ISSN 1206-4394 The Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley Volume 15, number 1, May 2010 Table of Contents President’s remarks …………………………………………………….………. Steve Guthrie 2 Mister Boston Bruin the First: 2 The Hastings Legend ……………….. Sharon and Dave Barry 3 Lives Lost When Turnbull Store Collapsed …………………….. Bruce Dyer and Elwood Jones 8 Ennismore Parish History I ……………………………………… Priest at St Martin’s Ennismore 10 Diary of Alexander J. Grant, 1915 to June ……………..……………. Dennis Carter-Edwards 13 Civil War Veteran in Lakefield Hillside Cemetery ……………………..….. Gordon A. Young 20 Joseph Rylott – A History ………………………………………………….…….. Ivan Bateman 21 Queries May 2010 .…………………………………………….………………. Diane Robnik 23 Walton Family; Clancy; Lean; Wade; Baker; Penrose; Chamberlain Street Veteran William Walter Hall; Kelly McGillis Scott Act Violated – First Case Disposed of – Mr T. Cavanagh Fined $50 & Costs . Examiner 25 Gene Sarazen Played the Peterborough Golf and Country Club ……………... Stan McBride 26 3 The Career of Charles Fothergill ………………………………….………… Ernest S. Clarry 27 Charles Fothergill ………………………………………………………………… Elwood Jones 30 Energy Savers Peterborough, the Oil Spike of the 1970s and the Local Environmental Movement of the 1980s ……………………………………………………. Peter Adams 32 History of Otonabee Township: Keene Women’s Institute …………..…………. Pat Marchen 35 News, Views and Reviews ………………………………………………………………………. 41 Taking History from the Books to the Streets? ……….. Diane Robnik and Bruce Fitzpatrick 41 The Mystery over the Mystery Ship ………………………………………… Lauren Gilchrist 42 Peterborough’s Treasured Trees; Peterborough Historical Society Annual Awards; Trent Valley Archives Bookstore; Peter Adams, Trent McGill and the North; Wally Macht, Upper Lakes; Peterborough Historical Society; Annual General Meeting; All About the Music; Little Lake Cemetery 160th Anniversary Pageant; Heroes and Rails Cover picture: Jack Hamer’s Peterborough, 1947 (Trent Valley Archives, Electric City Collection) Trent Valley Archives Fairview Heritage Centre 567 Carnegie Avenue Peterborough Ontario Canada K9L 1N1 (705) 745-4404 [email protected] www.trentvalleyarchives.com Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley Volume 15 number 1 2 Trent Valley Archives Fairview Heritage Centre Peterborough Ontario K9L 1N1 President’s remarks (705) 745-4404 [email protected] A 14-year old boy was charged with arson on 13 April www.trentvalleyarchives.com for starting a fire with accelerant that severely damaged the iconic wooden bridge that takes traffic over the CPR tracks Reading Room open and into Burnham Point. Initially, the damage was estimated Tuesday to Saturday 10am to 4pm to be $750,000, but engineers, CP police, city police and firefighters were studying the situation over the next few days. The bridge was likely to be out of service until it could be shored up or rebuilt, whichever is required. The families on Burnham Point are now using a fire route that was developed a few years ago as fire trucks are too heavy to use the bridge. The flames shot 50 feet in the air, and it took 30 Board of Directors minutes for the firefighters to bring the fire under control. Basia Baklinski The history of the bridge is not well-documented. The Ivan Bateman railway track was installed in 1883, and I think the bridge Andre Dorfman was built to bring trucks into the new Peterborough Lumber Sarah Gauntlett Company mill on Burnham Point. The property had been Stephen Guthrie, President owned by the Burnhams since the 1820s, and was treated as Pauline Harder part of their Engleburn estate. Briefly, in 1897, the Point was Elwood Jones, Vice-President the site of a four-hole golf course, the humble beginnings of Susan Kyle the Peterborough Golf and Country Club. There were fires at Wally Macht, Past President the lumber mill in 1909 and sometime in the 1930s. During Dave Mahoney the 1930s, it was a hobo jungle because it was so handy to Gina Martin, Secretary the downtown, and to a railway line that connected with all Guy Thompson parts of Canada. Peterborough’s first subdivision of war-time Don Willcock housing was built on Burnham Point in the early war years. After the war, Peterborough Lumber was given permission to Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley sell the lots under the wartime houses, and the temporary Elwood Jones, editor housing quickly became permanent. [email protected] It is now a prime residential location. The homes are Gina Martin, assistant editor well maintained; some spectacular new houses have been Keith Dinsdale, Martha Kidd, John Marsh, added to the mix; and there have been many improvements to Diane Robnik, Don Willcock the homes and gardens. Little Lake is right there, and the Dorothy Sharpe, typist walk to downtown is short. The lively summer programs at Little Lake (formerly Festival of Lights), Holiday Inn and Trent Valley Archives Trust Fund along George Street is mostly delightful. The world is at your Peter Lillico, Michael Bishop, doorstep. Tom Robinson Trent Valley Archives has gathered