter and we dreamed about being locked in over night.

In 1937, the property at 122 Ontario which became the Jumbo was vacant.  It had been the home of Model Tire Services in 1935, but by 1939, Vernon’s Stratford Directory has the Jumbo listed there.

And so, proprietor Dennis Edward Laughton (1891-1965) first opened the doors about 1938 at 122 Ontario Street not far west of Knox Church. For those of us growing up in the 1940s and early 1950s, an alley to the Beacon Herald was immediately to the east of the Jumbo toward the church and then the Uptown Bowling Alley above the shirt factory in the former livery stables. Before that, it had been Stratford Tire and Battery for many years at 132 Ontario Street with the Bowling and Recreation Club upstairs at 136 Ontario. 

William Fraser from Stratford remembered the early prices for cones. In the 1940s, if you could not afford 5 cents for a regular 2 scoop cone, you could get 1 scoop for 3 cents. 

The Jumbo was not fancy. It would never be mistaken for Rankin’s across the street and down the block at 81 Ontario Street, beside Swanson’s Jewelry Store near Downie Street but it was part of Stratford’s social fabric just the same. The Jumbo had  many flavours, more than anywhere else in town at the time, and Irene Ellis Freiburger remembers on If you grew up in Stratford...FB, that two bricks of ice cream sold for 35 cents. And for the next 20 years, the Jumbo scoop was in.  

Serving customers behind the counter in 1950 were Den and Bert. Paul Schlemmer remembers working there later on with Bruce Schlotzhauer where Stratford Place is now. 

Garth Logan has this memory. "The Jumbo was actually a separate building between the old livery stable building & where Floral Craft was. The Laughtons owned it back then and made their own ice cream out the back." One of Garth’s favourite memories was of his dad taking him there on Saturdays.  He said that  “...I could have as many milkshakes as I could consume but I could only ever get part way thru the second one much to my dismay...”  Milkshakes could be regular, double or triple.

By 1961, the original Jumbo Ice Cream location at 122 Ontario Street is vacant. The Jumbo had been relocated at 6 Ontario Street beside Marten’s Sports Centre at 2 Ontario. Tamara Schlotzhauer, niece of Bruce, remembers the owners were Percy and Edie Schneider who purchased the business from Dinny Laughton. Her uncle, Bruce Schlotzhauer, bought it in 1960 and after brief stays at other Ontario Street addresses, he moved it to 17 Ontario Street, where it remained until it closed in 1966. 

Many of us whose memories go back to the 1940s and 1950s remember the original location. Vince Gratton remembers it this way. “It was a one-story frame building. Nothing short of a lean-too. It was torn down about the same time the Jumbo relocated.”

The look didn’t matter. The Jumbo was always busy. Homemade ice cream. With a taste that grows more delicious with each passing year. What can we say? That’s the scoop.

Jumbo Memories 1940s.

In the 1940s, the standard two scoop cone was 5 cents, and you could get 4 scoops piled on for 10 cents. If you were really short of money, you could get 1 scoop for 3 cents.” That memory comes from William Fraser. As does this addition. “A brick in the 1940s cost 10 or 15 cents and, often, on the way home from the movies, my mom would buy a brick, take it home and cut it in half and we would eat the whole thing, because we only had an icebox and could not keep ice cream.”

David Drane has a similar memory of good times at the Jumbo. “My favourite was a chocolate shake made with chocolate ice cream and chocolate milk with extra chocolate syrup. I think it was ten cents in the late fifties. One time three of us went together and got a banana split and I think that was a quarter. We were all stuffed when we finished it.”

Jumbo Memories 1950s.

Vince Gratton remembers that they would stop in on the way home from the Lions Pool in the 1950s and he would “... get a Maltshake if I had the coin.”  Bob Hart remembered that a Maltshake “... was thicker because they put a scoop of powdered malt in it.” Milkshakes could be regular, double or triple. It was a busy place.

Bill Douglas remembers that the Jumbo had the best milk shakes. I remember they had aluminum holders for large cone shaped paper cups which fit in them. The shake came in large metal containers which would fill the cup 3 or 4 times. They only had chocolate and vanilla but they were filling. When I was buying them, they were 25 cents.

Many kids who delivered papers for the Beacon Herald would head to the Jumbo after pay days to spend it all. Paul Lameront has this memory from 1958-1959 when he delivered papers. The Beacon Herald was behind the Jumbo. Weekly, on Saturdays, the carriers had to go into the Beacon to pay their portion of our collection money. In those days a weekly subscription cost about 35 cents. Now you can only imagine the carriers’ profit! The Jumbo was the next stop after paying our bill. I remember a double scoop butterscotch sundae served in a tin dish. Remarkably we still had money left over.

Jumbo memories 1960s.

There was a juke box in the south side location at 17 Ontario Street. Vince Gratton thinks it might haver been owned by Dutch Meier, who was in that business. Meier later became mayor of Stratford, and Gratton remembers this comment from Meier: "Want to make money? Feed them and entertain them."

Sandy Keane remembers that there was a Felix the Cat clock in that south side Jumbo location when she was in high school. The tail was the pendulum.

Doug Hughes explains about the making of the ice cream and the selling.

