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Hardbound book, 16 x 24 cm., 97 pages, written in 1970 with the view of the implementation regional government, there should be some form of permanent record of the past history of the Village of Pickering. A MESSAGE FROM THE REEVEAt a Council meeting held early in the summer of 1970 it was decided that that with the coming of Regional Government in the very near future some form of permanent record of the past history of the Village of Pickering and more particularly since incorporation in 1953 was desirable.A committee consisting of Cyril Morley, chairman, Wm. G. McLean, and Leslie M. Morley were instructed to revise, enlarge, illustrate and bring up-to-date the pamphlet originally prepared for Centennial Year.It is the earnest hope of Council that this short history of Pickering Village will prove interesting to both old and young in the recalling of bygone days and more particularly that of more recent years and of the phenomenal growth of you Village since incorporation.Our special thanks to Mr. Leslie Morley for his untiring efforts in the researching, writing and editing of this volume. Mr. Morley has been a resident and acquainted with our Village for almost sixty years and has always been keenly interested in the history of our community.We hope that this little volume will find a permanent place on your library shelves.Yours truly,Ross A. Murison,Reeve. The Village of Pickering 1800-1970 19354 Roll of Honour in St. George’s Anglican Church, Pickering For King and Country Memebers St.George’s Church who have volunteered for active service with Canada’s Fighting Forces Alex Allen; Bruce Johns; W. Douglas Johns; Wm. Moore; John Martin; George Martin; F.W. Fowler; Dick Fowler; Harold Barlow; Dick Barlow; Austin Baker; Wesley Baker; Ivan Baker; Gordon Watson; Ronald Watson; Kathleen Watson; John Cooke; Cordon Cooke; Frank Williams; Reginald Baker; John T. Baker; W. E. Dolmage; James Churchward; Douglas Avis; C.Potter; Gifford Baker; Pearson Baker; Ross Burns; Carl Burns; George Burns; J. Penfold; Charles Haight Sr.; Charles Haight Jr.; L.J. Wilson; Wm. Wheeler; Jack Wheeler; Norman Todd; Bert Elliott; Maxine Elliott; Fred C. Robinson, E. Cary Robinson; Lloyd Courtice; Ernest Roffey; Melvin Paxton; Errol Mattingsley; Graham Barclay; Ronald Green; Clinton Prouse; Pat McCarthy; Fred White;Ronald Anthony; Jack Taylor; Rev. W.R.Crummer; Eric Winram; Ernest C. Rwoland; Fred Evans.Memorial Plaque in St. George’s Anglican Church Pickering 1939-1945To the Glory of God and in Recognition of the Members of this Congregation who served in the Second World War and Especially of the Honoured Dead.R.D.Barker; G.C Baker; A.C.Elliot; R. Fowler; John Martin; W.T. McCarthy, M.M.;F. Williams; W.B.Wheeler;“Greater Love Hath No Man Than This” Village of Pickering Published by the Corporation of the Village of Pickering Public Library 1970 Ross A. Murison, ReeveCouncillors:C.A. Balsdon W.G McLean V.P. Dingley H.G. Martin Pickering Village Council - 1970 Wm.G. McLean; V.P. Dingley; R.A. Murison; C.A. Balsdon; H.G. Martin. C.E. Morley; Reeve 1953-1963, Warden of Ontario County - 1958. R.A. Murison; Reeve 1964-, Councillor 1960 - 1963; Warden of Ontario County - 1968. J.S. Balsdon - Councillor 1953-1954 G.H. Bray - Councillor 1953-1957 W.G. Messer - Councillor 1953-1954 J.H. Purvis - Councillor 1953-1959 J.R. Boyes - Councillor 1955 I.G. White - Councillor 1955 R.A. Watson - Councillor 1055-1956 and 1959-1064 K.J. Cooper - Councillor 1956 R.M. Hall - Councillor 1957-1959 A.E. Reeve - Councillor 1957-1962 Councillors - 1953-1962. E.J. Swerdfiger - Councillor 1958 L. Burningham - Councillor 1960-1964 P.B. Kearney - Councillor 1963-1968 R.A. Murison - Councillor 1960-1963 C.A.Balsdon - Councillor 1965- Wm. M. Hunt - Councillor 9165-1968 V.P. Dingley - Councillor 1964- H.G. Martin - Councillor 1969- Wm.G. McLean - Councillor 1969-Councillors - 1958-1969 B.A. Hogarth - Clerk-Treasurer-1953-1968 J.G McQueen - Clerk-Treasurer-1969 H.E. Irwin - Clerk-Treasurer-1970- G. Honsberger - Commissioner-1959-1970 J.D. Koch - Commissioner-1959-1970 "Mrs. Mary Gray - Deputy Clerk-Treasurer-1963- Miss Sharon Koch - Secretery-1969-1970 T.H. Irving - Building & Plumbing Inspector, Bylaw Encorcement Officer, Welfare Officer-1969- T. Ross Burns - Works Forman-1959- Mark Reinhardt - Works Department-1960-" "Contents 1. The First One Hundred Years-1800-1900…..page 1 2 .Pickering as a Police Village – 1900-1953………..page 9 3. Pickering Village Comes of Age………………….page 21 4. The Centennial Celebrations………………………page 35 5. Transportation – Yesterday and Today…………….page 39 6. Pickering Institutions The Pickering Post Office…………………….page 45 The Pickering Volunteer Fire Department…..page 46 Pickering Public Library………………..……..page 52 7. Schools- The Pickering Public School…………………page 57 The Pickering High School…………………..page 61 Pickering College (Quakers) 1877-1905……..page 63 8 Our Churches – Past and Present- Anglican-St Georges………………………….page 65 Bible Christian – Methodist…………………..page 67 The Society of Friends – Quakers…………….page 68 The Pickering United Church…………………page 69 Presbyterian – St. Andrews……………………page 71 Roman Catholic……………………………….page 73 9. Pickering Activities – Sports…………………………………………..page 77 Scouting in Pickering by Kenneth Morley…….page 83 How Guiding Started in Pickering by Mrs. F.H. Warder…………..page 83 The Pickering Blue Notes Drum Corp ………...page 85 By Clare Holter 10. Reminiscing by Leslie Morley……………………..page 87 " "Pickering Village Council - 1970 H.C. Jackson v Reeves and Councillors since Incorporation H.C. Jackson vi vii vii Clerks and Public Utilities Commissioners H.C. Jackson ix Administration and Public Works Staff H.C. Jackson x Elmdale Mill Pickering Village Council 5 Old Town Hall Barry Murkar 7 The Gordon House R.J. Rackman 8 Pickering College Gordon Found 10 Memorial Gates – Pickering Memorial Park R.J. Rackman 13 The Annual Flood R.J. Rackman 16 Campbell Flour Mill R.J. Rackman 17 The Old Town Hall Bell L.M. Morley 18 Coronation Day, June 2nd, 1953 L.M. Morley 22 St. George Street Fire Halls L.M. Morley 24 Pickering Township 150th Anniversary Parade L.M. Morley 27 Pickering Village Municipal Offices L.M. Morley 28 Sewer Excavating - 1968 L.M. Morley 31 Centoph – Pickering Memorial Park L.M. Morley 34 Centennial Parade, July 1st, 1967 L.M. Morley 36 Peake’s Livery – 1900 R.J. Rackman 41 Pickering Fire Company about 1890 R.J. Rackman 47 Official Opening of St. George Street Fire Hall – 1958 L.M. Morley 49 Mill Street Fire Hall – 1970 L.M. Morley 51 Pickering Village Public Library L.M. Morley 55 The Old Public School, Church Street North R.J. Rackman 58 Lincoln Avenue Public School and Cairn L.M. Morley 60 Pickering High School L.M. Morley 62 St. George’s Anglican Church L.M. Morley 66 Former Pickering Methodist Church L.M. Morley 67 Former Friends’ Meeting House L.M. Morley 69 Pickering United Church L.M. Morley 70 St. Andrews Presbyterian Church L.M. Morley 73 St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church L.M. Morley 75 Pickering Soccer Team – 1912 R.J. Rackman 79 Pickering Hockey Teams – Midget “D” and Bantam “C” Ken Irish and Geo Brown 81 Old Kingston Road Bridge – 1912 L.M. Morley 89 Church Street – 1912 L.M. Morley 93 Mill Street looking north - 1945 L.M. Morley 95 " "Introduction In this brief sketch of the history of the Village of Pickering, compiled especially for Canada’s Centennial Year, we have been indebted to four major sources for our information. “Past Years In Pickering” by Rev. W. R. Wood (1911); “The Pickering Story” (1961) by Rev. Wm. McKay; the files of the “Pickering News”; and the minute book of Police Trustees of the Village of Pickering (1916-1953). For more recent events our thanks to Mr. Bruce Hogarth, Clerk of the Village of Pickering. We have endeavoured to verify dates of happenings told us over the years by Pickering’s older citizens and for this purpose “The Pickering News” was a veritable treasure trove. The history has been written in story form as much as possible, omitting tedious statistics and biographical notes. It is our earnest hope that at some future date some “son of Pickering” will write a more complete history, embodying all phases of Village Life over the past one hundred and seventy years. Our thanks to Mrs. Gordon Hepditch for article on “The Pickering Public Library”, to Rev. Walter Forgach of St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church for his kind permission to use extracts from “A Centennial History”, to Kenneth Morley for “Scouting in Pickering”, to Mrs. F. H. Warder for “How Guiding Started in Pickering”, to Clare Holter for “The Pickering Blue Notes Drum Corp”, to Mr. H.C. Jackson for photographs of past and present members of Council and Staff, to Mr. R. J. Rackham for his reproduction of old photographs and to all others who have contributed photographs or stories of the past or who have given us assistance of any kind and if by any chance we have overlooked anyone, our humble apologies. L.M. Morley Cyril Morley W.C. Murkar " "While our original instructions from the Pickering Village Council were to prepare this history for Centennial Year, circumstances made the printing of the book impossible in time for the 1967 Celebrations, Since that date we have been further instructed to bring the story of Pickering Village up-to-date, including the years 1968, 1969 and 1970. Our thanks to Mr. H. E. Irwin, Clerk of the Village of Pickering for his valuable assistance in providing us with information on the growth of the Village since 1967. Leslie M. Morley Cryil Morley Wm. G. McLean Pickering, November 15th, 1970. " The First One Hundred Years 1800 – 1900 Pickering Village is situated just east of where the steam known as Duffin’s Creek intersects the Kingston Road. Near this point, on the north side of the Kingston Road, was the location of the pioneer dwelling where lived the traditional King’s County Irishman, Duffin, who had cleared a few acres but lived mainly in Indian fashion on the products of the river and the forest. The river was rich in salmon, the forests abundant in wild fowl and deer, and his little domain supplied him with almost all he needed.But, sad to relate, one day a traveller found the cabin empty, with blood stains on the rough planks of the cabin floor. What tragedy had occurred, the traveller could but conjecture. Yet from that day, the name Duffin has been perpetuated in the name of the river and the village which for almost three quarters of a century was also known as Duffin’s Creek. In the year 1791, Augustus Jones and his surveyors could find no trace of Duffin, but nevertheless, marked the river Duffin’s Creek on their maps. Of the earliest settlers, little is known. The Woodruffs and Mungers were Tavern Keepers. They had arrived in 1801 or 1802. Woodruff’s Tavern, built in 1808 still stands (Riverside Farm) just west of the village. The first town meeting of combined Townships of Pickering and Whitby was held at Samuel Munger’s at Lot 16, Concession II on June 4, 1803. In 1870 Timothy Rogers, a Quaker, purchased from D.W.Smith, the Surveyor General and the original owner, 800 acres a 10 shilling an acre, part of it being lots 13 and 14 of the broken front and Concession I from Church Street to the Greenwood Road and south " "2 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 of the Kingston Road.) Duffin’s Creek flowed through his property and on its banks about 1810, Rogers built the first grist mill and saw mill in the Township. When Rogers came to Pickering, the lake salmon came up the river by the thousands but the mill dams, of which his was the first, prevented them from reaching their spawning grounds. So by the time of his death in 1827, the salmon had practically disappeared. Duffin’s Creek being such a splendid salmon stream in those primeval days, no doubt prompted the French Missionaries in 1669 from the nearby Indian Village of Ganatsekwyagon (near Frenchman’s Bay) to call the stream Riviere au Saumon. Timothy Rogers was born in Connecticut in 1756. He received little or no formal education but was an astute business man. He travelled extensively for those times. He moved to Vermont in 1777 and about 1783 he left Vermont and set out for New York State. The following two years saw him riding through the forests of Pennsylvania, New York State, Southern Quebec, The St. John River, and Nova Scotia. He came to Upper Canada where he settled near Newmarket in 1801. He came to Pickering in 1807 as mentioned earlier. His greatest contribution was the families he brought into the Province, first to Newmarket then into Pickering. He particularly encouraged members of the Society of Friends (Quakers) to settle in the Township. He gave the Society land for a cemetery, upon which they built a Meeting House. The Meeting House and cemetery are located at the intersection of Mill Street and Kingston Road. (See article on Friend’s Meeting House). By 1850, the Village had grown and prospered, being on the Stage Route between Kingston and Toronto. There were now two hotels, a brewery, a doctor, several merchants, and Head’s Mill on the bank of the river on Elizabeth Street. In the 1850’s, an attempt was made to name the Village, Canton, but was unsuccessful and the name Pickering, which was becoming more and more in general use was retained.A few years previous to this, 1846 to be exact, the first circus to visit Upper Canada passed through the Village and while there is no record of its have showed here, there would be many curious eyes watching the unprecedented spectacle. The heavy wagon was drawn by six horses and the circus elephants were pressed into service to help extricate the wagon when it became mired at the Rouge River and assist also on the heavier grades. " "3 The First One Hundred Years Boom times are always interesting and one of Canada’s early booms came between 1850 and 1860. Farms were being rapidly cleared, prices were good and the settlers prosperous and hopeful. An idea as to the prices paid for items of everyday use has been culled at random form the cash book of Brereton Bunting, who opened his General store in Pickering in 1857 and covers the years 1859-1860. As British coinage was still legal tender, all prices in £ s.d. The following are some of the prices noted: - Potatoes one shilling a bushel (60 lbs.), butter 9d. a lb., lard 6d. a lb., apples two shillings a bushel, eggs 5d. a doz., flour (100) lbs.) 11s.3d., cheese 6d, a lb., bran (100 lbs.) 2s. 6d, braces 1s. 3d, boots ranged all the way from 7s.6d, to 18s. 6d. It will be noted that food prices were very cheap but that manufactured articles were comparatively quiet expensive and as much of the trading was done on an exchange basis, particularly with the farmers, the store-keeper made a two-way profit, on the manufactured article he sold and on the farm produce he took in exchange. So that when accounts were settled at the end of the year, the balance due was invariably in favour of the store-keeper. In 1856 the Grand Trunk Railway, which had been creeping westward, completed its line to Toronto. The Advent of the railway was a boon to the towns and villages along the lakeshore, even though they spelled the doom of the staging hotels and taverns, nevertheless, it is in the next thirty or forty years that the businesses and the fine brick homes, many of which are still standing today, were built, and although 1867 passed without too much fanfare, it was from the sixties on, that Pickering Village progressed rapidly for the first twenty-five years of Confederation. It was in Confederation Year that the old brick school house (Aasen Motors) was built, and also, the Friend’s Meeting House. Also about this time Elm Dale Mill was built and a few years later the Spink Mill in 1877. Industries listed in 1870 included: Shoemakers (3), Carpenters (3), Harnessmaker, Carriage Maker, Brewer, Wagonmaker, Coopers (2), and a resident Doctor. (Note- the cooper made the barrels in which flour was shipped.) In 1877, although not within the Village proper, Pickering College was opened. The college dominated the Village from its site " "4 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 to the north-east and for almost 30 years exerted a profound effect on the cultural life of the Village. In November, 1991, the first issue of the “Pickering News” came off the press, published by W. H. Higgins, proprietor of the Whitby Chronicle. In November, 1882, L.S. Ackerman was owner and editor until 1887 when he was followed by A. Richardson. In 1888 Clark Brothers purchased the paper , with Joseph T. Clark, editor until 1890, when he became associated with the Toronto Daily Star. The feature writer, Greg Clark, was a son of Joseph T. Clark. W. J. Clark continued as editor and publisher until 1901, when Murkar and Thexton became the publishers. In September, 1907, John Murkar bought the business and it continued in the same family until 1965. W. C. Murkar becoming editor and publisher in May, 1943 until 1964 when Barry Murkar became editor. It was purchased in 1965 by Island Publishing Company and is now published under the name “The News-Advertiser. Over the years it has been one of the most widely quoted of the rural newspapers. In one of the early issues (1881) we note the following industries listed in the Village at that time. Spink’s Mill. A four-storey structure erected in 1875 at a cost of $36,000.00, with six run of stones worked by four Leffel water wheels, with a head of 34 feet. Five millers were employed and the mill had a capacity of 200 barrels of flour a day. The retail outlet for the flour produced by the Spink Mill was the Model Bakery Company, located at Soho and Phoebe Streets, Toronto. Geo Weston was the President and General Manager and J.L. Spink, Vice-President and Mill Manager. Hoover’s Mill (Elmdale) with 5 run of stones, employing 4 millers, capacity 135 barrels a day. Pickering Woodworks (lower Church Street) 20 h..p. engine, planers, sharpeners, etc., seven hands employed. A Carriage builder, a Wagon Maker, and Blacksmiths. The carriage and wagon shop was situated to the rear of the former “Pickering News” office, which at that time housed a farm implement agency. The Blacksmith shop was on the east of the carriage shop and the path which led to it from King Street (Kingston Rd) is now Park Road South. There also were a Furniture store and an Undertaker, a Carpenter, a Builder,, and a Contractor. Two Cooper shops making apple barrels, two hotels, the Cuthbert House and the Hodgson House, both nearly " Elmdale Mill and residence of J.R. Hoover, dealer in flour and grain: Duffins Creek, Ontario "6 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 new. A Boot and Shoe shop, a General Store, groceries and dry-goods, a Tailor, a Butcher, and a Barber. A brick and tile kiln, a new industry at that time. Truly the first quarter a century of Confederation was a busy and prosperous one for Pickering Village. A new School, four newly erected Churches and many new homes were the outward signs of possibly the greatest era of prosperity for the Village. From this time on, gradually of course at firs, the population and industries decreased, following the general trend of the Township and other rural communities, some residents, mainly the younger ones, going to the city and others to the United States and the Canadian West. A rather delightful account of the Village is found in the August 1894 issue of the “Saturday Globe:” “The pretty Village of Pickering is situated in the midst of a very fertile district, 22 miles east of Toronto, on the Grand Trunk Railway. The Village of Pickering has