From the Scrap Book
January 18, 1991
By Dr. Bill Randall
1935 News Clipping
Recent headlines in our daily papers remind us that a recession in the Canadian economy is real, and may be anticipated to adversely affect our economy for the next five years. For the Senior Citizens of today it’s the second time around, for we can remember the gloomy year of 1929 and the five years that followed it. From a Scrap book clipping of 1935 there is a headline —- “Harvey District Enjoys A Building Boom This Year.” A sub-heading, “Taken as Indication of Progress in District Noted for Jersey Cattle.”
Studying this clipping I thought it might be interesting to review some of the buildings of 1935; Harvey Creamery, operating favorably since last fall. Now buildings torn down, property owned by Earl Grieve. The home of Magistrate James A. Murray, an attractive Dutch colonial house. Now owned by Roy Gallupe. A modernly equipped bungalow being built by Oswald J. Coburn. Now owned by James Coburn and rented to Curtis and Lisa Messer.
A dwelling of cottage type to be the residence of Rev. E. E. Mowatt. Now the home of Helen Hanselpacker. A well-equipped manse of brick and stone effect (a form of siding) being built by the congregation of Knox Presbyterian Church. Now covered with vinyl siding and occupied by the Rev. David Dewar and his wife Effie.
A bungalow Blacksmith Shop and a Paint Shop are being built by A. Ray Manzer. Presently owned by Lois Simpson.
Homes are also being built by; Elwood Swan. Presently owned by Wayne Cleghorn.
Willis Swan; the house was built on the site of Ben Swan’s present house but was later moved to its present location (Willis tells me he built the house in 1933, the year he was married).
Fred Little; the house was built along the road that goes to Little’s Lakeshore but was later moved across the road from Helen Hanselpacker’s. Owned now by Andy and Wanda Oliver.
Lawrence Wilkin’s; presently owned by his widow Margaret and her son Steven.
Henry Messer has begun excavating in Tweedside. Occupied by Bertram Donahue.
Porches are being added, additional rooms, or improved foundations by M. H. Lister, Willard Davis, Russell Moffitt, Gates Piercy, James Morecraft, Albert Messer and George Pol lock.
The George Pollock place is presently owned by Burton Toner.
A summer cottage at Harvey Lake Shore is being erected by Amos Moffitt of McAdam. This is the cottage recently owned by Earl Grieve but sold to a new owner late in the summer.
Kenneth Embleton and Son are remodeling their barn, installing water bowls and other modern equipment. The farm was last operated as a dairy farm by the late Irvine Embleton.
Charles Robison and Sons are adding to their stables so as to accommodate an enlarged herd. This must be the wing of the barn projecting westward. New barns
being built by Kenneth Robison (across from the Masonic Hall), Edwin G. Messer (Vernon Lister’s farm), Samuel Davis (near the rear of Gerry Piercy’s store), Thomas Messer Jr. (on the McCullough homestead), Sterling Rosborough (on the Hunter Road owned by Lloyd Rosborough).
Albert A. Hay has finished a two-car garage. Property now owned by C. Arthur Smith.
Steam power and drying rooms have been installed in the Candy Pail Mill owned by Kenneth Little, York Mills. The site of this mill is now controlled by the Briggs and Little Woolen Mill.
New and up to date henneries are being built by Roy Coburn. The remains of these buildings are still seen back of James Coburn’s house. Gray Keith the son of Dr. Keith of Harvey built a cottage up the Lake Road which is presently the home of Ron Shaw. Further up the road on the Earl Embleton property he built his hennery in a barn which is now gone but which once stood near to the present home of Mr. Gray More-craft.
Perhaps in 1995 there will be another building boom, but we certainly hope that in the fourth coming years a more stable economic control will avert the hard ships of the Depression of the Dirty Thirties.
Source: Rev. Bill Randall’s “From The Scrapbook Vol. One.”