My father-in-law owned the Jumbo Ice Cream when it was beside the V&G. All the Ice Cream was home made in the basement of the Stratford Hotel with the flavouring coming from the Kist Beverages Lab. as well as a place in Goderich. We would make this Ice Cream starting about 3 A.M. both tubs and bricks. The refrigeration units were there as well. I forget how many different flavours we had, but it was around twenty. I finally was able to convince Elmer Atkins to make a coffee flavored Ice Cream which I loved when we travelled into the United States and stopped at a Howard Johnson's. I was working the counter one evening and after the swimming pool closed a lot of the kids would come in for their treat. One young lad asked for a 35 cent cone. That at 5 cents a scoop was a hand full. I had to write his chosen flavours down on paper first, then build the cone from the hardest scoop on the bottom first, then work my way up to the softest on the top. This way I had a better chance of handing it to him without it tipping over. I would say as soon as you touch the cone, you owned it. We need another place like the Jumbo in town, however it is harder to get the flavouring, proper milk etc. and keep the prices down so that it would be a treat you could enjoy frequently. Source: If you grew up in Stratford...FB

Purchasing alcohol in the newly opened store was not a quick or easy process. Ellen Thomas in her research outlined a number of steps. “First, you had to apply for a permit and then move to the middle of the room to fill out a requisition slip. Separate slips were required for each different product. You would then take your slips to a censor, who checked your permit and order. If it was approved, the slips were taken to the cashier for payment. Then it was on to the delivery counter, where your slips were handed over. The whole process could take up to 45 minutes. Although it seems to have been a long, slow process, no one seems to have complained about the paperwork, the lines, or the wait.”

What was important in all this? The province was no longer dry and liquor was now readily available. Legally, that is. Bootlegging, as it was fondly known in some circles, had always been part of the Stratford scene whether the town and the surrounding small hamlets were “wet” or “dry.”

The term, “bootlegging,” apparently arose in the 1880s from the practice by Americans of concealing flasks of liquor in their boot tops. And at the local hotels, which were serving liquor, if there were no stools at the bars, customers were just as happy to “belly up to the bar.”

There were many stories of family bootlegging operations and often sympathy when someone was caught. Fines were often stiff as this story illustrates. In 1923, a man named Patrick Hogan was rounded up in Mitchell where he was kept until the Provincial Officer from Stratford was notified to come for him. Police Magistrate Makins gave Hogan a hearing and he was given the option of a $1000 fine or six months in the county jail in Stratford.  He could not pay the fine and so jail was the alternative. There was much sympathy for his wife and family. As Ellen Thomas pointed out in her research, it is no wonder that Patrick Hogan chose six months in jail since a $1000 fine in 2024 currency value would be the equivalent of $17, 500!

Other fines for bootlegging that were paid in 1923 included one for $200 so money was made in the business. Even so, that fine today would be valued at $3500. On occasion, the fine was as low as $50 ...still valued at $830 today so that was still not cheap.

And before we leave this year of 1927 and the story of the first LCBO in Stratford, let’s remember that Charles Lindberg had made his solo flight across the Atlantic in May and Babe Ruth would hit an impossible 60 home runs by the end of September and Laurel and Hardy would begin their on-screen partnership. And in Canada, people started to get their Old Age pension cheques and Connie Smythe renamed the Toronto St Patricks the Maple Leafs. In Stratford, the Brooks Steamer that had arrived in 1923 was in receivership (see Ontario Street) but the Stratford Beacon Herald that carried all these stories also carried the announcement for the first time of the first new year’s baby in Stratford and its many gifts. You can read about that 1927 story in Ellen Thomas’ Reflections article here. (link needed)

And what other businesses surrounded the new LCBO? J. L. Bradshaw’s China (see above on Ontario Street) was right next door at 84 Ontario. Kenner Books was at 76 Ontario and William I. Becker (see Becker Street) photography was at 74 Ontario. Margaret Grant who had started the Perth County Music Festival the year before with Cora B. Ahrens (see Ahrens Drive) and William Rothwell had a music studio at 72 Ontario which also housed the family’s insurance business, J. and R.J. Stevenson insurance agents. And to the east, looking toward Knox Church, (see above on Ontario Street) was The Stratford Beacon Herald, now the Mercer Hotel, at 104-108 Ontario Street.(see above) 

Just a block down the street on the same north side of Ontario on the right of the photo was the original Post Office at 60 Ontario Street (the clock tower is partially visible beyond the first tower at 70 Ontario then occupied by Walsh Brothers Grocers and now by Pazzo Pizza)  where the park now is right across from where Downie Street meets Ontario. John Northway’s ladies’ wear store (the lower building beyond the post office) was directly across what was then Erie Street (now Veterans’ Drive) at 54 -56 Ontario. (For Northways, see Albion Hotel above)

And across the street from the LCBO on the south side of Ontario was Rankin’s Confectionary (see Rankin Street) at 81 Ontario; Standard Drugs was now where the former Bank of Montreal (see Bank of Montreal) had been on the southwest corner of Downie and Ontario. Pequegnat and Sons jewellers and Patterson’s books were both across the street at 71 Ontario and 101 respectively.  

The LCBO remained at 88 Ontario until after 1961 and by 1963 it had moved to its new store at 91 Wellington on the corner of St Patrick opposite the Mansion House now The Parlour This location had been the location of Tolton’s Esso Service. The LCBO then added another location which was self-serve out Ontario Street in 1973 at Westcliffe Mall at 925 Ontario. The newest location is now at 1067 Ontario Street.   Sources: Ellen Thomas, "Prohibition in Perth County," Beacon Herald, Feb. 17, 2024; Stratford Perth Archives; Stratford City Directories.