many attractions to those who love the quiet of the country, and one can imagine such a spot as this, inspiring another Keats to write: “To one who has been long in city pent, Tis very sweet to look into the fair and open face of Heaven To breathe a prayer Full in the smile of the blue firmament.” The winding stream which afford good facilities for boating and fishing, lends a charm to the foreground by its sinuous course of nearly five miles, twisting and turning in its efforts to reach Lake Ontario. The Village is compactly built and has a number of fine residences, good general stores, a first-class hotel, two splendid roller grist mills, and the usual small industries found in villages of this size. The citizens take great pride in their lawns and gardens. Many new houses are in course of erection and the signs of prosperity are visible on every side. The young men of the Village have established a volunteer Fire Brigade and have bought a Fire Engine and sufficient hose to cover any part of the Village. They also purchased the old Presbyterian Church and converted it into a very convenient hall for general purposes and erected a tower at one end,in which swings the town Bell. Situated on a hill overlooking the Village, is Pickering College; a co-educational preparatory and collegiate boarding school. The College was established in 1877 by the Society of Friends. " "The Public School erected in 1888 at a cost of over $5,000.00 has accommodation for 200 scholars. Pickering Village has a live Mechanic’s Institute. Organized in 1891, there were at the end of the year 1893, over 700 volumes on the shelves and over $150.00 is expended yearly in the purchase of new books and magazines. The “Pickering News” a weekly paper, is one of the best local papers to be found anywhere. It was established in 1881 and had a bona fide weekly circulation of 1250 copies. The Society of Friends have a large, plain brick meeting house in which they worship and the plain unassuming style of its architecture is suggestive of the character of the people who use it. The Presbyterians have a very pretty, modern church in which they worship. The Methodists have a substantial, brick edifice on King Street with yard and sheds. The Roman Catholics have the most imposing building as a place of worship in the Village and its tall spire is one of the landmarks for miles around. " "The Gordon House The Episcopalians have a very neat building of Gothic style. Their situation is very good; it is very attractive and one of the pretty spots in the Village. The Village has many advantages to offer for those wishing to retire from active life or to have a place of residence away the hustle and bustle of the larger towns. Many fine residences grace its well kept streets. Pickering has four good general stores, Dickie & Marquis’, R.A. Bunting’s, W.T. Dunbar’s, and W. Logan’s, W.J. Reazin’s Hardware, Dr. R.M. Bateman’s Drug Store, and N. Margach’s tailoring establishment. The largest commercial building is the Dale Block. The Gordon House is a favorite stopping place for bicyclers from Toronto. James Gordon is the proprietor and his table is loaded with good substantial food. The Ontario Bank has an office in the Gordon House.” So closes the first quarter century of Confederation in Pickering and almost a century since the first settlers arrived, and the twentieth century loomed ahead. " "2 Pickering as a Police Village 1900 – 1953 The turn of the century was a significant one for Pickering Village as in the year 1900, Bylaw No. 580 was passed by the County of Ontario, erecting Pickering into a Police Village. The first meeting of the Trustees was held on June26th. They were Robert Miller, David Pugh, and R.A. Bunting. The big question of the day was what to do about the decaying wooden board walks? Should they be repaired or replaced with cement walks? Twenty years later a complete change over to cement sidewalks was complete. There was still considerable business being done in the Village in those days but the industries had dwindled to Spink’s Flour Mill, the Elmdale Mill, and two cooper shops, W.D.Gordon’s and Allaway’s mainly making apple barrels. The following list taken from the files of the “Pickering New’s “ testifies to the number of local stores doing business in 1904. W.T.Dunbar’s general store, Dickie’s Dry Goods, J.H. Bundy, hardware and tinsmithing, R.A. Bunting, general merchant, the Western Bank, Geo. Kerr, Manager, C.A. Baker, Men’s Furnishings, the Pickering Livery, proprietor, W. H. Peake, M.S. Chapman, hardware, Pugh and Moore, implement agents and blacksmiths, Logan’s General Store, M.& E. Boone, variety and notions, R.S. Dillingham, Furniture, Wagner, butcher, W.V.Richardson, insurance and notary public, Pickering Pharmacy, W.G. Gordon, lumber, Pickering Coal Co., E.Bryan, farmer’s supply and the “Pickering News” " "10 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 Also in the same issue, we note that the Bell Telephone had about ten subscribers in the Village and that a year later, 1905, the poles of the Markham and Pickering Telephone Company (an independent company) were being erected on Brock Road between Brougham and Pickering. By 1910 the telephone had become a business and household necessity. An interesting advertisement in the “Pickering News” of November 18th, 1904 reads: For one night only “Uncle Tom’s Cabin” 25 in cast, 8 real bloodhounds, admission .25c reserved, .35c. Mr. W.C. Murkar relates that during the scene of the bloodhound chasing Eliza across the ice cakes, two leaps and they were across the stage and out of sight. Also from the “News” of the same year, this item from Queen’s Park, “A bill to regulate automobiles on highways, a speed limit of 20 m.p.h. on open highway, 15 m.p.h. in towns and villages – and also the following suggested amendment possibly in all seriousness in those early days of motoring – a motor vehicle to be stopped 100 feet from approaching horse-draw vehicle,to proceed only on signal from driver Pickering College, destroyed by fire in December, 1905 " "and also this choice one – “Motor cars to be prohibited from running on roads between the hours of 7 p.m. and 8 a.m. except in cities or towns illuminated by street lights.” Two big fires caused concern to the villagers in this decade. Pickering College was burned during the Christmas vacation in 1905 and in the early summer of 1908 the Friends Meeting House was struck by lightning and burned, the interior and contents being totally destroyed, only the walls remaining. In 1904 there was talk of an electric railway to traverse the Township via the Kingston Road. The Township Council were rather dubious about the venture. As a bonus feature it would have meant electric light for the Village. However the whole project was thrown out by Queen’s Park.. The First World War took its toll of some of our finest young men, many enlisting in the 116th Battn. and later in the 182nd Battn. (See page II) In 1917 the Campbell Milling Company purchased the Spink’s Flour Mills and was completely overhauled. This was the only major industry in Pickering at the time. The securing of electricity for the Village and the building of new cement sidewalks, 2.994 ft. in 1917 and 2418 ft. in 1918 were the major projects facing the village residents. In 1920 work was proceeding with the grading and widening of King Street (Kingston Road) by the Department of Highways. At that time there was no alternative route by which vehicles particularly through motor traffic, could bypass the axle deep mud holes in sections of the road, especially between the Gordon House and the “News” office. Local teamsters were kept busy hauling cars through the gooey mess. Occasionally unwary motorists would become bogged down during the night and being unable to leave their cars, would have to wait it out until daylight before being extricated from their predicament. Also the old steel bridge over Duffins Creek was replaced in 1919-20. Owing to unforeseen difficulties encountered by the contractor, the bridge abutments were not completed until late in the Fall. The traffic all summer had been using a temporary wooden structure immediately to the south. The steel of the new bridge had been erected by the concrete decking had not been laid. With the coming of the spring freshets the temporary bridge swept away. The following is an " "12 The Village of Pickering – 1899 – 1970 account of that event from the “Pickering News” of March 19th, 1920. “The rain of last Thursday night and the mild weather of Friday caused a large amount of snow to disappear and to cause the largest flood in the memory of the oldest resident. Early on Friday morning the river began to rise and by noon there was a raging torrent which increased in dimensions and force until night. The ice began to rise with the water and where the ice could not escape immense jams began to form. It was quite evident that the temporary bridge being swept away and over four feet of water rushing over the road between the bridge and the mill, all traffic on the Kingston Road came to a standstill. As soon as it was possible, a large gang of men were put to work placing a temporary covering of plank on the new bridge. They worked all day Sunday and on Monday afternoon traffic was resumed”. Meanwhile the villagers were bitterly complaining of the condition of the sidewalks, completely destroyed in some places and buried in others during the constriction of Highway # 2 through the Village, but with the completion of the paving in May, 1921 and with the Department of Highways promising to replace all broken or destroyed walks, life in the Village soon returned to normal, with the exception of a number of householders who now found their homes much below or much above the road level, making entry or exit in a few cases difficult . In 1919 interested citizens together with the Chamber of Commerce and the Women’s Institute proposed that Pickering should have a memorial to those men who had paid the supreme sacrifice in the late 1919-1918 war. It was finally decided that a Park would be the must suitable memorial. A site was finally chosen on Church Street North and four and a half acres were purchased by the Chamber of Commerce acting on behalf of the citizens of the Village, and it was also proposed to raise further sums of money to defray the cost of a Memorial Entrance Gate and equipping the Park with the necessary building and landscaping. It was decided that the name of the Park be the “Pickering Memorial Park”. On the 18th July, 1922 by Bylaw No. 4C1 the Park was formerly conveyed to the Village Trustees for the care, control, and management of the said Memorial Park. Bleachers and a large platform were erected and the Annual Dominion Day celebrations had a permanent home at last. " "Memorial Gates Before the advent of the motorized fire engine, the old “Victoria” hand pumper was stored beneath the stage in the old Town Hall, the doors opening onto St. George’s Street. Following the purchase of the new chemical fire engine in October, 1922 a Fire Hall was built. Costing $1420 it is still in use and houses the second engine as well as the old hand pumper. As mentioned earlier, in 1904 an electric railway was proposed, to run east from West Hill and pass through Pickering Village, it was hoped that it would also provide electric light for homes and farms adjacent to the railway, but nothing came of it. In 1919 the Hydro became interested in the purchase of the Toronto-Eastern Railway. The grading and steel had been laid as far west as Pickering almost ten years before and then abandoned. It was hoped that electric light and power would then become available from this source. This scheme also fell through. It began to look as if Hydro would never come to Pickering being situated between two divisions, with 25-cycle to the west (Niagara) and 60-cycle to the east (Seymour Falls). Some farmers, churches, the " "14 The Village of Pickering – 1800 -1970 “Pickering News” and a few homes already had purchased small gas-operated generators to provide their own power and light. After several more attempts to secure Hydro either from the east of the west, finally in 1926 electric light and power came to Pickering Village from the east (60-cycle). During this decade two disastrous fires destroyed what was hoped would develop into major industries. In 1919 because of the great demand for flax products following the war, the Rose Flax Mill was started in Pickering in the old O’Leary hotel opposite the Campbell Milling Company’s mill at the west end of the village. Although the mill itself did not employ a great number of men, it did however, provide a cash crop for local formers and during the harvesting season, work for local teamsters at $7.00 per day for man and team, also for flax pullers in the fields and for boys and girls at $1.00 to $1.50 a day to spread flax on sod fields (rented at $2.00 per acre). The mill was operated by a steam traction engine, the fuel being the waste from the scutching process. In early April, 1921 sparks from the smoke stack set fire to the roof. Fortunately the fire was extinguished before any great damage was done. Following this the smoke stack was lengthened and coal was used for fuel. In May of 1921 the mill was completely destroyed by fire, started by sparks in the engine room. At the time there was a high wind blowing and with the building being tinder-dry and filled with inflammable material, the mill was doomed. However a large quantity of flax seed, flax fibre, and tow was saved, including the steam tractor. The engineer having the presence of mind to throw in the clutch and drive the machine right through the wall into the open. All the other machinery was lost. For a time, during the height of the fire, the house to the east and Campbell’s Mill to the north were in great danger from the intense heat and flying embers. The barn to the south however, was burned. The firemen were kept busy and did a wonderful job protecting neighbouring properties and putting our incipient fires. The mill had a work force of 25 men. This was severe jolt to Pickering Village’s economy. Mr. James Rose then bought 3 acres on the Station Road and in 1923 erected another mill, this one to make and process excelsior into pads. This mill was in operation only a few years when in 1928 it was destroyed by two fires. The first fire occurred in the pad department. Some office records " "Pickering As A Police Village 15 and material were saved as well a machinery and stock. But a short time later on August 11th, 1928, the remainder of the plant was burned down with a total loss of over $20,000.00. The mill had some 38 employees. This was a sad blow to the town and it was over 20 years before a comparable industrial enterprise was to locate in the Village. Actually another industry had been started in the Village in March of 1928, when a typesetting plant, a subsidiary of Printers’ Guild Limited, Toronto, commenced operations in the Pirie Block. But it was only of a temporary nature until the main plant of the company was completed a mile and half west of the Village. In November 1928, the typesetting machinery was moved to the new location and Pickering was now completely without a major industry. Printers Guild, however drew practically all its labor force from the Village, employing in the neighbourhood of 30 persons. Mr. H. J. Legard of the Second Concession was the plant superintendent. The company was absorbed into the Lawson and Jones group in 1949. The following is from the “Pickering News”, April 12, 1929. “The worst flood in the history of Pickering occurred on Friday night last, April 5th, when rain said by some to have been a cloud burst, began to fall in torrents and continued for hours until the highway at the west end of the bridge was covered to a depth of 6 feet, and the greatest ever known. Huge blocks of pavement were lifted from the roadbed, west of the bridge and deposited in the ditch on the south side of the road. The rain was accompanied by an electric storm in which the dark sky was continuously lit up by flashed of lightning, which however caused no damage in these parts. The swollen river was a mad, rushing stream, there being no ice to obstruct its flow, as is usually the case at this time of the year. The force of the water was so great, that everything in its path was carried away. Large trees which had withstood the storms of a hundred years, fell victims of the fury. The summer kitchen of John Clark on South Church Street was carried away, the water running right through the remainder of the house and those living on low-lying land had similar experiences. In the Village the damage was confined to water in cellars, the worst to suffer in this respect being St. Paul’s Church and the stores of James Richardson and M.S. Chapman. There were no trains either for several days, owing to wash-outs; one at the bridge at Church Street and the other at the little creek at the southeast corner of the Village.” " "The Annual Flood About the year 1930 and as a direct result of the disastrous flood of 1929, the Department of Highways, having made arrangements with D.N. Lockwood of Elmdale Mills, blew up the mill dam, about one-quarter of a mile south of the highway, to try to alleviate the annual spring overflow onto the Kingston Road. It did not prove to be entirely successful. The annual spring floods still suspending traffic on the highway. It was finally overcome by the raising to the road-bed and installing two huge culverts to accommodate the excess water. We had now entered the hungry thirties and many transients were passing through the Village. Formerly the Women’s Institute had performed the humanitarian act of providing meals and lodging for these unfortunates, but their resources were soon inadequate for the task. First, the expenditures were divided 50/50 with the Police Trustees, then in 1934 the Village assumed the full responsibility. Also in 1934, on May 19th, fire was once again to remove what had been a landmark in the Village since 1876, Campbell’s Mill, or as it was know locally “Spink’s Mill”. First noticed by some American tourists passing through the Village in the early hours of the morning, the alarm was quickly given but, by the time the Fire Department " "Campbell Flour Mill arrived, it was clearly seen that nothing could save the mill building. Assisted by the fire brigades of Whitby and Brougham, they confined their efforts to the saving of adjoining properties. It was not long before the 100 foot high elevator, built in 1905 of hemlock timbers, became a raging inferno also. During the height of the blaze, the phenomena of a ball of fire occurred at intervals as the hot gases ignited high up in the sky and the heat was so intense that the railway tracks adjacent to the mill and elevator became twisted like snakes. Another unusual sight were the twin columns of smoke which branched off, one straight west and the other in a southwesterly direction. A house nearby was also destroyed and glowing embers were falling a half mile away. The fire was visible for miles, throwing an eerie glow over the surrounding countryside. In its heyday, the mill employed some 20 men on day and night shifts. The cause of the fire was unknown. On May 12th, 1937 a special Community Coronation Service was held to celebrate coronation of King George VI with all local clergy participating. Spasmodic attempts had been made over the years to procure water for Pickering Village, but to no avail. In the thirties a census of the " " 18 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 Village was taken. It was found there