an impressive array of documents, pictures, videos, maps and people with stories Trent Valley Archives to share. You need to support historical organizations, Diane Robnik, Associate Archivist because scary moments remind us of the fragility of our past. [email protected] You can help. Donations will receive tax receipts. As I Carol Sucee, Librarian was reminded by our financial reviewer, with donations people can save on income tax, while getting the government The information and opinions expressed are those of the to support to a favourite charity doing essential services to contributors and not necessarily those of the Trent Valley the wider community. You could also give gift memberships Archives or its directors. Unless otherwise noted, so others can share in the Heritage Gazette. You could buy illustrations are from the collections of the Trent Valley books from our book service. We are proud of our Archives. publications, and particularly recommend our most recent title An Historian’s Notebook. ©2009 Trent Valley Archives Any copying, downloading or uploading without the explicit consent of the editor is prohibited. Classroom Steve Guthrie use is encouraged, but please inform the editor of such use. Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley Volume 15 number 1 3 Mister Boston Bruin the First The Hastings Legend Dave & Sharon Barry This is the second of a four part series on the family history and life of Dit Clapper, the legendary hockey player from Hastings Ontario who played for the famed Boston Bruins for twenty years. (1927-1947). In the first installment of February 2010, we learned of Dit’s family history and of the German-Irish Palatine origin of the Clapper Family of Hastings. William Daniel Clapper, Dit’s father, known as Bill or Billy and the early play-off rounds, advancing into the OLA finals, around the village of Hastings, was known to his family only to lose to a stronger team from Leaside. However, their affectionately as “Willy.” Unlike his father, William Henry success that year proved to be their undoing! Clapper, “Willy” never really settled down to a long-term job By the spring of 1905 the Hastings Intermediate Lacrosse or career, appearing to prefer a somewhat transient life style. team had been raided by a number of larger Ontario He and his young family communities, such as Guelph encountered difficulties and Newmarket. Consequently, and misfortunes five Hastings players accepted throughout their lives, offers to play for these which exacerbated their communities, which also marginal economic and offered better paying jobs for emotional situation. these players. Bill Clapper and They seemed forever on his linemate Howard Doonan, the move. attracted by higher paying jobs, sometimes referred both accepted offers to play to as the Gravel Road). Senior OLA lacrosse in As individual farmers Newmarket. Here, it appears, were responsible for both men may have played for a maintaining the roads w very formidable local team, the Immediately after “Talogoos.” The Newmarket marrying the lovely archives has photos of the Agnes Bell, of Talagoos in 1894, 1903, 1904 Warkworth, on 27 and 1909, but not for the 1905 December 1900, Bill to 1907 period when Bill and his young bride Clapper and his family lived in resided in Bill’s native Newmarket. town of Hastings for the Their third son, Aubrey first five or six years of Victor (Dit) Clapper, was their marriage. Bill born 9 February 1907, in completed the eight or Newmarket. Here, Bill Clapper nine mile trek out to worked as a teamster, probably Warkworth daily via driving a horse drawn delivery horse and buggy, on the wagon. The Ontario Vital ill maintained “Colborne to Norwood Road” (hich abutted Statistics record for the birth of Aubrey Victor listed him as a their properties, road conditions varied considerably, and “Carrier”. While living in Newmarket, 1905 to 1907, Bill were worst during the spring thaw. Bill travelled to Clapper steadfastly maintained his old Hastings ties, visiting Warkworth daily and of course, befriended many farmers his parents often, no doubt proudly showing off his young along the way. family. During this era, hundreds of small cheese factories dotted With their lacrosse team so decimated, the community of the central and eastern Ontario landscape. While working for Hastings dropped out of OLA lacrosse competition for the the Warkworth (Percy) cheese factory, Bill and Agnes had 1905 season. The Hastings sports league may have been two sons, Donald Wallace, born 9 February 1902 and Robert protesting against the OLA, who allowed so many of their Bruce, (latter nicknamed “Scotty) born 2 March 1904. top young players to be enticed away. Fortunately, the All the while, the very athletic Bill Clapper continued Hastings sporting community was reinvigorated by the playing competitive hockey and lacrosse in the Trent Valley arrival of Father Bretherton as the Parish Priest of our Lady Hockey and Lacrosse League, in Hastings. Both sports teams of Mount Carmel Church in Hastings in May 1905.