Creemore in the 1940s: Part 2

 In Opinion

This week I will back-up a bit and start at the south end of Mill Street at 113 Mill St, now Mad River Pottery.
This building was owned and occupied by Sy Kolb and operated as the Creemore Creamery. Most farmers in the area had a few milking cows and would drop off their cream on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Here it would be weighed, tested for butterfat content and taste. Later in the evening, the farmers would pick up their cash at the office and perhaps buy a pound or two of butter.
I found the creamery an interesting place. The floor was always wet for cleanliness, there was an area were they tested the cream, and if you were there at the right time the very large wooden drum churn was turning. Josiah (Sy) Kolb the owner, was a nice friendly person and as he and his wife had no children, he liked kids. He purchased the village arena during the depression when the village had problems paying the debentures. There was free skating for kids on Saturday afternoons. He also had an area behind the creamery where he kept pheasants and other exotic birds which we regularly checked out. During the 1940s Sy sold the Creamery to his long-time butter maker Frank Gray. Frank being interested in Creemore affairs, was on council and became Reeve.
While we are discussing the arena we should drop down Elizabeth Street to its, location, where the Medical Centre is now. It was built in 1918, just before the great depression, and was quite modern for its time. The skating ice was not quite up to hockey regulations but never the less saw countless hockey games. There was also a two-sheet curling rink on the west side. Inside the north-west corner, there was a two-story area for dressing rooms, a snack bar, and a curling viewing area. Of course, at that time it just had natural ice.
Backing up to Mill and Edward Streets, the corner the building, was often called “the white elephant”. It had three gables on the second story and was painted white and used as dwelling apartments. At 127 Mill Tom Scott sold shoes while his brother-in-law Earl Thompson sold Insurance. 129 Mill, was owned by John Hood, to house his hearse, and very occasionally as a tiny funeral parlor. These buildings were demolished a few years ago to make more room for Creemore Springs Brewery. 131 Mill St. was a warehouse for the hardware next door and is still used by Creemore Springs.
133 Mill, now Creemore Springs was the W. A. May hardware, operated by the original owner’s son Art, who looked after the north or hardware section. He was ably assisted by Norman McLaren. Art’s sister Nellie managed the south side which had toys, and all sorts of kitchen equipment. It was an excellent hardware store, patronized for miles around because of its complete stock and staff knowledge.

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