were some 136 dwelling or premises requiring water. Some work was done on the project but nothing much came of it. In 1941 however, an attempt was made to secure water from Defense Industries, from their new plant at Ajax. It was 15 years before this became a fact. In 1942, a Civil Defense Unit was formed and lectures on First Aid were given in the old school. There were some 25 recruits signed up for fire purposes, In 1944 A.R.P Equipment was purchased for the Village. Also in this year the ringing of the town bell was discontinued after 56 years of ringing in the work day at 7 a.m., at noon, at 1 p.m., and again at 6 p.m. It was also the Village fore alarm. It also rang the hours of church service on the Sabbath and possibly its last important tolling was for V.E. Day. The Old Town Bell – 1890 The winter of 1945 was the year of the big snowstorm and for one whole day, Pickering Village was completely isolated. Even the buses ceased to run and people had a taste of a real old-time Canadian winter or as it were before the advent of the motor car. Plans were afoot by 1947 to build a Memorial Hall, the estimated cost to be $15,500.00 and by April organization was completed; a " "Pickering As A Police Village canvass date arranged with an objective of $10,000.00, the balance to be obtained from grants. As mentioned earlier, Pickering was without any major industry from 1928 on. In 1947 however, Cooper Block of Toronto commenced operations on the Station Road, manufacturing cement blocks for the building industry. The gravel was obtained from pits on the Brock Road. At first only one materials classifier was built but in a year of so, a second was added. About 1963 the autoclave which is still in operation was built, In 965 the complete plant was sold to the Primeau-Argo group who are still operating the plant at capacity. In 1948 the water question once again came to the fore, this time in real earnest. Negotiations were opened with Central Mortgage and Housing to supply water, the engineering firm of Gore and Storrie were retained and instructed to prepare a preliminary report. In 1949, following the presentation of the report, a vote was taken on a debenture issue of $93,000.00 for mains and distribution system which carried 145 for, to 10 against. The year 1950 still found the water question hanging fire. Owing to disagreement between Pickering Township Council and Central Mortgage negotiations halted. Early in 1951 the Trustees again requested Central Mortgage to re-open negotiations. The Township Council proposed to develop test wells, west of the Village. On February 16th a brief was presented to the Township Council by the Village Trustees recommending that water be secured from the Improvement District of Ajax. At this time the Department of Health was asked to test all wells in the Village, with the following results: 45 % unfit for human consumption, only 25% safe, the balance useable only after boiling. On August 25th negotiations were again broken off, owing to disagreements between Township Council and Ajax over zoning. In 1952 the Village faced now with a distinct health and fire hazard, decided that alternative water supplies should be explored. To arrange a meeting with the Whitby P.U.C., and also to droll test wells north of the Village at the 5th concession. Plenty of water was discovered at this location and following a public meeting at which the engineer’s report was read, the cost to develop these wells, mains and distribution " " system was to be $258,000.00. Subsequently a vote was taken, there being 139 for, and 62 against. The vote was taken on December 10th, 1952, On the 16th the Township Council declined to issue the debentures as it was feared it would seriously embarrass the Township’s economy but instead recommended incorporation, which would again open up the possibility of obtaining water from Ajax, at a great saving in capital cost. In 1953 there occurred another fire which made several families homeless and lose all their household possessions. It was the burring of the Pirie Block. Situated on the site of what is now the Blizzard Apartment, it was one of the oldest, if not the oldest building in the Village. It was of historic interest, as according to the late F.M. Chapman, B.A., the western half of the building was the original Quaker meeting house situated to the suth of the brick meeting house, now the Masonic Hall. On the completion of the new brick meeting house in 1867, the old frame meeting house was bought by a Mr. Thomas Pirie and moved to the west end of the Village. In 1886 it was bricked in and a new section built to the east, making it one building. The front was remodeled, the ground floor accommodating two stores, the upstairs room in the west half was known as Pirie’s Hall. The east half was a dwelling. The hall was reached by a long flight of stairs between the two sections. There was only one exit from the hall, down the stairs. Pirie’s hall was the scene for many years of church and Sunday School concerts, Firemen’s concerts, political meetings and such like, until the conversion of the old Presbyterian Church into a Town Hall by the local Fire Brigade in the early 1890’s. In 1900 the Hall was leased by the Freemasons as a Lodge room at $40.00 per annum. They continued to occupy the Hall until 1944 when the building became entirely residential. The fire occurred on a bitterly cold evening; so cold in fact that water being pumped from the creek by the auxiliary pumper froze in the hose. Neighbouring fire companies assisted, but nothing could be done to save this old historic landmark. Things now really began to move. In February, 1953, an agreement was reached with the Township Council on matters pertaining to taxes and distribution of assets and fiscal charges. On February 18th, 1953 the County of Ontario passed Bylaw # 1731, constituting and erecting Pickering as the Village of Pickering as of the first day of March, 1953. So ended 53 years of Pickering Village’s history as a Police Village. " "3 Pickering Village Comes of Age With the creation of the Police Village of Pickering into a municipality by Bylaw No. 1731 of the County of Ontario, effective the first day of March, 1953, the Village entered upon a new era of expansion and development. The first municipal elections were held in Pickering Village on March 9th, 1953 and the first Village Council consisted of Cyril E. Morley, Reeve and Messrs. J. S. Balsdon, G.H. Bray, W.G. Messer, and H. Purvis, Councilors. The first important event to take place after incorporation was the Coronation of Her Gracious Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, which was celebrated on June 2nd, 1953 in Pickering Memorial Park. Preceded by a parade, the ceremonies under the chairmanship of the Reeve, Cyril E. Morley, commenced with the presentation of a flag by the Pickering Women’s Club, followed by a Service of Worship conducted by the clergy of the Village and an address by W. H. Moore, B.A., L.L.D., Q.C., after which the school children of Area No. 1, S.S. No. 2, and S.S. No. 4W., took over and presented a colorful program of choral selections and reading. There was also a commemoration planting by F.M. Chapman, B.A. The rest of the day was then turned over to the children and sports. One of the first problems facing the newly incorporated village was that of procuring water. Negotiations were quickly entered into with the Town of Ajax, an agreement concluded on September 23, 1953 and construction commenced almost immediately upon the water mains and distribution system. An easement had to be obtained for the Township Council for the 8-inch main to pass along the Baseline and Lower " "22 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 Coronation Day June 2nd, 1953 Breaking out the new flag School children’s choir " "Pickering Village Comes of Age 23 Church Street, lying within the Township. Some difficulty was experience by the contractor in the crossing of Duffins Creek which was finally overcome. There were also setbacks during the winter months from broken machinery and considerable difficulty was met in the laying of the main west of the bridge owing to quicksand being encountered. The water service was in operation in the spring of 1954 and was officially opened in conjunction with the Dedication of the Community Memorial Hall. The Hon. George H. Dunbar, Minister, Dept. of Municipal Affairs was the guest speaker, Miss Joyce Morley, daughter of the Reeve Cyril E. Morley, presented at this time, a portrait of H.M. Queen Elizabeth II and flags. To those who heretofore were dependent upon imported water from Whitby, the coming of water to Pickering was a boon and although the water rate was somewhat higher than prevailed in larger municipalities, it was much less expensive than that drawn by the tank load. The water pressure is good at all times and can be raised to over 100 p.s.i. in case of fire, by a booster pump at the foot of Church Street. The cost of the water system was $156,000.00 and its value in 1967 was $205,000.00. In October of 1954 during Hurricane Hazel, the rampaging waters of Duffins Creek undermined the newly installed 8-inch main at the Baseline bridge, breaking it and causing considerable inconvenience. With the coming of water to the village, new homes began to be built. The subdivision known as Morley Park was surveyed, services installed and over 100 homes built in record time. To cope with the sudden increase in population, a new school on Linclon Avenue was built in 1957. Late that year negotiations were commenced with the Ontario Hydro in view of purchasing the Hydro System within the Village. On July 1st, 1958 the village bought the Hydro System for $80,000.00. Its 1967 value was $120,000.00. On January 1st, 1959 the Public Utilities Commission was formed, combining the hydro and water under one management. The commissioners are (1967): James D. Koch, G.E. Honsberger, and the Reeve. A new Fire Hall was built in 1958. It is a two-storey structure, the groung floor accommodating the engines and the second floor is the Firefighters Clubroom. It is situated on the site of the old Town Hall. " "St. George Street fire halls – Left – 1922 Right – 1958 which has been described elsewhere. The cost of the building was $9.319.21 and the contractors, F. Simons and Son. Another milestone of Pickering Village was passed when on March 20th, 1960, the Bell Telephone Company’s new Ajax-Pickering Dial Exchange was officially opened. Reeve Cyril E. Morley of the Village of Pickering and Mayor Wm. A, Parish of the Town of Ajax were given the honour of being the first to use the new equipment. Mr. Parish elected to call his parents in Toronto while Mr. Morley called Mr. W.C. Murkar, editor and publisher of the “Pickering News”. Mr. Murkar said that the “News” was one of the original six subscribers in the Village when the telephone was in its infancy. The primitive Blake telephone used in those early days consisted of three boxes, a magneto generator, a mouthpiece and transmitter and a battery to provide the talking current. Dr. Byron Field was the first telephone subscriber in the Village and it was in his drugstore that the little Gilliland switchboard was installed in 1885. It was in use until 1900. By the year 1910 there were thirty Bell subscribers and from 1914 to 1921 the number varied from 62 to 69. " "Pickering Village Comes of Age 25 In the meantime the Home Telephone Company, an Independent serving as it did both the Village and rural subscribers had a much larger number of subscribers. It was it was a party line system with 10 or 12 subscribers to a line and each with their individual code ring. It had many imperfections but was a boon particularly in the rural areas. In 1922 the Bell and the Home Telephone agreed to exchange certain telephone properties to avoid duplication of services. Under the agreement the Bell transferred to the Home Telephone Company its Pickering exchange but the new Company only provided local service. It was necessary to connect with the Bell for long-distance calls. The year 1940 saw the amalgamation of the 35-year-old Home Telephone Company and the Woodbridge and Vaughan Telephone Company incorporated in 1910. The new Company instituted exchange services in the southern part of Ajax in 1949, north of Ajax being retained in the rural service out to the Pickering exchange. Effective midnight December 31st, 1950 the Woodbridge and Vaughan Telephone Company was purchased by the Bell and Pickering and Ajax subscribers became members of the Bell family. The opening of the new Dial Exchange in Pickering made the services of the forty Ajax-Pickering operators redundant. However, those who so wished were transferred to other offices by the Company. The year 1961 marked the 150th anniversary of the Township of Pickering, of which Pickering Village was formerly a part. In 1791 the surveyor Augustus Jones had surveyed the course of the Lake and had run the front line of a row of Townships from the mouth of the River Trent to Toronto and had carried the side of each township back one mile. By the original instructions of the Surveyor-General, the name of the Township was to have been Glasgow but how the change to Pickering came about there is no record, unless that loyal Yorkshireman substituted the names, Clarke, Darlington, Whitby, Pickering, and Scarborough in place of those on the instructions. The survey completed, it seems that ther were a few settlers located in the Township in 1796, as on November 11th of that year a grant was made to a Mrs. Catherine McGill of Lots 16 and 17 in the first " "26 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 concession containing by admeasurement 1200 acres with the usual allowances for roads. This huge tract of land would include the western quarter of the Village. Then, as mentioned earlier, there is a record of a meeting in 1803 at Samuel Mungers, at Lot 16, Concession 2, Pickering. This too, could have been in what is now Pickering Village. Where the first town meeting of Pickering on March 4, 1811, was held, there is not record. But one would surmise that these early town meetings, usually held in a tavern, would be held in the neighbourhood of Pickering Village situated as it was on the Kingston Road with its staging places and taverns. The 100th Anniversary of the Township was held in Brougham on June 22nd and 23rd, 1911, when thousands gathered. They came in buggies and democrats, and a few cars, to hear prominent speakers of that era and to hear and enjoy the massed choirs and ands and view and participate in the sports competitions. The 150th anniversary of the Township was held on July 1st, 2nd, and 3rd, 1961. Pickering Village co-operated to the extent that a number of the events held in the Memorial Park. On Friday evening June 30th there was a ladies softball and later Turk Broda’s N.H.L. All Stars played and exhibition game against the O.A.S.A Champions from Mt. Zion. Saturday, July 1st saw a mammoth parade, one of the best ever, then there were sports and in the evening a dance and to finish the day, fireworks. There was also an all day carnival on July 1st and again on the 3rd. At the same time that these events were happening in Pickering Village, there were celebrations in Brougham on Saturday July 1st, the official opening of the 150th anniversary in the Museum grounds taking place taking place at 3:00 p.m. with Hon. M.B. Dymond, Ontario Minister of health, as special speaker, In the evening a variety show featuring Gordie Tapp and Joyce Hahn was held at the same place, On Sunday a special Devotional Service was held at the Claremont Conservation Area featuring massed choirs. On Monday there was open house at the new Dunbarton High School. These were some of the events that made the Township of Pickering’s 150th Anniversary an outstanding occasion. " Pickering Township 150th anniversary parade July 1st 1961. "Pickering Village Comes of Age 29 Saturday, June 2nd, 1962 saw the official opening of the Village of Pickering Municipal Offices. The symbolic ribbon was cut by Earl G. Dowswill, Warden of Ontario County assisted by Frank J. Prouse and John S. Balsdon, two former Police Village Trustees who had a combined length of service to the Village of Pickering of 39 years. A few of the more prominent guests were: Michael Starr, M.P., Minister of Labour, T.D. Thomas, M.P.P., Mayor Stanley Martin, Whitby, and Mayor William Parish, Ajax. The building is pleasing to the eye, yet functional in design. The main office is a part of the Council Chamber which will seat about 40 as well as the Council and the Clerk. The office of the Clerk is off the main Council Chamber. Leading off the Council Chamber on the opposite side is the office storeroom, the Reeve’s office and the office of the Building Inspector, the heating plant, and other facilities. In spite of its compactness, there is ample room to increase the office space when needed. The architect was W.W. Rankin of the Village. Immediately to the west of the main entrance, is the old town bell, which for well over half a century started and closed the work day. It was also used as the fire alarm for the Village. During the past fifteen years,1953-1967, Pickering Village has been gradually expanding its services and adding local improvements. Many new homes have been built and other major developments are but awaiting the arrival of sanitary sewer soon to be commenced. The road system too for which a progressive plan of paving was set up some years ago, is being held in abeyance until sewers are put in, not to mention the widening of the Kingston Road to four lanes by the Department of Highways. The total mileage of Pickering’s streets is 4.4 miles, this does not include the Kingston Road or the County Road (Church Street South). Of the 4.4 miles, 2.0 miles are paved and 1.5 miles are improved. With the continuing push eastward from the City of Toronto, Pickering Village looks forward to a bright future and a very rapid development, both industrial and residential with the advent of a sanitary sewerage system. " "30 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 The Centennial project for the Village was the building of the new Centennial Library, a description of which will be found under “Pickering Library” The 1967 Council consists of R.A. Murison, Reeve and Messrs. C.A.Balsdon, W.H Hunt, P.B. Kearney, and V.P.Dingley, Councillors. Mr. Bruce Hogarth, the Village Clerk, has held the office since incorporation in 1953. The population of the village at the time of incorporation was 809, today (1967) it is 1,962. In 1953 the assessment was $695,522 while today (1967) it is $2,506,734. 