Creemore in the 1940s: Part 4

 In Opinion

Next to the drug store, which was the Bank of Toronto, (the predecessor of TD Canada Trust), and is now the Bank Cafe. This building was built in 1904. The manager lived in a house supplied by the bank, while the accountant lived over the bank, to watch the safe peephole. Several local women worked there, as all the entries and calculations had to be done by hand. There was a small park next to the bank with many flowers, maintained by the Creemore Horticultural Society. At that time the CNR tracks crossed Mill street a bit to the north and the station was to the east of Mill Street, on the north side of the tracks, close to the present Foodland. Further east, there was a freight shed on the south side. There were two trains a day, one to Collingwood at noon and the return at about 3 p.m. One could go to Toronto but it took all afternoon. You changed at Beeton, and again at Georgetown, which took you on to Toronto with waits between trains. The station at Creemore was quite handsome, being finished on the inside with British Columbia fir. The appearance of the facade of the present Station on the Green is almost an exact replica.
The next commercial building was Jack Cottrell’s garage and service station. It was of modern design at that time with off the street covered pumps, a small office, and a separate repair garage to the south. The next business was on Louisa Street where Jug City is now. It was then a garage and service station built and operated by Merlin Coulter, Ron’s Coulter’s uncle.
We now come back south to St. John’s United Church. During most of that period, the Rev Glen Eagle Sr. was the minister. He was young, very energetic, and organized an active young people’s group. They went to all sorts of events and I was a bit jealous because as a Presbyterian, I thought that I couldn’t join. Across Francis Street, there was a tiny dilapidated frame building used as an office by an auctioneer. Next, there was J.M. Hood’s furniture store and mortuary, but it did not have a funeral parlor at that time. As there where no facilities for visiting the family, the body was usually kept at one’s home, where friends would come and pay their respects.
Next was Stan Farley’s Barbershop. There was a pool hall upstairs, where some of us spent the occasional noon hour. The next building, originally the Matchett House hotel, like the Sovereign didn’t have any customers and closed. It was sold in 1938 at public auction to the village for $1,600. After extensive remodelling, it was called the Town Hall, with a dance floor, stage, dressing rooms, kitchen, ladies restroom, public library upstairs, and Fire Hall at the rear. It was the venue for dances, concerts, dinners, political meetings, and school functions. I have many fond memories of school commencements and “Christmas At Homes.”

Gerry Blackburn is the author of Creemore, as Remembered by Gerry Blackburn, available at The Creemore Echo Newsstand.

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