HomeMy WebLinkAbout803Pickering News; May 14, 1954; 2 pgs
"IN MEMORIAM
Pickering Town Hall - From an old plate from the Pickering News files - around fifty
years old.
If The Old Hall Could Only Talk
Such was the reaction of one lady of the village, when looking at the old Pickering
Village Town Hall, now well an its way to destruction by contractors who have been
engaged by the Village Council. A new hall is planned for the near future, of which we
will be hearing more later.
Removal of the old hall takes away another one of the old village landmarks-a few
months ago, the old Pirie (Blizzard) block was destroyed by fire-and both of these
buildings were erected around one hundred years ago. The hall is over one hundred
years old and original records cannot be found. We understand the building was
erected by the Presbyterian Church of those days. However, in the memory of the writer,
the hall was being used as a community centre or auditorium in the early years of this
century and when those ________ here at this time commence to reminisce, then we
say-if the old hall could only talk.
The writer very well remembers attending his first political meeting-a campaign
meeting-in the company of the late Fred Bunting. (Both about _____ years of age.)
The late Dr. Kaiser, Ontario Riding Conservative candidate was to address the
meeting and we two must have intimated to our parents that we would like to go to the
meeting-the fathers of each (both said to be Liberals) warned us against attending.
Nevertheless, Fred and I found a seat near the open door (summer-time) and were
doing our best to make the most of the many speeches. Just when things began to get
warm, I looked through the door and saw my father coming down the street wielding his
ever-present cane. I gave Fred the signal and we both-out of the hall and ran for home,
but I didn’t run fast enough-that cane caught up to me and stayed with me all the way
home. I don’t think Fred’s father ever found out what an evil affair he had been attending.
That happened around 1903, and about the same time, folks in this community were
beginning to hear about moving pictures-nobody had ever seen any-and one week,
a stranger came into town, driving a horse and buggy and posted up around town,
bills announcing a Moving Picture Show in the Hall on Saturday night. Everybody got
excited and I well remember my own conception of moving pictures-never having seen
them I expected to see some type of rail or track, along which traveled maybe paintings
or photographs (that’s hard to believe in this day and age) Then there was the Uncle
Tom’s Cabin, played on that small stage when Simon Legree and his bloodhounds
raced across the ice-one jump by those hounds, and they were on the other side of the
stage. I saw Uncle Tom die at least three times on that little hall stage.
Then there were the regular travelling Medicine Shows that came along regularly to sell
their snake oil, skunk oil that would cure anything or grow hair, and ran a Popularity
Contest in which some local lady was named the Most Popular Lady in the
Community-depending on who bought the greatest number of bottles of oil.
The late Magistrate James Clark and his predecessors in office collected a lot of
money in fines, when holding Police Court in the hall, No. 2 polling division Officials
set up their ballot boxes on ______ for fifty years. When the bell in the tower,
which was rung four times a day, announcing 7.00 a. m., noon-hour-12.00 and 1.00
and 6.00 p. m., by the late Geo Cowan, for many years-we thought things would never
be the same again around here when the trustees decided to give up the bell-ringing.
All the local plays, minstrel shows.etc, went on that stage-I’ve seen such a crowd in that
little auditorium persons were almost pushed out through the windows. For those of us
in those days there was just nothing that equalled a show or entertainment in the town
hall. The old hand-pumper fire engine was housed under the stage, and when the same
tower bell rang, it’s characteristic dong, dong, dong-a fire alarm-anyone who could
walk or run and willing, (and there was lots of time in those days) was welcomed along
to push or pull, and the same little hand-pumper saved a lot of property in its day-we
believe parts at least, of the old fire engine are around town somewhere yet.
Of the old bell, we would like to see it mounted on possibly a concrete platform or
pedestal in the park or down ________ the old hall-___ do away with it, at any rate-
1323
May 14/54
Pickering News
"