1970- Since the foregoing was written much municipal and residential development has taken place in the Village. Foremost being the installation of a sanitary sewer system which in turn has led to new housing developments, Village Park and Stately Park, to the east of Mill Street, a 50-suite apartment on Church Street South and a projected 444-suite complex to be located on twelve acres of the former Anglican Church property.When the water system was installed in 1953-54 it was estimated at that time that within ten years a sanitary sewer system would be a prime necessity. Little action was taken until late in 1957 when there was visual evidence of sewage in the storm drains and road ditches. In May, 1958 the Council engaged the engineering firm of Gore & Storrie Ltd. To make a survey and estimate the approximate cost of a sanitary sewer system for the Village. In September of that year it was reported that the estimated cost of such a system with treatment plant and to serve a population of 2000 would be $485,700. The estimated mill rate to maintain, operate and retire the capital cost would be 20 mills. The Ontario Municipal Board turned down Council’s request for approval of the project, It was the first of many such requests and refusals.In the meantime costs were skyrocketing. By 1963 the estimated cost was in the neighbourhood of $500,000. Various schemes and alternatives were tried – a partial system for one – just the mains at first- but to them all the Ontario Municipal Board turned a deaf ear. " "Pickering Village Comes of Age 31 Sewer Excavating – 1968 Early in 1967, Centennial Year, and because of amendments to the Ontario Water Resources Commission Act the Village Council commenced negotiations with the O.W.R.C. with the purpose in view to have the Commission build and operate a sewage treatment system. In this the Council was more successful. By this time the estimated cost had risen to well over $1,000,000. Work was commenced in the Spring of 1968 on the project – first the mains and later the laterals. For motorists and householders alike it was a year of frustration, detours and dust. Owing to the lay-out of the village streets, detours in some instances were not possible. Householders complained bitterly of the dust nuisance, but by November the streets were back to normal or almost. An interesting sidelight, at least to the historian was the uncovering during the excavating along the Kingston Road of the various stages of the road building used during the past almost two hundred years. First the modern hard surface, then the crushed stone foundation laid on the top of a mixture of earth and gravel reminiscent of the days of statue labor when each man had to put in one day’s work a year to keep the " "32 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 roads in repair (?) and finally the primeval clay. Then in what were originally marshy places, were uncovered cedar logs, some with bark still clinging to them, which had been placed across the black muck often three to four feet in thickness, and old log culverts which at one time had taken vehicles safely over the little streams which ran through every hollow, there were several of these along the length of the Village which had been covered these many years, completely out of sight. One truly is walking on history as one traverses the Kingston Road in Pickering. To return to the sewer project, in April 1968 construction had also been started on the Pollution Control Centre. It was completed and preliminary operation was commenced in April, 1969. The Duffins Creek Pollution Centre was officially opened in October of that year by Acting Reeve, Clare Balsdon. Also present at the ceremony were: D.J. Collins, Chairman of the Ontario Water Resources Commission, Wm. Newman, M.P.P. for South Ontario and former Reeve, Cyril E, Morley, Reeve Murison was unfortunately recovering from a heart attack. The $1,400,000 Centre is owned and operated by the Ontario Water Resources Commission. It has a design capacity of 400,000 gallons per day. Providing activated sludge or secondary treatment, the effluent, so it is claimed, is pure enough to drink. The Centre is designed for a population of 3,700 persons, almost double that of Pickering in 1969. Financed under a Provincial Plan the Municipality is required to pay for the Centre’s service on a use-rate basis. The new housing developments situated east of Mill Street will all be ready for occupancy in 1970. The southern section, Village Park, is already complete and many of the new homes were occupied in 1969. Financed under a Provincial plan the Municipality is required to pay for the Centre’s services on a use-rate basis. The new housing developments situated east of Mill Street will all be ready for occupancy in 1970. The southern section, Village Park, is already complete and many of the new homes were occupied in 1969. It contains some 115 lots. The northern half, Stately Park is now under construction. It will contain 80 lots. Work also started in May on Pickering’s first real apartment block, situated on the site of the old Gordon lumber yard and apple factory on Church Street South. It will be of four storeys and contain 50 suites some of which had already been spoken for before the walls were built. The projected 444-suite apartment complex on the former Anglican Church property is still in the planning stage- it will consist of four apartment blocks with shopping facilities, etc. " "Pickering Village Comes of Age 33 The Widening of the Kingston Road through the Village means that all Public Utilities, Hydro, water, gas and telephone along the street will have to be re-located, easements obtained and property purchased before actual work can commence. A new bridge will be built over Duffins Creek about 300 feet south of the present one. The widened highway will bypass the business section and proceed along St. George’s Street westerly from the intersection of Church Street and the Kingston Road. There will be major alterations at the intersection. The Palmer residence built in the 1880’s has already been torn down. 1970 also will see practically all the Village streets resurfaced. It is a little difficult to compare the statistics of 1967 with those of 1970. The population of 1969 was 2,116 compared with 1,962 in 1967. The comparison of assessment figures is an entirely different matter. In 1967 the assessment under the old formula was $2, 506.734. Under the new equalized and actual value formula it is now $13, 866,000 or and increase of about 500%. As the mill rate has been lowered a corresponding amount the net taxes are only slightly higher, except in cases where property had been previously under-assessed The present 1970 council consist of: - Reeve R.A. Murison and Councillors C.A. Balsdon, V, Dingley, W.G. McLean and Geo. Martin and H.E. Irwin, Clerk. " "34 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 From the Cenotaph in the Pickering Memorial Park. In Houour of those who went from Pickering to serve in the Great War and in memory of those who made the supreme sacrifice. In Memoriam J. Stewart Bell Frederick L. Bateman Dan Wright William Walter Annan L.H. Pritchard William Spence Herbert G. Kerr Vincent G. Moore George Cowan J.L Blenkin Edward A. Bath H.H. Yates William T. Law Herbert Moot H. Lawrence Major James Hutchinson Raymond H. Henderson James L, McQuay James Griffin James Cassels Erected by the Citizens of South Pickering Cenotaph - World War 1 Pickering Memorial Park " "4 The Centennial Celebrations Pickering Township and Pickering Village joined together to jointly celebrate Canada’s 100th Birthday in a manner befitting the occasion. In Pickering Village the day was ushered in with the pealing of the Church Bells at 12:00 a.m., July 1st. While other communities started the proceeding with noisy gun salutes and fireworks, the ringing of the Church Bells, electronically recorded, brought back many nostalgic memories to those citizens whose early years had been spent in countries where the pealing of bells marked all joyous occasions. The preceding evening of June 30th had been marred by a severe electrical storm with much lightning and a torrential downpour. But July 1st dawned clear and bright, a beautiful summer’s day. The mammoth parade originated in the north at Brougham and in the south at Bay Ridges Odeon Theatre, joined forces at the outskirts of the Village and proceeded via the Kingston Road and Church Street to the Pickering Village Memorial Park, where the judging took place. The Township police had diverted the very heavy holiday traffic on the Kingston Road to the Baseline Road as soon as the parade started, enabling the procession to use the whole roadway. The parade itself was a most excellent one. It was led by the Pickering Village Volunteer Fire Department whose banner with the motto “Ever Ready” has been waving on similar occasions for almost 80 years. The 1888 Victoria Hand Pumper, still in good working condition, was proudly pulled by two husky firemen immediately behind the modern Village Fire Department engine and followed again by Pickering Township’s Area No. 3 engine. " "The Centennial Celebrations 37 The Centennial Parade consisting of floats depicting customs of the past 100 years and the various church, lodge, business, and private exhibitors deserve great credit for making it such an outstanding event. Of particular interest, especially to the children, were the horse-drawn vehicles and the steam traction engines which also brought back memories to those who several decades ago, used their services on the farm. Nor should we omit the Youth Bands, the Ajax Majorettes, our own award winning Pickering Blue Notes, and our American visitors, the Imperial Knights Colour Guard from Midland Park, New Jersey. Following the judging, which must have proved a terrific challenge to the judges, in the Pickering Memorial Park, an interesting afternoon was spent on sports events. Races for the children, ball games, and sports demonstrations until about 4.p.m. when once again the skies opened up cancelling all further sports activities. For those who were not so sports-minded, there was and excellent and interesting Arts and Crafts display in the Pickering High School. There were also sight-seeing bus tours during the day, taking in the most important features of the Township. In the evening some 1000 people attended the free professional Stage Show, held in the Pickering High School. The programme was exceptionally good, appealing to both young and old alike. A spectacular Fireworks Display completed the day. Arranged by the Pickering Firemen and the Rotary Club, it brought to a successful conclusion the first day of Canada’s Second Century. On Sunday, July 2nd, at 3.p.m.an Ecumenical Service of Thanksgiving was held in the Pickering High School. Clergy of all denominations taking part, assisted by the Centennial Choir with appropriate musical selection, the Public School choir, and the Six Plus One Folk Singers. The service was well attended in spite of the inclement weather and brought the Pickering Township’s and the Pickering Village’s Centennial Celebrations to a close. The Village’s Centennial Ball, held on Saturday evening, October 21st was a fitting climax to a wonderful year of Centennial Celebrations. The Ball, held in the Pickering High School Auditorium with Bobby Gimby and his Orchestra in attendance, was highlighted with may of the men and women in period costume and by the presentation by the " "38 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 Lincoln Avenue Public School Choir under the direction of Mr. William Bush of Bobby Gimby’s Centennial Song “Ca-na-da” led by Bobby himself and his trumpet. He was attired in his Pied Piper costume, the boys and girls following him backwards and forwards and around the floor of the large auditorium. It was indeed a gala occasion, a superb orchestra for those who wished to dance and a delight to the eyes for those who watched, as the ladies went swirling by in their beautiful period costumes. So concluded Pickering Village’s contribution to Canada’s Centennial Celebrations. " "5 Transportation – Yesterday and Today A word or two should be said at the outset about that main traffic artery through the village, the Kingston Road. For the first half of the nineteenth century until the advent of the Grand Trunk Railway in 1856, the Kingston Road or the road to Quebec, as Scadding calls it in his “Toronto of Old”, had been surveyed as far as Pickering in 1799, primarily as a military road between Toronto and Kingston. Commencing at the junction of King and Queen Streets in Toronto, it ran in a north-easterly direction about two concessions north of the Lakeshore. Being the stage coach route, no doubt accounted for the proliferation of hotels, taverns, and stagings along its route, so that the horses could be changed every few miles or so, depending upon the condition of the road. While we have no record of the oldest staging in the village, we do know that Woodruff’s Tavern, immediately west of the village was built in 1808 and Post’s Tavern, one and a half miles to the east, was built in 1822. The roads in those days were simply atrocious. In the wintertime, travelers and local people often had to take to the open fields with their horse-drawn cutters and sleighs in order to by-pass the huge snow drifts which accumulated between the stump, snake and rail fences which bordered the roads, while in the spring the mud holes were bottomless. It was said that on a trip from Toronto to Kingston at this season of the year, eighteen miles was a good day’s travel. Particularly swampy sections of the road would be made usable by the felling of trees alongside and laying the logs crosswise, which gave travelers a terrific jolting ride. Later, the Kingston Road was planked, lumber being readily available and cheap. " "40 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 From “Past Years in Pickering” we read: “A writer in 1825 describes the road between York (Toronto) and Kingston as the worst the human foot has ever trod.” We read of passengers obliged to alight and help extricate the coach from the mud by prying the wheels up with rails from adjoining fences and trudging up the steeper hills ankle deep in mud. The journey from York to Montreal occupied regularly four and a half days, but was very often longer. Yet it is related that Weller, a stage coach proprietor, on one occasion sent Lord Durham through in 36 hours. In 1830, the following advertisement appeared in the “Christian Guardian” in Toronto: “The public are respectfully informed that a line of stages will run regularly between York and the Carrying Place twice a week…leaving York every Monday and Thursday morning at 4 o’clock; passing through the beautiful townships of Pickering, Whitby, Darlington and Clark and the pleasant villages of Port Hope, Cobourg, and Colborne and arriving at the Carrying Place the same evening!!! William Weller, Propr. The fare Toronto to Kingston $6.00. York, June 9th, 1830 It is interesting to note that the journey from Toronto to Montreal today takes a little over 4 hours and a half by rail and even less by air, compared with the time of 4 days and a half in 1830. There was some competition during the open water season, as by 1842 there was a regular steamship line operating between Kingston and Toronto. In 1856 the Grand Trunk Railway was completed between Kingston and Toronto. On Monday, August 25, 1856, a special train left Toronto for Oshawa with an orchestra aboard to entertain the passengers and people gathered at each stop the train made. The average speed of the train was 24 miles an hour and consisted of one wood burning locomotive and seven coaches. The first Pickering station and sidings were located a little over a quarter mile east of Church Street and Mill Street was then the station road. " "Peake’s Livery – 1900 The elevation of the Church Street bridge, before the railway was double-tracked in 1889, was some 15 or 20 feet lower than it is today and the grade from the bridge to the station and beyond to what is now the town of Ajax, was quite steep. So much so that quite often a train stopping at the station, had to back up to the west of the bridge in order to gain speed enough to make the grade. W.C. Murkar tells how, that on such occasions the village boys would jump on the train at Church Street and ride up to the top of the grade (Harwood Avenue), occasionally, however, the train would by that time be going too fast for them to jump off. In such cases they had to stay on until the next stop, usually Whitby Junction, and then walk all the way back to Pickering. These were the great days of passenger trains, there being as many as seven locals a day; four west and three east-bound and certain of the express trains would stop on signal. These were the days, too, when the farmers set their watches by the International Limited, the 4 o’clock “Flyer” as it was called. It was the signal to round up the cows for milking. When the Grand Trunk Railway was double-tracked, the station was moved to one half mile west of the Church Street bridge, making it further away from the village than ever. There were, however, facilities " "42 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 to reach the station. Peake’s Livery had conveyances to carry passengers, as well as mail and express to and from the station. With the closing of Station Road by Highway 401, Pickering Station was more out to the way than ever. Mr. W.A. Goudy, a former station agent at Pickering, states that during World War II, the volume of business done by Pickering was greater than that of the City of Bellville, owing to the munitions being shipped out of the Defence Industries plant at Ajax. Pickering at one time, 1910-1912 had high hopes of an electric railway right through the village- The Toronto Eastern- and in fact, the steel was laid from Port Hope to Pickering Village; the end of the steel being north of the old William Street School at Church Street. Owing to the difficulty of obtaining an entry into Toronto, construction was halted, although options on the right-of-way had been taken out as far west as Dunbarton. At the outbreak of World War I, the rails of the Toronto-Easter railway were lifted and shipped to France. Following nationalization in the early twenties, the line was abandoned. The right-of-way may still be seen following the northern boundary of the village in and easterly direction. One of the main reasons for its abandonment was that by this time cars and buses were siphoning off the traffic from the railways all over Canada. In Pickering, following closely on the heels of the paving of the Kingston Road in 1921, two companies started operating bus routes to and from Toronto, Collacutt Coach Lines with its headquarters in Pickering and Del-Rey Coach Lines of Oshawa. Both of these companies were eventually absorbed into the growing system of the Grey Coach Lines. Since then the Grey Coach Lines have provided an excellent service and for a number of years an hourly one, until recently when reduced traffic has made it uneconomical. Instead the buses have been diverted to the Baseline road to serve the new and growing communities of Ajax and Bay Ridges. In May of Centennial year, the Government of Ontario Transit, “GO” for short, commenced operating a commuter service between Pickering and Oakville, with rush hour service to Hamilton, morning " "Transportation Yesterday and Today 43 and evening. It has proved a huge success, as far as public approval goes, from the outset. The trains are ultra-modern, diesel-electric and embody the utmost comfort for the passengers, with comfortable seating and even soft music piped in. In March, 1967, the old Pickering station was razed to the ground and a new on built just east of the Liverpool Road and off the Baseline Road. The only inconvenience the people of Pickering Village have is that the station is almost three miles from the centre of the village, but is easily accessible by good paved roads. From the beginning the new commuter service has proved most popular so much so that the parking space provided was inadequate from the start. The Pickering parking space was made half as large again and is still too small, so that passengers often have to leave their cars on the Baseline Road. Almost from the start, the people of the towns of Ajax and Whitby and the City of Oshawa have been clamoring for the commuter service to be extended east to their communities. As an interim solution the Government of Ontario has proposed a bus pick-up system for