HomeMy WebLinkAbout403"Article copied from _Fact and Folklore: Highland Creek, Hillside, Port Union, West Hill_
by John Spilsbury, c. 1973
W.J. Morrish - General Merchant
Illustrations:
- The finest store in the district in 1890 when it opened. In the early days the building was often
taken for a hotel because of the similarity of appearance. That is W. J. Morrish standing
on the verandah.
- W. J.'s first delivery truck. It is a 1917 Model ""T"" Ford. The chassis was extended,
the rear wheels moved back and connected by drive chains to the original axle.
William Morrish, the first surviving son of John Morrish, was born in Ohio. On his marriage in
1884 he built a beautiful board and batten house on the north side of Kingston Road, just east of
Franklin. (The house was torn down in 1971.)
He opened his first store across the road from the present store. The business prospered, which
prompted the construction of the present store in 1890. It was a beautiful modern building for the
day, designed to provide ample space for living, sales and storage.
When the store opened, groceries were a small part of the business, consisting mainly of flour,
sugar, tea and salt. In the 1890's, Highland Creek was still a farming community and people
lived off the land. The bulk of the business was in hardware, dry goods, boots, shoes,
and farm machinery.
By 1914 the automobile was fast replacing the horse as a means of transportation.
W. J. installed a fuel pump which was the only one between Toronto and Whitby.
Gas was seventeen cents a gallon, with three cents profit for the retailer.
In 1919 W. J. Morrish retired and turned the business over to his sons, Roy and Charles.
W. J. died in 1924 and Roy left to open his own store in Cherrywood. After Roy's departure,
Stuart and Florence moved in and the three children of W. J. ran the store as a family affair until
1967.
Depression days were difficult for everybody, including merchants. Many people survived on
relief tickets distributed by the Township. The tickets were exchanged for groceries.
But the storekeepers had to itemize everybodies' purchases and submit a statement to the
Township monthly. It was not unusual for a merchant to wait as long as two months for his
money. With only thirty days of credit from their suppliers, merchants were always in a
desperate cash bind.
The war came in 1939, followed shortly by rationing of sugar, tea, butter, coffee and meat.
Sunday morning was spent sticking hundreds of ration stamps to gummed sheets.
Stuart Morrish says it wasn't so bad, ""It was the only part of running the business that didn't
require any thought. It was relaxing in a way"".
The Morrishes no longer operate the store, but the property at Kingston Road and Meadowvale
is still in the family.
"