these areas. The first try-out in July, 1970 will be in the Bay Ridges area using min-buses. In September large commuter buses will run from the Oshawa Terminal and call at the two new GO terminals at Whitby and Ajax. A new bus terminal will be built north of the existing station at Pickering and will be connected to the Go platform by an underpass. The service has been a boon to those commuters who either do not have a car, or have become tired of fighting the traffic daily in and out of the city. It is only a 37-minute ride from Pickering to Union Station with direct connection with the TTC subway system. In 1900 Peake’s Livery took village residents along with the mail and express parcels to the old Pickering Station in a spring wagon drawn by a team of horses. In 1970 residents are conveyed in comfort and speed in a motor car to the new terminal at the new Pickering GO Station. The circle has been made complete. " "6 Pickering Institution The Pickering Post Office The Pickering Post Office was established on January 6th, 1829 with Francis Leys as Postmaster, and although the Village was known locally as Duffin’s Creek and remained so until well after confederation, its official name had always been Pickering as the following letter testifies. Post Office Department Ottawa, 13th, February, 1940 Dear Sir: In reply to your letter of 7th February, 1940 I may say that according to information obtained from the Public Archives of Canada, the Post Office was established on January 6th 1829, under the name of Pickering. The village where the office was located used to be known as Duffin’s Creek before the Post Office was opened, but the name of the office has always been Pickering. Signed ……… The first office was located in the East end of the Village at the Greenwood Road. Mr. Leys was postmaster until his death in 1853, when he was succeeded by his son-in-law, P.F. Whitney. Whitney’s store was at the West end of the Village at the corner of Elizabeth Street and the Kingston Road. Mr. Whitney held the office until his death in 1884 when William Logan was appointed. In 1897 William Logan was succeeded by R.A. Bunting who moved the office to his store, next to the Gordon House. R.A. Bunting held the office until his death in 1934, when I.E. Booth was appointed postmaster, who moved the office to the north-west corner of Church Street and Kingston Road. In 1941 the office was moved into the building now occupied by the " "46 The Village of Pickering – 1900 – 1970 County Health Unit. In 1957 it was moved to its present location with Mr. Harold Anderson as Postmaster. About 55 years ago Pickering Post Office became the headquarters of the two Rural Routes serving most of the southern half of Pickering Township. The extreme south-eastern section was served from Whitby. Rural Route No. 1 served the area north and east of the Village while Rural Route No. 2 served the west and south-west areas of the Township including Fairport and Dunbarton. In the late forties, because of the increased number of patrons, Rural Route No. 2 was divided into Rural Routed Nos. 2 and 3. Following the commencement of home delivery Rural Route No. 3 was discontinued. Door-to-door postal delivery was inaugurated in Pickering Village on March 18th, 1967. Mr. Robert Stanbury, M.P. for York, Scarborough, cut the ribbon symbolizing the start of the delivery service. He said there were over 2000 points of call; however other factors were taken into account to warrant the service. Among them the revenue of the office based on the sale of postage stamps. “In the past the years” he said, “the Pickering Post office revenue has doubled from $15,000.00 to more than $30,000.00.” “It is expected ,” said Reeve Murison, who also spoke, “that home deliveries would double in the next few years”. 1970 – With the inauguration of house-to-house delivery in 1967 the facilities and available space of the rented quarters of the Pickering Post Office proved inadequate for the increased business of mail sorting and dispatching. Early in the Spring of 1970 work was commenced on a new Post Office Building located on Highway 2 (Kingston Road) just east of the Pickering Township Municipal Building. It is being build by the Post Office Department and is the first Federally owned building to be built in Pickering Township. Pickering Village will be served by a sub-post office which will handle all services with the exception of mail delivery. Pickering Volunteer Fire Company The Pickering Volunteer Fire Company was organized in September, 1888, with the following personnel: W.G.Hamm, Captain; James Gordon, 1st Lieutenant; D. O’Connor, 2nd Lieutenant; and J.A. Hilts, A.B. Dowswell, R. Dillingham, J. Greig, W. Walkey, A.Falconer, E. Broad, C.Dale, Dr. Rae, M.D., W.J. Clark, and C.E. Marquis. " "Pickering Institutions 47 In the same year the Victoria hand pumper was bought from Evans and Redpath for $270. Being cautious men in those days, the engine was given a trial run before purchase. It was tested for height of throw on the Gordon House, Spink’s Mill and W.T. Dunbar’s store. The engine could be pulled by four men on the run but it took eight to man the pumps. It had 16 feet of suction hose and 100 feet of fire hose and had a 50-foot throw. The firemen depended upon household wells for water supply. This old hand pumper may be seen in the old Fire Hall. Pickering Fire Brigade about 1890 Names of Volunteer Fire Brigade are as follows: 1. Geo. Decker 2. Bob Ham 3. Jim Clark 4. Wm. Allaway 5. Sam Stewart 6. Dennis o’Connor 7. Bill Gordon 8. Tom Greig 9. Sandy Burril 10. Bob Dillingham 11. Geo. Seldon 12. Alex Cuthbert 13. Jim Gordon 14. J. Connors 15. A. Forsythe 16. Jim Harvey 17. Tom Law 18. Chas. Marquis 19. Not known 20. W. Hilts A Grand concert was held in Pirie’s Hall later that year at which over $100 was raised towards the purchase price of the new fire engine. Later another 100 feet of hose was bought. " "48 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 Following a fire at night, when it was found extremely difficult to call the fireman, it was proposed that a bell be purchase for a fire alarm. (No telephones in those days.) This bell may now be seen, mounted, at the west of the entrance to the Municipal Offices on Sherwood Road West. At an annual meeting of the Fore Company, held in 1920, two of the original members were still active. W.G. Ham, Captain and W.J.Clark , the other members at that time being James Richardson, J. Ross Thexton, Stan Davis, J.S. Balsdon, Gordon Law, M.S. Chapman and Frank Prouse. In October of 1922, the first mobile fire engine was purchased for $1,564.00. It was a chemical (soda-acid) type engine, the two tanks being mounted on a Ford chassis. A new fire hall was built to house the new equipment at a cost of $1,420.00. This is the old fire hall, west of the main hall. A new chassis was purchased in 1932 for $700.00 plus $95.00 for painting. In 1937 the Fire Company was re-organized, the Village Trustees purchased their equipment and insuring the eight firemen and a special fire account was set up. An agreement was also reached between Brougham, Claremont and Pickering Fire Departments as to boundaries for calls, The Township to pay $25.00 for each out-of-town call. As of December 31, 1937, the special Fire Brigade account was $286.27. In November, 1941, a new engine was bought at a total cost of $3,582.00. It was on a G.M.C. 3-ton chassis, with 400 gallon water tank, 900 feet of double jacked hose, a 32 foot ladder over cab, nozzles, siren, etc. A new agreement was reached with the Township Council, the Township paying the Village Fire Company $400.00 per annum for fire services in the township up to ten fires and $30.00 a fire for fires above that number. The old chemical engine was retained for emergencies. During the war years, recruits were enlisted to build up the fire fighting force anb A.R.P. equipment purchased. It was also suggested that underground cisterns be built in strategic locations in the Village but this was never acted upon. Late in 1946 the siren fire alarm was bought for $394.50. This did not include the heavy duty motor and pole. " "Official opening St. George Street west fire hall – 1958 Pickering Fire Company No. 1 engine. " "50 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 The only tragic event that can be recalled was the death of one of the firemen while on duty. It happened in 1950 when the late Charles Law after running to the Fire Hall took his position as driver of the engine. It was noticed that Mr. Law had some difficulty in steering and while crossing the bridge over Duffin’s Creek he collapsed from a heart seizure. Fortunately, John Ashton who was riding in the cab with him, was able to bring the engine under control and a still greater tragedy was averted. Mr. Law was taken back to the doctor’s while the fire truck proceeded to the fire. Since incorporation, the Fire Department has continued to maintain its growth in equipment and facilities. In 1958 a new Fire Hall was built to house the new Fire-Engine and equipment purchase earlier in 1956 at a cost of over $14.000.00. It was a G.M.C. chassis with a tank capacity of 500 gallons, and auxiliary pumper, 30 feet of 4 ½ inch suction hose, 400 feet of one inch high pressures hose and 600 feet of 1 ½ inch hose. Other equipment consisted of various types of nozzles, extinguishers, searchlights, siren and other miscellaneous equipment. It was a most up-to-date engine and of which the firemen were very proud. Also in 1956, Mutual Aid was commenced on Ontario County with fire calls being routed through the Oshawa Fire Department. At a later date the E.M.O. siren was installed at the Fire Hall. The following are the names of the 1967 firemen: Fire-Chief – Bob Scott; Deputy Fire Chief – Vernon Disney; and Ken MacRae, Peter Beelen, Len Pearson, Ken Miller, Don Pearson, Don Scott, Bob Bryant, Jim Daley, W. Blair Bryant, Harry Scott, Ken Irish, Bill Hansen, Larry Disney, Fred Annan, Edward Sleep, Lloyd Irish, and Bill Russell. While there are none of the original firemen living today, there is, after almost 80 years of continuity of service to the village and surroundings, the same esprit-de-corps, the same selfless devotion to duty and the same ideal of public service still in evidence. The residents of the Village owe a debt of gratitude to these young men who respond voluntarily to the call when emergencies arise. 1970 – With the widening of the Kingston Road (Highway 2) to four lanes through the Village and bypassing the business section via St. George’s Street West the Department of Highways of Ontario has purchased the present Fire Hall property as it abutts t o closely on the widened highway. A new Fire Hall was built on Mill Street just south " "Pickering Institutions 51 Mill Street Fire Hall – 1970 of the Friends Cemetery. The approximate cost is estimated at $62,000. The architects are Totten, Sims Hubicki & Associates Ltd. Work on the new Fire Hall was started in early June and completed in September. Pickering Firemens Club Social Events For the first twenty-five years of so of the Pickering Volunteer Fire Company’s existence, they had to obtain their funds by the giving of concerts (using local talent) picnics, in the College grounds, or in the athletic grounds of Church Street. For almost 75 years the annual Firemen’s Picnic on Dominion Day brought together people from all over the Township and many Pickering old boys and girls would come back for the day to meet and renew acquaintances of yesteryear. It always started with a Calithumpian Parade commencing at the west end of the Village and after about 1920 usually holding up traffic for an hour or so on the Kingston Road much to the chagrin of passing motorists, there being no way to bypass it.This would be followed by races for the young and old, the catching of the greasy pig, coconut shies, etc. Booths would be operated by the local Women’s Institute serving the usual delectable home-made pies and other goodies for which the ladies of Pickering were famous. " "52 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 After the judging of the floats and the races, sports events would be held. In the early years of this century it would be football, teams from all over the Township competing, then in the more recent time baseball became the more popular sport. As dusk began to draw on, people would commence to gather in front of the large raised platform to listen to concerts given by local talent interspersed by political speeches, then as we grew more sophisticated, amateur shows or perhaps a variety concert usually put on by outside entertainers. In later years, the Dominion Day Celebrations were sponsored by the Pickering Chamber of Commerce and latterly by the Rotarians. Nowadays, the event of the year is the Firemen’s Ball, sponsored by the Pickering Firemen’s Club and for the past few years usually put on twice annually at the Annandale Golf and Country Club. The Firemen’s Club have their clubroom on the second floor of the fire hall. It has been equipped by the firemen themselves from the proceeds of the annual ball and donations from other sources. There they can relax, watch T.V. or have a friendly card game. The boys have this year 1967 obtained an old fashioned, hand drawn hose reel; equipped with hose and brass nozzle. It will accompany the old Victorian hand pump (which is still in working condition) in the future parades. Its age is reputed to equal that of the old hand pumper, 1885. When speaking of the Firemen’s Club and its social activities, one should recall the purpose of these events. They provide, in a large measure, for the Firemen’s share of the fireworks which for a number of years have entertained the Village children (and adults) on Victoria Day. In Centennial Year, the demonstration took place on July 1st. In September they also hold a corn roast for the kiddies. One of the continuing projects is that of their promotion and work in aid of Muscular Dystrophy. For some years now the Firemen have canvassed the Village for funds for this worthy object and also the proceeds of one of the two Firemen’s dances have been earmarked for this cause. The Pickering Public Library By Mrs. Gordon Hepditch On June 10th, 1891 a group of interested citizens met at Dale’s Hall to organize a Mechanic’s Institute Library. The first President was R. " "Pickering Institutions 53 M. Bateman, M.D., and the Library was opened on July 3rd in his drug store. Dr. Bateman acting as Librarian. Fees were set at $1.00 a year for one book per week, with an additional charge of 5 cents a week for each additional book. In the first six months of operation, the Library acquired 103 members. Books were purchased from membership fees and donations of both books and money were gratefully accepted. Even in 1891, lost, overdue and damaged books plagued the Librarian. After one year of operation the Library had raised $173.50, $20.00 of which was a municipal grant. The books were valued at $118.00. By 1893, the Library contained 478 books and the circulation was 679. The officers for 1894 were: President and Librarian, Dr. R.M. Bateman, Vice-President, Mr. Isaac Wise, Secretary, Mr. Charles E. Marquis, Treasurer, Mr. B. Bunting, J.P. Directors: Mr. W. P. Firth, M.A., D.Sc., Principal of Pickering College, Messrs. W.T. Dunbar, W.V. Richardson, W.J. Dale, John Field and John Dickie. New Library regulations came into effect in 1895 and the name was changed to the Pickering Association Library. The management remained the same but was now responsible to the Provincial Government. A new sign and seal had to be procured. An interesting item of that year was the purchase from the Toronto Telegram, of a set of Robertson’s “Landmarks of Toronto” for $1.50. This set, now out of print, sells for several hundreds of dollars. Unfortunately, the set is no longer in the Library, having disappeared over the intervening years. Many plans for building a permanent home for the Library were discussed but none came to fruition. In 1900 the Library Board gave a contract to a Mr. Gordon to erect a frame building 16’ x 20’ to be attached to the east side of Dr. Bateman’s drug store. The cost was to be $150.00 with $75.00 payable in 1900 and the balance in 1901, plus 3 ½ % interest. However, even after letting the contract, circumstances prevented the erection of the building. After 15 years of faithful service, Dr. R. M. Bateman resigned as Librarian, but continued as Chairman of the Board until 1908. Mr. T. M. McFadden became the new Librarian in 1906 and Mr. John Murkar, Chairman in 1908. Mr. Murkar held the office until 1915. " "54 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 In 1904 the fees were 50 cents a year and 25 cents for the rest of the family. At the 1915 annual meeting a discussion entitled “Shall we close the Library” took place. The decision to carry on was unamimous. The members present at the meeting were entertained with selections played on Mr. McFadden’s gramophone. Mr. McFadden resigned in 1917. Mr. Liddell succeeded to the position vacated by Mr. McFadden. New shelves and cabinets were constantly being added, the Library being moved from the drug store to Bradley’s Harness Shop (now torn down). Discussion regarding new quarters was a perennial topic and a new building was always slated for “next year”. In 1930 the Library moved to new quarters in the Courtice Block. Lighting at the first was by Coleman lamps and heating by a box stove. Electricity was installed in 1945 and the box stove was replaced by a space heater. It was at this time and while Miss Jean Clark was Librarian that the Library was classed as one of the finest Association Libraries in the Province. Funds were always a problem and tag days, door-to-door canvasses, rummage sales and what not, supplemented the Municipal and Provincial grants and yearly fees. In 1954 the Library moved to the new Community Memorial Hall. During 1956 the Library ceased to be an Association Library and became a Public Library under Provincial Legislation. The present system of charging books was installed and the new Board consisted of three representatives appointed by the Village Council, three from the Urban School Board and Two from the Separate School Board. By 1963 the Library had outgrown its premises and moved to temporary quarters in the old Church Street Public School and when it was demolished in 1964, the Library leased No. 4 Kingston Road West. An item of great interest to be found in the Library is the beautiful volume, bound in hand-tooled leather, entitled “The Lady Tweedsmuir Book of the History of Pickering District” and compiled by the local Women’s Institute. It contains information about early families, schools and churches and many old photographs. The book is kept at the Pickering Library " "Pickering Intuitions 55 And while it cannot be borrowed in the usual way, anyone may ask to see the book. In the 76 years of the Pickering Library’s existence, it has had many homes but at last in this Centennial year, it has a permanent one. Situated just within and a little to the north of the Memorial Gates, the Library building is approached by the Centennial Square. The western end being canopied and focuses one’s attention on the Pickering Memorial Cenotaph. Entering the building one notices the airy spaciousness of all the working areas with ample provision for present and future requirements. There is a large counter providing plenty of working space for the Librarian and her assistant, there is a large adult section, a children’s section, a reference room, a workshop and a staff room. The building is modern in styling, yet functional in design. Mr. W.W. Rankin was the architect. The total cost of the building alone was $34,300.00 including the civic square. The Library Board is extremely grateful to all those who have contributed in any way to the building and its equipment. Pickering Village Public Library 1967 " "56 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 The new Library Building was officially opened on May 31st, 1967 by former reeve of the Village, Cyril E. Morley, assisted by Reeve Murison and Mr. Robert Kennington, Chairman of the Library Board. Other guests included: Charles Healey, Warden, Ontario County, Clifford Laycox, Reeve, Pickering Township, Harry Smith, Mayor of Ajax, W.A. Roedde, Director of Provincial Libraries Service, Mr. J.J. Finnegan, Chairman, Central Library Board. In 1967 Library board is a follows: Mr. R. Kennington, Chairman; Mrs. R. Murison, Vice-Chairman; Mrs. K. Cooper, Mrs. M. Buttars, Mrs. J.C. Richardson, Mrs. M. Togerson, Mrs. C. Barkey, Mr. P. Gilderson. Number of books on shelves – Adult: Fiction 3760, Non-Fiction 1700, Juvenile 2950. Membership: 1226, Circulation: 2,000. 1970 – Since writing the foregoing a new Township Public Library has been opened at Bay Ridges. The latest statistics are therefore for Pickering Village only but nevertheless show an increase over the previous year. Number of books on shelves December 31, 1969, 7,454: Circulation, 15,790 and Membership 884. The 1970 Library Board is as follows: Mrs. Dennis Wilder, chairman; Mrs. R. Murison, Mrs. C. Barkey, Mrs. J.C. Richardson, Mrs. K.Cooper, Mr. P. Gilderson, Mr. R. Kennington, and Mrs. G. Hepditch, Secretary-Treasurer. " "7 Schools The Pickering Public School Unfortunately the early history of Pickering Village Schools has been completely lost. In the section, Pickering’s Churches, it will be noted that in the early 1820’s and 30’s services of worship were held in Squire Leys’ School, a little east of the Village. There is also a record of a Quaker School just east of Duffin’s Creek. There is a story too, of a school somewhere near the corner of Kingston Road and Windsor Drive. This possibly could have been the school referred to in the early days of St. George’s Parish in which it says, “A service was held in the school nearby”. In November, 1886 the “Pickering News” records the death of Mr. John Leys, born in 1834 and educated in the Pickering Village School. Also in the same year it reports the appointment of Dr. H.A. Beaton, as resident doctor at the Orillia Asylum and as having taught at Duffins Creek (Pickering Village) in the 1860’s. He was a son of Mr. Hector Beaton of Whitevale, Clerk of Pickering Township for many years. The earliest authentic records we have been able to find are from the “Pickering News”. At the annual meeting of the school trustees for S.S. No. 4 West (Pickering Village) in 1886, receipts were $1,475.60 and expenditures $1,439.51. (The school at this time is the brick building now occupied by Aasen’s Garage). There was no mention made of the necessity for a new school then, or was there in the following year 1887, but in May, 1888, a public meeting of ratepayers was called to pass on the architect’s plans for a new school. A site had already been chosen and the only reason for building that can be ascertained, was that the old school building had been condemned as the walls were spreading apart, coupled with unsightly and unsanitary surroundings. A hotel and horse stables were close by. Aside from the fact of a dispute relating to school boundaries and the refusal at first of the 57 " "Made this seventeenth day of November, 1894 between the Public School Board of the Village of Pickering and John Murkar of the Township of Whitby. “TheSchool Board hereby employs for their said school, such teacher at a salary of Four Hundred Dollars for the term of one year, beginning the first day of January, one thousand, eight hundred and ninety-five and ending on the thirty first day of December in the same year. Isaac Wise, Robert Miller, John Field, Trustees. Besides his teaching duties, Mr. Murkar was also active in church and community affairs. For many years, the students of the Pickering Public School, if they wished upon graduating, to continue their studies had to go either to Malvern Collegiate, East Toronto or to Whitby High School. As a consequence, it was only the favoured few who were able to obtain a higher education. After the Continuation School was built at Claremont, however, there developed an agitation for such a school in Pickering. In 1923 two rooms were added to the Public School for Continuation School purposes. As a matter of fact, the whole school was remodeled; a low-pressure steam heating plant installed, a water and sanitary system provided for the use of staff and students. The Continuation and remodeled Public School was officially opened on February 22nd, 1924 by Major Crowles of the Dept. of Education, Toronto University. Students however, still had to go the Scarborough or Whitby to finish their High School work in order to take their departmental examinations. In 1957 the Lincoln Avenue School was built to accommodate the ever increasing school population. The old school had been badly overcrowded for a number of years. The two basement rooms had been turned into classrooms and even after the Pickering District High School was built releasing the two Continuation School rooms, space was still at a premium and with the condemning of the older part of the building, as being unsafe, the west wall was bulging 4 inches, a new school became a necessity. The Lincoln Avenue School was officially opened on September 3rd, 1957 by Mr. A.A. Archibald, Inspector of Public Schools. Mr. W.D " "The Old Public School on Church Street North Township Council to issue debentures, no reference could be found of the progress of the building of the new school until the following year when at the annual meeting, the boundary dispute still had not been settled. The following in a brief description of the new school on William Street (Church St. North) in 1894. “This building (Pickering S.S. No 4 West) was erected in 1888 at a cost of over $5,000.00 and has accommodation for 200 scholars. It is fitted with the Smead-Dowd system of heating and ventilation and is in every way convenient and as a result has a high standing in the list of Common Schools…..The principal is Mr. T.B. Gerow and Miss Ella Whitney, assistant.” One of the early principals was Mr. John Murkar, who taught from 1851-1901 when he resigned to go into business as proprietor of “The Pickering News”. It is said, that when he applied for the school there were three applicants for the position of Principal. He was chosen because of his excellent penmanship. The following is an abstract from the agreement of Mr. John Murkar and the School Trustees; courtesy of Mr. W. C. Murkar. " "60 The Village of Pickering – 18 – 1970 Johns, Chairman of the Board, stated in his remarks that the school was one-storey and ultra-modern in design, that at present it consisted only of 6 rooms but was planned so that 6 additional rooms could be added at a later date. This was done in 1959. Provision was made so that the two east rooms could be, by the removal of the sliding blackboards, used as an assembly room. The school is heated by gas-fired boilers. The total cost was $110,000.00. Linclon Avenue Public School and Centennial Cairn After the opening of the Lincoln Avenue Public School, the old school on Church Street continued to be used in different capacities. For awhile it provided temporary accommodation for the overflow of the District High School and possibly its last use was as the home of the Pickering Public Library. It was finally torn down in 1964. The old school bell form the belfry was saved and has been mounted along with the corner stone and the name plate from the 1867 school at the Lincoln Avenue School as a Centennial project. During a freak summer storm in 1961, the new school was struck by lightning. It apparently grounded through the wiring. The roof was set on fire and the consequent water damage to the school equipment was great. The school had to be completely re-wired, the major part of " "Schools 61 the roof had to be replaced, as well as doors, cupboards and text books. The total damage amounted to $20,000.00. In 1957 the teaching staff numbered 9, today in 1967 it is 14. Mr. R. T, Doble is principal, Mr.G.D. Brown vice-principal. The Centennial cairn, commemorating 100 years of education in Pickering Village was unveiled on December 15th, 1967. The cairn designed by Mr. Aldo Riva, architect, is of modern design and contains the cornerstone of the school house of 1867 and of the Church Street North school built in 1888. The bell from the latter school hangs in the arch of the cairn. The School’s two youngest pupils, Kendra Martin and Randy Henderson cut the ribbon unveiling the cairn. Mr. A.R. Irwin, chairman of the Board and Mr. W.C. Murkar spoke briefly during the ceremony. In 1969 a large gymnasium was added to the western end of the school buildings. It is very modern in style, equipment and facilities. The gymnasium can be divided into two sections when required by a dividing wall electrically operated. The building can also be used as an auditorium there being a retractable stage at the north end. The facilities consist of change rooms, wash rooms, showers and an instructor’s room. There is also the necessary heating equipment and air conditioning units. It is primarily for school use but may be used by public organizations by payment of any extra caretaking expenses. Two portables were also added in 1969 and with the completion of the new subdivision to the east, Village Park and Stately Park, additional rooms will have to be added in the near future. Pickering High School The first school of the newly created Pickering District High School was opened in September 1951 with 16 rooms and 418 students. The building was built at a cost of $466,000.00. Seven additional rooms were added in 1952 and 2 more in 1962. Owing to the rapid increase in the school population, particularly in the South Pickering Township in the fifties and sixties and in spite of the building of the Ajax High School in 1956 and Dunbarton High School in 1961, both of which had to be enlarged shortly after completion, Pickering High School had its capacity more than doubled in 1966 with the addition of 34 more rooms, giving the school a total of 59 rooms, providing accommodation for 1370 students. " "62 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 Pickering High School is located immediately to the North of the Village on a site of 20 ¾ acres. The new addition was opened in October, 1966 by the Hon. William G. Davis, Q .C., B.A., LLD., Minister of Education, Province of Ontario. Pickering High School The addition was designed to link with the corridors of the existing school in such a way as to provide a continuous loop of corridor system. It is a brick construction throughout. Internally the rick has been left untreated where possible, requiring little or no maintenance. The total cost of the new addition including equipment was $2,153,108.00. The Federal and Provincial grants totaled $1,178,018.00 and the balance of $975,090.00 was borne by the three municipalities; The Township of Pickering, The Town of Ajax and the Village of Pickering. Shore and Moffat and Partners were the architects and Konvey Construction Company Limited the general contractors. The school officials (1967) are; Mr. A. Ross Irwin, Business Administrator and Secretary Treasurer, Mr. J. Clark Richardson, B.A., Ed., Superintendent of Secondary Schools, Mr. D.J. Kettle, B.P.H.E., M.ED., Principal, Mr. J.W. Robb, B.A., Vice Principal, together with a teaching staff of 65 members. " "Schools 63 Pickering College (Quaker) 1877 – 1905 While not situated in the Village proper, although its entrance was from the Kingston Road in the Town, Pickering College occupied a commanding site to the north-east of the Village. It was surrounded by beautiful and spacious grounds through which wound the tree lined drive leading to the College buildings on the top of the hill. Built in 1877, Pickering College was the successor to the Society of Friends’ Boarding School, which was opened near Picton, in 1841. It was a co-educational institution and rapidly gained for itself a reputation for excellence. It was the design of the promoters to provide a school for the education of the children of Friend where they would be surrounded by Christian influence. The students however, were not confined to the children of Friends alone, but included members of almost every Christian denomination. The teaching was non-sectarian. From 1885 to 1892 the College was closed, but when it re-opened, its reputation grew as never before. The College had four departments – preparatory, collegiate, commercial, and the fine arts (music, drawing and painting). In the early nineties the attendance taxed to the utmost the capacity of the building. Pupils coming not only form Canada and the United States, but from Japan, Russia, China, Persia, Armenia, Australia, Central America and the West Indies. The College was pre-eminently a home school. Its healthy moral tone, the quiet environs, the opportunities for athletic pursuits on its campus, its rinks, its well-equipped courts and its splendid gymnasium; all added to its popularity. Association football , rugby, cricket and tennis were prominent sports. The College also tended to foster healthy athletics in the Village, as well as the cultural benefit derived from its close proximity. Mr. Frank M. Chapman, B.A., one of Pickering’s famous sons, teacher, editor, Jersey breeder and orchardist, graduated from Pickering College at which he later taught. His brother, Mr. Miles S. Chapman, was also a graduate. On the eve of the re-opening of the College for the winter term of 1906, the main building was destroyed by fire. Only the large brick " "64 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 gymnasium and stables were saved. After careful consideration by the trustees, it was decided not to rebuild, but to remove the College to Newmarket, where Pickering College is continuing its career of usefulness and making a great contribution to education in Canada. The College property was later bought by the late Mr. E.L. Ruddy, who converted the gymnasium into a residence where he lived, at first during the summer, later all the year round. " "8 Our Churches - Past and Present Anglican – St. George’s Recently discovered records show the existence of an Anglican Mission in Pickering as early as 1826. Following the periodic Anglican services held in the Township of Pickering and Whitby by the Rev. Adam Elliott, the parish of St, Georg’s was founded in 1832. In 1836 there is a record of both places being visited by Rev. H. H. O’Neill in the months of March and April. In 1841 Pickering and Whitby were formally united as one charge. The first incumbent being Rev. John Pentland. In this year, St.George’s Church was built. It is of brick construction in Gothic style with buttresses of brick. According to a story which apparently still continues to be told, the bricks were supplied by the Grand Trunk Railway in payment of the right-of-way through the Church properly which extended much further south at that time. The interior of the church today is probably much the same as when built. Its simplicity of style impresses the worshipper with a sense of restfulness and peace. In 1864, Pickering and Whitby were separated. In the year 1877 Pickering was united with Port Whitby, and in 1879 Rev. W.S. Westney was in charge and according to Mr. F.H. Westney, a nephew, it was his uncle the Rev. W.S. Westney who planted the spruce trees which line the northern boundary of the old but beautiful cemetery and the walk to the church door. In 1893 Port Whitby was again restored to the Whitby charge. Owing to the records being lost in 1925, little is known of the period immediately prior to that date. We do know however, that in 1929 Port Whitby, which for some years previous had been linked with Pickering, became a separate parish, It was in this year that Rev. E.G. " "66 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 Robinson came to Pickering and he was rector pf St. George’s for 25 years. At this time also St. Paul’s on the Hill, Dunbarton, was built. It was during the incumbency of Rev. H.S. Shepherd, D.D., that the parish hall was planned, built and dedicated. The corner store was laid in 1959 and the building was dedicated in 1962,. It was largely through the efforts of Dr. Shepherd who, with other members of the congregation contributed many hours of voluntary labour, that the building was successfully completed. St. George’s Anglican Church Previous to coming to Pickering, Dr. Shepherd had spent a quarter of a century in the Arctic where he is still remembered with love and affection by the Eskimos of Aklavik and other points. The Parish Hall will always stand as a memorial to the man who gave so much to God, his Church and his Fellowman. If we take the year 1832 as the founding of St. George’s, the parish is now 135 years old. In 1966 at the 125th anniversary of the building of St. George’s Church, a singular honour was conferred on this ancient parish by the presence of the Most Reverend Howard H. Clarke, Primate of all Canada as special preacher. The Rev. Barry McQuade, B.A., L.T.H., is the present incumbent. " "Our Churches Past and Present 67 Bible Christian The Bible Christian Church in Pickering was a simple brick building which stood opposite the present United Church on the site of the Gulf Service Station. There are apparently no formal records at present available but we do know however, that the late Mr. Brereton Bunting, J.P. and family, Mr. W.L. Courtice and sister, John and Mrs. Powell, Mr. Jos. Ellicott, Mr. Fred Hobbs, and Mr. Samuel Stanley were members of the church at the time of Union with the Methodist Church in 1883. From the ”Pickering News” we learn that after Union the church building was used by a sect of the Society of Friends, as they refer to their Meeting House as the late Bible Christian Church. They were known as “Hicksites” and apparently were quite strong in Pickering in the 80’ and 90’s. Methodist The history of Methodism in Pickering dates back to 1817 when the Duffin’s Creek circuit was organized with Rev. James Jackson as Superintendent. One of the most famous of the early Methodist circuit riders was Egerton Ryerson who preached at Squire Ley’s in 1834. Former Pickering Methodist Church about 1912 " "68 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 Little record is to be found from this time until the early fifties, when the Pickering circuit in 1865 embraced the following points: Duffin’s Creek, Kinsale, Salem, Greenwood, Claremont, Mount Pleasant, Brougham, Jackson’s (Mt. Zion) and Glensharrard (Glen Major). With Rev’s. John Lake and Edward Morrow were associated the lay preachers, Messrs. Law, Darlington, Gamble, Eldon, Bunting, Lock, Switzer and Blow. Brereton Bunting, J.P., whose name appears in the above list came to Pickering in 1851 and served from the earliest years of his residence as a local preacher. To him and the others on the list Methodism in Pickering owed much to their faithful and arduous labours in those early years. Brereton or Squire Bunting, operated a general store in the west end of the Village (Dan’s Restaurant), from 1857 until taken over by his son Richard A. Bunting, in 1887. The first Methodist Church in Pickering Village, a frame building, stood in what is now the old cemetery on Elizabeth Street. It was built in the 1840’s and did good service until 1879 when the large brick structure was built on the Kingston Road. This building was demolished in 1956 and the site is now occupied by the I.G.A. super market. The old Methodist cemetery on Elizabeth Street is under the supervision of the Trustees of the United Church. It was restored in 1966, the broken and fallen headstones being placed in a cairn. The Society of Friends – Quakers About the year 1810 the Society of Friends or Quakers as they were called, held meetings in the home of Timothy Rogers somewhere in the north end of what is now Morley Park. Some time later a large wooden structure was built on land given them by Timothy Rogers upon which to erect a Meeting House and also for use as a cemetery. Their worship was characterized by the well known features of quiet meditation, waiting for and speaking only when moved by the Spirit. Their life was of the quiet, peace-loving industrious type which has always characterized the Friends and Pickering has had no better citizens than those of this name. The Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends was established in 1867, at which time the large, brick Meeting House was erected. Representatives not only from various parts of Canada but from the Untied States, England and Ireland attended this meeting. " "Our Churches Past and Present 69 On 1908 the Meeting House was struck by lightning and burned and the records of earlier meetings and a particularly fine library were lost. The Meeting House was repaired in the following year and was used for a few years afterwards, but the adjacent Pickering College having been transferred to Newmarket, the Meeting House soon fell into disuse. In 1943 the building was sold to the local Lodge of Freemasons and is still in use by them as a Masonic Temple. The Friends Meeting House (now the Masonic Temple) The Friends’ Cemetery is situated across Mill Street from the former Meeting House. It is beautifully kept, and reflects the continued care of the descendants of those early pioneers of Pickering. The Pickering United Church The Pickering United Church was formed from the union of St. Andrew’s and St. Paul’s United churches on March 28th, 1930. Since that time it has continued to grow with the increase in population of the village. In the early days of World War II under the ministry of the Rev. M.R. Jenkinson and during the construction of the Defence Industries plant at Ajax the Pickering United Church in co-operation with St. George’s Anglican Church held services in the lounge room of the " "70 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 men’s residence and later in the Recreation Hall of the plant. As an outcome of these services on January 31st, 1943, a community church sponsored by the Anglican, Baptist, Presbyterian and United churches, was dedicated in the new town of Ajax. In the early 1950’s during a violent thunderstorm, the tower of the church was stuck by lightning. Fortunately it did not ignite but the wooden framework was so badly splintered and twisted that the upper section had to be torn down and rebuilt, accounting for the truncated tower of today. The Pickering United Church With the increase in population in the village following the completion of the Morley Park sub-division the church facilities became inadequate, particularly for Christian Education purposes. Under the wise guidance of Rev. Melville Buttars and after serious consideration, whether to enlarge the present church premises or build a separate building, it was decided to build. The west wing of the Christian Education Centre being built in 1957. It contains a large auditorium, kitchen, radiant-heating plant and washrooms. The east wing was completed in 1961 and consists of the chapel classroom, library, minister’s study and church office. " "It was dedicated to the Glory of God on Sunday, November 22nd, 1964 The Christian Education Centre also provided meeting facilities for many secular organizations not directly connected with the Pickering United Church. Among them being the Red Cross Blood Donors Clinic, the County Health Unite, the Senior Citizens, the Scouts Executive, the Guides and Brownies, the Daily Vacation Bible School in th summer, the Pickering Horticultural Society and several smaller groups. The present minister is the Rev. John F. Gertidge, B.A., B.D. Presbyterian The inauguration of Presbyterianism in Pickering directly associated with the name of Rev. Robert Thornton, D.D., of the Secession Church of Scotland who travelled westward to Pickering in 1835. The first entry in the records of that body is that of a session meeting held on Squire Ley’s School on July 5th, 1835. Rev. Thornton presided as moderator, with William dunbar. Hoh Agnew and Hames Greig, Session Clerk. This organization actually covered the whole township, some being received int membership from Dunbarton, Cherrywood and Claremont. The first communion was held on Sunday, November 8th, 1835, when the following were admitted to membership: Robert Coutts, Janet Hyslop, John Greig, Jean Coutts, William Dunbar, Helen Peat, Jean Knox, Laura Bratt, David Sinclair, William McQuig, David Strather, James Greig, David Smith and Rachel Park.. A large number of these pioneer families were from Dunbarton and the 2nd concession (later Erskine Church). A later membership roll lists still more names of Dunbarton and Cherrywood pioneers. There were, however, a few members in Duffin’s Creek who later became part of the Dunbarton Charge. In 1838 we note that Rev. Thornton preached on alternate Sundays and that his salary was 25 pounds a year. Under date of September 29th, 1839, we find the following entry: Collection at Mr. Ley’s - 1s. 3 ½ d. Collection at 2nd concession – 2s 3 ½ d. This is the first record that there were two congregations in Pickering Township. The congregation on th 2nd concession met across the road to the west of the present Erskine Church. In 1840 there were 40 members in Pickering. " "72 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 In this year also the Church of Scotland (The Auld Kirk) commenced services in Duffin’s Creek, the 2nd Concession Church remaining with the Secession Church. Following this, there are considerable gaps in the church records of the United Presbyterian Church, but in 1854 a petition was presented to the Toronto Presbytery by 14 persons of the Village of Canton (Pickering Village) praying to be received into Communion along with petitioners from Dunbarton, into a congregation. The Canton congregation met in the brick church built in 1857 which stood in the centre of the Village and its use was discontinued after the Union of the Presbyterian Churches in 1879. Later the building was used as a Town Hall until torn down in 1956. The Auld Kirk Let us now return to the story of the Auld Kirk (Church of Scotland). It dates from 1840 when under the Rev. James Lambie, St. Andrew’s Church, Duffin’s Creek was organized. Mr. Lambie made his home in Duffin’s Creek and ministered to a wide circle of Presbyterians in both Whitby and Pickering Townships. His two regular preaching places in Pickering Township were at Duffin’s Creek and St. John’s, Brougham. Following Mr. Lambie’s death in 1847 the work was continued by Rev. Peter McNaughton until 1854 when he was followed by Rev. Walter Ross. Following Union of the Presbyterian Churches into the Presbyterian Churches of Canada in 1879, the Canton United Presbyterian congregation which up to this time had been a part of the Dunbarton Charge, was formally incorporated with the St. Andrew’s congregation. In 1891 the congregation of St. Andrew’s built the brick structure now the Pickering United Church, replacing the older stone church to the rear of the present building. On March 28th 1930, the St. Andrew’s congregation was formally united with the St. Paul’s congregation (formerly Methodist) to form the Pickering United Church as we know it today. St. Andrew’s The Presbyterian Church was re-organized in Pickering in 1932 with Rev. Dr. Carmichael in charge and met for worship in the Friends’ Meeting House. In 1949 they built their present church on Church Street North. The corner stone was laid on July 4th by Walter C. Thompson, K.C., " "M.P., and the new church building was dedicated on December 8th, 1949. Under the ministry of the Rev. Davis Marshall, the Presbyterian cause in Pickering continued to thrive. It is now a self-supporting charge. St. Andrew’s has a very active Explorer and C.G.I.T. groups. They are interdenominational in membership and are the only church girl’s groups in the Village. The leaders are Mrs. Frank Conkey and Mrs. Lillian Wright. St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Early in the Spring of 1979 work was commenced on what had been for many years a dream of the St. Andrew’s congregation, the erection of a Christian Education Building. It contains facilities for Sunday School and other activities associated with the work of the congregation. The new building consists of a hall, four class rooms, a Church parlor, the Minister’s study, a kitchen, washrooms and the heating plant. The corner stone was laid on Sunday, September 20th, 1070, and dedicated to the Glory of God on Sunday, October 25, 1970. The Rev. Frank Conkey, M.A., is the present minister. Roman Catholic – St. Francis De Sales From “A Centennial History” and other sources Christianity was first represented within the vicinity of Pickering Village by French Roman Catholic missionaries who spent the " "74 Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 winter of 1669-70 among the Indians near Frenchman’s Bay. While there they at least knew of Duffin’s Creek naming I ”Riviere au Saumon”. Among the earliest settlers in the Village and Township were many of the Roman Catholic faith and they constituted an important part of the population. Previous to 1843, the Roman Catholic families living in Pickering and in the Township occasionally attended church in Toronto, there being no church nearer. Children of that period were carried by their parents in their arms or on their shoulders all the way to St. Paul’s, Toronto, to be christened. In 1843, a church was erected in Oshawa and the Roman Catholics of Pickering were able to enjoy the ministrations of their church there. In 1848 Rev. J.B. Proulx was appointed to Oshawa and the neighbouring missions of Pickering and Highland Creek. Father Proulx built the first Roman Catholic Church in Pickering, St. Wilfrid’s. It was a wooden structure and was situated about 40 rods south of the Kingston Road on the old Station Road (Notion Road), at the extreme western limits of the Village. The venerable tombstones of the early settlers were grouped in the middle of the graveyard about a quarter century ago. The present cemetery is about one half mile further south adjacent to Highway 401. Previous to the building of the present church in 1869-70 the Duffin’s Creek Mission consisted of two churches, St. Wilfrid’s in Pickering and St. Joseph’s in Highland Creek. By this time, however, the Church of St. Wilfrid’s was in a bad state of repair. In 1871 Father Hayden reported that the new church of St. Francis de Sales was nearly completed, the probable cost being $7.000.00. The church commands an imposing position in the Village and its graceful spire is visible for miles in all directions. St. Francis de Sales is the patron saint of Roman Catholic writers and journalists throughout the world. The course of St. Francis de Sales’ history closely parallels the economic condition of the township as a whole. From 1880 as the population declined until 1940 when the population again began rise as a result of the influx of vast numbers of workers employed by Defense Industries at Ajax. In 1913 a disastrous fire completely destroyed the Rectory which was situated on the present site of the St. Francis de Sales Separate " "Our Churches Past and Present 75 School. Fortunately the church building itself was untouched. For the next 29 years the parish became a mission served by priests from Whitby. In 1942 Father Bernard Kyte re-opened the parish of St. Francis de Sales when the shell filling plant at Ajax brought many Roman Catholic families into the district. Father Kyte was and outstanding young priest beloved by all. He established a mission at Ajax which in 1950 became St. Bernadette’s Parish. The priests of St.Francis de Sales were also in charge of the mission at Rosebank. In 1953, a Separate School was built beside St. Francis de sales Church in Pickering, at a cost of $35,100.00. Two classrooms were added in 1954 and in 1959 four more were added. The school now has 11 classrooms and employs nine teachers (1966) St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church Father Walter Forgach on coming to the parish embarked on an extensive program of re-construction and re-decoration of the church building. The steeple had been repaired, lawn and shrubbery has replaced asphalt in front of the church. In the interior, the choir " "76 Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 Loft stair had been moved and the sanctuary was completely reconstructed to conform with the modernization of the church’s ritual. The interior was also repainted and paneled and the sactuary re-carpeted. In 1967 a new rectory was built adjacent to the church. It is of brick and complements the church building to the north. During the 1950’s many Dutch Catholic families came to Pickering. They now represent about one half of the families attending and supporting the parish of St. Francis de Sales but also of great value to Pickering Village and the community at large. The St. Francis de Sales Parish Credit Union was formed in 1954. The Dutch residents of the parish were early and strong supporters of the Credit Union. In 1966 the Credit Union’s assets were $142,000.00 with a membership of 463, gross earnings of $13,424.36 and net profits of $9,257.67. Rev. M.T. Griffin, B.A. and Rev. J.K. Thompson are the present priest in charge. " "9 Pickering Activities Sports In the early days while we have no record of team sports, there were, of course, many outlets for feats of strength and endurance. While a number of these exhibitions of physical prowess would be thought of today as work and hard work at that, nevertheless, there was an element of competition in them. The logging bees and bees to break up new land. In this connection the late Mr. C.S. Palmer related how when he broke up the south section of his farm on the second concession, each man and team competed in seeing who would complete his land first, helped, of course , by the inevitable keg of beer on the headland. It was a quick way to break up a new field. As the farms were cleared, the primitive log stabling was replaced by the frame barns, the erection of which was called a barn-raising. The timbers would be assembled the winter ahead and in the spring the carpenter would square them, then cut them to length, mortise them so that the plate and braces would fit perfectly when the time came to assemble them, the drilling for and making of the dowel pins, all this would be done on the ground. When the day came for the raising, usually just before haying, the neighbours would arrive early in the morning, when under the supervision of the master carpenter would lay and prepare the bents while others would lay the sills and the stringers, if it were a bank barn, then lay the planking across the stingers. After the bents were raised and the plates and braces in place and pinned, captains were chosen and the two sides would then race to see which side would have the rafters up first. It needed both skill and great strength as the rafters were long and heavy. In the meanwhile the ladies of the neighborhood would be assisting the farmer’s wife to prepare a meal 77 " "78 Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 fit for the gods. The tables would be set outdoors and laden with the best of food to satisfy the prodigious appetites of the men. In the evening and often lasting into the wee small hours of the morning, the traditional barn dance would be held on the newly laid floor, the local fiddler would provide the music for the square dances and the caller-off would sing himself hoarse keeping the sets going. While this seems to be foreign to the village, it must be remembered that in the early days and not so many years ago, Pickering Village had farms and barns right within its confines. Strange as it may seem, cricket was the first team sport recorded in Pickering Village. In 1888 a Cricket Club was organized. The officers were: Hon. President, J.D. Edgar, M.P., President, Dr. R.M. Bateman, Vice-President, Dr. J. H. Eastwood, Secretary, R.A. Bunting, Captain, E. R. Eddy. The Whitby Club described the Pickering Club as playing a country style of cricket, but the Pickering Club defeated Oshawa and won from East Toronto in August, 1888. Pickering also played in the final game for the championships of the province, missing victory by only a narrow margin. For the gentler sex and the older men, lawn croquet was the leading outdoor sport and on a summer’s evening one would see the game being played on the lawns of the Logan’s on Kings Street, or at the Maver’s on Church Street. For the more energetic, tennis was becoming quit popular. The Pickering Tennis Club had several championship players over the years. Around the turn of the century Mrs. John Murkar and Mr. W.V. Richardson won many times in neighbouring towns and while the game was in eclipse during the First World War, it was revived in the 20’s under the Presidency of Dr. V.E. Cartwright and in the early thirties, Messrs. Brown and Petrie were playing championship games in nearby towns. Since that time it gradually declined in popularity. The tennis courts were situated immediately east of St. George’s cemetery on what is now Park Road South. In the late 1890’s Association football actually became the leading team sport in Pickering Village and the Township. It was very popular at the beginning of this century. While we have no record on hand of Pickering Village winning any championship, they played against championship teams of the Association. Mr. James L. Palmer was president of the association for seven years. An old photograph taken " "Pickering Activties 79 About 1912 shows the following players: F. Adair, S. Davis, Rev. Johnson, G. Law, Scottie……., W. Spence, Les Morecombe, Jas. Richardson, Frank Puckerin, F. Booth, Walter Booth, Blake Annis, Fred Kirby, F.Turner, and Jack Calvert. (See photo). The Pickering Soccer Team 1912 Soccer has again been revived in the past few years by the Dutch residents of the Village. Baseball was somewhat slow getting started in Pickering Village. It is briefly mentioned in the early years of the century but was second to football. Following World War I, baseball really came into its own, there being both men’s and girl’s softball teams. In 1921 there was an excellent Girls Softball Team in Pickering. With the opening of Memorial Park in 1922, the teams had a place to practice and to play; although football still preempted the field most of the time. By 1931 baseball had taken over completely. Regular games were played all season but the c rying need was for some way to extend the daylight hours. In 1951 the Softball Association erected floodlights in the Park filling this long sought need not only for night-time baseball but for any evening event held in the Park. One of the unusual games ever played was the Turk Broda’s N.H.L. All-Stars played and exhibition game with the local team. " "80 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1979 The local boys were hopelessly outclassed even when the All-Stars played with one hand behind their backs. As when on ice, the All-Stars never missed but it was all in good clean fun and one which will be remembered for a long time to come. Hockey was slow in getting started in Pickering mainly because the Village never has a proper facilities for playing the game. There was an outdoor rink at the foot of Church Street in the early twenties but as is the case today, during a mild winter there was no ice. For a while there was an outdoor rink at the old school, but it was used mostly for pleasure skating. Later the Rotarians sponsored a rink on Lincoln Avenue, this is where our Midget and Bantam teams got their start. Even at that, for regular practice as today, the boys had to be transported to rinks having artificial ice. On March 23rd, 1951 the Pickering Midget ‘D’ Hockey Team won the Provincial Trophy in the Minor Hockey Association. The team members were: Jack Remmer, Don Hilborn, Wayne Simpson, Harry Scott, Ken Irish, Laurie Watson, Ross Irwin, Bert White, Jim Pyette, Gord Comport, Bill Jones, Captain, Elwood White, Howie Mashinter, (Goal), Les Merringer, Pete Dawson, Bernie Beemer, John Chubb and Bert Cowan, “Dink” Bye, Coach and R.T. Doble, Manager. Mr. Jack Boyes was the sponsor. The finals were played at Paris against Ayr. The teams were evenly matched and both played good hockey and as one Ayr supporter stated, he hadn’t seen a better game in the Intermediate Series. On April 27th a Testimonial dinner and Presentation of leather jackets emblazoned with the Hockey Association’s Crest was given to the players, sponsored by the Pickering Rotary Club and interested friends. This was the first time a Pickering team had won an Ontario Championship and which they repeated a second time the next year. Sixteen years later the Pickering Bantam ‘C’ hockey team came within an ace of becoming a championship team once again They had advanced as far as the finals but lost out to Bancroft in a well fought game. The thanks of the Village went to Manager George Brown and coach Bob Moffatt and all the members of the team for their gallant try and fighting finish. The following are the names of the team: Roger Doble, Mike Bigras, John McLean, Jim Miller, Wayne Cook, Ronnie Pearson, Roddie Pearson, Terry McCue, Murray Gates, Ken Britskey, John Van Asten, Bert Vernoy, Dave Bibb, Greg Baker, Charlie Moon, Larry Morden, Steve Adey. The team was sponsored by Maurer Construction. " "Pickering Midget “D” Team Twice Provincial Champions 1950-1951 and 1951-1952 Pickering Bantam “C” Team - 1967 " "82 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 In 1952 an outdoor rink was built at the west end of the Memorial Park. The change houses were built later in the 1964 and now with plenty of water available and when the weather co-operates the rink is a distinct asset to the Village particularly the younger generation. It is well patronized by all as evidenced by the large turn-out last winter (1967) when the Centennial Skating Carnival sponsored by the Minor Hockey Association was held. About 500 people, young and old attended enjoying the free skating and music. One quiet sport which the Village has never has, is that of lawn bowling. Several attempts have been made over the years to form a club in Pickering but the lack of water has thwarted it. Pickering also had it devotees to the sports of fishing and hunting. Every winter a few hardy souls will leave the warmth and comfort of their firesides to send the day or night ice fishing on Lake Simcoe with varying degrees of success. Before the advent of the motor car the locale of this winter sport would be Frenchman’s Bay. Every Fall for many years now the Nimrods of the Village would, and still are, travelling into the northern wilds to hunt in season, moose, bear, and deer and many a juicy roast or steak is enjoyed by the stay-at-homes, the result of the unerring aim of our intrepid hunters. We must not forget, however, that we have some fishing again, even in Duffin’s Creek. With the removal of the mill dam in the early thirties and the stocking of the river with game fish, there has been some beauties taken by the men and boys of the Village. From the number of cars lining the banks of the stream above and below the Kingston Road bridge, it is evident that more than Pickering people know of the good fishing to be found there. It would not be amiss to refer to more primitive ways of taking fish. The early settlers would emulate the Indians with their pine-knot torches and spears to take salmon and later the lowly sucker when the spring rains brought the fish up to spawn. It is within our memory, the fun and delight of going sucker fishing, even if one did fall in the ice cold water but we were young in those days. Lanterns had replaced the torches and the spears like miniature Neptune tridents held one’s prey until it was landed. The numbers taken would be small but some more commercially minded use dip nets and other’s would come for miles to net large quantities of fish which they could salt down for future use. " "Pickering Activities 83 Scouting In Pickering By Kenneth A. Morley Scouting in Pickering has over the years made several attempts to form active groups. Under the leadership of Rev. E.G. Robinson of St. George’s Anglican Church, a very successful group met as late as 1949 in the old William Street School. This was sponsored by St. George’s Church. As all records of these groups are apparently lost, little is known of their activities in this neighbourhood. In 1951 a determined effort was made by interested citizens to revive scouting in Pickering. A committee was formed, consisting of Mr. John Lay, Mr. Gordon H. Bray and Mr. Bert Greener with encouragement of Rev. Arthur E. Young of the Pickering United Church. As a result of the committee’s efforts a group of interested citizens consisting of representatives of St. George’s Anglican Church, St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, the Pickering United Church and the Rotary Club were granted a charter in 1953. This Scout group to be known as the 1st Pickering Scouts. Through the efforts of the mothers of the younger boys, it was not long before the Scouts were followed by Wolf Pack. The year 1961 saw the beginning of Rover Scouts, directly connected with the Scout movement in Pickering, completing the Group from “Cub” to “Rover”. Today (1967) there are approximately 50 scouts. Mr. Truman A. Wilcox, Scout Master, 28 cubs, Mr. Kenneth A. Morley, Cub Master 13 Rover Scouts, Mr. Cliff Hawker, Rover Scout Leader. Activities: Car Wash, Camp Outs, Annual Scout Apple Day in October. How Guiding Started in Pickering Public Library By Mrs. F. H. Warder In 1957 Dr. H.S. Shepherd, Rector of St, George’s Anglican Church, Pickering, felt there should be some activity for young girls in the Village. He worked hard at it and in the spring of 1958, the 1st Pickering Brownies were started under the leadership of Mrs. J. Dwinnell, assisted by Mrs. G.L. Farmer. This pack was registered at headquarters on June 3rd, 1958. In the fall of 1958, a second pack, the 2nd Pickering Brownies, was opened under the leadership of Mrs. Hawker and Mrs. M. Chamberlain. On Mrs. Chamberlain’s death, Mrs. C. Jolliffe assisted. As attend " "84 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 ance dropped this pack was closed by Mrs. R. Merritt, District Commissioner in 1959. In the fall of 1960, it was re-opened as a closed Catholic Pack under the leadership of Miss R. Haworth, assisted by Miss Johanna Beelen. On Miss Howorth’s moving to Toronto, the leadership was taken over by Mrs. L Hartman. However, in January, 1966, it was again disbanded due to lack of leaders and lack of girls. As interest still continued among the Protestant girls of the Village, the 4th Pickering Pack was opened under the leadership of Mrs. A Seebeck. Later, due to the illness of Mrs. Seebeck, this pack was taken over by Mrs. K. Barker, assisted by Mrs. C. Hawker. Today there is a total of 48 girls in the two Brownie Packs, the 1st and the 4th and they are continuing to hold the interest of the girls and maintain good attendance. The leaders are Mrs. C. Jolliffe, assisted by Mrs. C. Pilon, Mrs. K. Barker and Mrs. Hawker. In the fall of 1958 as the Brownies were proving a success, it was decided to start a Guide Company in the C.E Centre at the Pickering United Church. Mrs. Huyck with the assistance of Mrs. M. Johnson started the 1st Pickering Guide Company with 20 girls. Both these leaders carried on with an increasing membership each year, until the fall of 1964 when Mrs. Huyck asked to be relieved as Captain. Mrs. F. H. Warder took over as Captain with Mrs. Huyck and Mrs. Johnson staying on as lieutenants. In the fall of 1963 both Mrs. Huyck and Mrs. Johnson retired. Mrs. Hyuck because of ill health and Mrs. Johnson because of work pressure. By now, with 37 Guides and still more coming from Brownies, it was decided to start a second Guide Company. So in October, 1964 Mrs. B. Kearney, District Commissioner for Pickering, started a second company, acting as leader herself to be joined in March, 1965, by Mrs. K Wells as Lieutenant. In February, 1966, Mrs. Kearney retired as Captain and Mrs. Wells took over as Captain assisted by Mrs. A.Seebeck who now was well enough to return to Guiding and had assisted the 1st Pickering Company for a few months, as Lieutenant. When Mrs. Seebeck went to the 2nd Pickering Company, Mrs. M. Montgomery volunteered to assist with the 1st Company and became Lieutenant in September, 1966. So, today (1967) in Pickering, the Guide Movement is thriving with a total of 49 Brownies and 48 Guides. Several girls in the Village have gone on to Rangers in the Ajax area, and one to the Sea Rangers " "Pickering Activities 85 In Dunbarton; with a Ranger Company started on the Brock Road under the leadership of Mrs. W. Sowerby to which Pickering Guides may go. We hope eventually to have a Ranger Company formed here in the Village. The Pickering Blue Notes Drum Corps. By Clare Holter In the fall of 1958, Howard Nickling, then the chief of Police of Pickering Village, conceived the idea to have a band for the young people of Pickering. Through his efforts money was raised from donations to buy some horns and drums. The local Service Clubs in the area helped him with donations. Howard recruited Joe and Nora Livingston, also Don Loscombe, to instruct the boys and girls on horns and drums. Clare Holter came out to teach them how to march and drill. In December, the Pickering Youth Band had their first parade, a Santa Claus parade in Port Perry. During the years of 1959-1960 the band played in parades in the village and surrounding district In February of 1961, the Chief, finding it increasingly difficult to have sufficient funds to keep purchasing equipment for the increasing membership of the band, had to call for help. An executive committee was formed to do the business formalities, also to raise funds. Mr. Nickling was to leave the Village shortly, so the committee was headed by Mr. H.J. LeGard. Under his leadership, the band went ahead purchasing uniforms from the De La Salle Drum Corps, many of which had to be altered to fit our smaller members. The band appeared in a number of parades throughout the year. In September of 1962, the Corps, now known as the Pickering Blue Notes, entered the National Drum Corps Championship Contest in Waterloo for the first time. Although not a winner, the Corps picked up a tremendous following from the people who heard them. In October, 1962, the Markham Fair Board sponsored a show at their fair. The Blue Notes took first prize this year and for the next two years as well. The years have seen some changes in the Corps, both in membership and their quality of music and uniforms. Many of our members upon reaching the age of twenty-one have advanced to senior corps in the City of Toronto. In the summer of 1963 there Corps came " "86 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 out in a white shirt and a blue note on the back. These shirts were designed and made by the Corps executive. The year 1963 found the Blue Notes as winner in the National Championship in Waterloo. In 1964 we raised funds to purchase shirts, this time a double blue satin blouse. The Corps executive at this time set out to make new hats. Being self-sponsored, it has taken tireless efforts by the executive and instructors to keep 40 to 50 members outfitted at all times and play with playing instruments. The Blue Notes at the present are headed by Mr. Clare Holter. Recent years have found them winning parades and shows, both on the hottest days of summer and the coldest days of winter. This past winter saw the Blue Notes receive and invitation to participate in a colour guard show in Midland Park, New Jersey. Sufficient funds were raised, and the corps and executive, headed by bus for New Jersey. The boys and girls made many new friends and a close relationship was made between our Corps and the Imperial Knights of New Jersey. An exchange of National Flags took place during the show and these are now carried by each corps when out on parade. The year 1967 promises to be a big year for the Blue Notes. We participated in Toronto’s Centennial Parade on New Year’s Eve and at the present time are booking as many paraded as time and finances permit. On July 1st the Pickering Blue Notes will be celebrating Canada’s Birthday with our own people of Pickering Village and will have with us as guests, The Imperial Knights of Midland Park, New Jersey. Over the years, we have become an integral part of Pickering’s history and whatever the Corps have played, they have left a favourable impression of the young people of our Village. The Blue Notes will be more than happy to join forces with the rest of Canada in celebrating her Centennial. " "10 Reminiscing by Leslie M. Morley It is over fifty years since we first became acquainted with the Village of Pickering and then only as a casual visitor. We would like for the purposes of these reminiscences to walk up and down the streets of the Village and endeavour to recall some of the principal features of that era. Approaching the Village from the West via Kingston Road, one’s attention was immediately drawn to the tall grain elevator and flour mill of the Spink Mills on the left and to the right, in the distance, the beautiful spire of St. Francis de Sales Roman Catholic Church. As we came closer to the mill we saw much activity taking place; farmers unloading grain or loading sacks of bran and shorts for use as cattle and pig feed, while at the same time teamsters would also be taking on loads of feedstuffs for delivery to general stores at Dunbarton and Highland Creek. In the immediate foreground was the mill office and weigh scales. To our right was the auxiliary steam generating plant with its towering black steel smokestack. Close by was the huge pile of steam coal, used to fire the boiler. At the rear of the elevator were the coal sheds where was stored the hard coal (anthracite), used for the heating of homes, stores and public buildings. This hard coal was graded as to size, the largest being egg or furnace, then stove, chestnut and final pea. There was also a smaller size called buckwheat used in later years in automatic stokers. The Chestnut size sold for about $6.00 a ton. Two railway siding served the mill, one on the west side of the elevator and the other between the elevator and the flour mill. As mentioned elsewhere the mill machinery was driven by water power. The mill dam and pond were about a half mile north on Elizabeth Street. The mill race was on the east side of the road crossing it at the " "88 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 Village’s northern limits, at which point the water entered the large wooden pipe of flume which conveyed it in a direct line under the river and across the flats to the mill. The flume was constructed of planking bound by iron hoops. There was always a certain amount of leakage through cracks in the flume. In the summer-time these leaks were miniature fountains throwing the water several feet in the air. During the winter season the leaking water became frozen, forming grotesque mounds of ice along the length of the flume. It various times sawdust was introduced into the upper end of the flume to lodge, as it was carried along, in the crevices, there to swell and stop the leaks. While on the subject of the mill race, the bank along its side was a favorite walk for strollers on a Sunday afternoon. In the winter-time the boys of the Village would skate on its frozen surface. About half way up, the race widened, forming a pond from which the Village butcher and the Gordon House procured their summer supply of ice. The pond would freeze over lightly between cuttings making the ice unsafe for skaters. On one particular occasion, Mr. W.C. Murkar when a school boy, was skating with other boys on the race when one boy skated into the hole left by the ice cutters. William Murkar was just able to reach his companion with his hockey stick. The struggling boy almost pulled young William into the freezing water too, but William finally managed to get his friend onto firm ice. Young Murkar was awarded the Royal Humane Society Medal for his courageous act. The tail race ran east parallel to the Kingston Road, entering the river immediately north of the road bridge. For many years bran was considered a useless commodity and was dumped into the tail race to eventually find its way to the lake. Across the road from the mill was an old building known as the O’Leary Hotel, and east of that was a yellow frame house known locally as the Decker house which was surrounded each spring by water and ice during the spring freshets. Almost immediately to the rear was an earth banked cabin which was in an even worse situation. Crossing back to the north side of the road we saw the cooper shop and warehouse of Wm. Alloway. There was till a fair demand for apple barrels, apples being shipped in this manner for both local and export markets. The iron bridge over the river was of similar design to the present one but much narrower. The decking was of four by four timbers. " " Reminiscing 89 Crossing over the bridge Elizabeth Street was on our left. Walking north we can recall but one house on the left side before we came to the old Methodist Cemetery. At its northern end could be found the remains of wooden posts upon which the first Methodist Church in Pickering stood. Across the road was an old house containing, we have been told, the doors from the old church. Old Kingston Road Bridge – 1912 showing the Spink mills and elevator in the right background and the tail race right centre. Looking north to the end of the street where it turned westward was the home of W.B. Powell the auctioneer. Returning south on our left was Cameron Street which led nowhere at that time. It was a dirt track with only a building or two on it. This little section of the Village contained a number of older housed in Pickering. Back to the Kingston Road (King Street according to the Village Plan in those days). On the north east corner was E. Bryan’s Farmers Supply Store & Salt for Sale. On this same corner was one of the few remaining lamp posts left in the Village although there was no lamp in it. Mr. & Mrs. Bryan lived in a small brick bungalow attached to the east side of the store. We well remember our first visit to the store. It was in the evening and after dark. The store was lighted with but one coal oil lamp which Mr. Bryan had to carry from counter to the " "90 The Village of Pickering – 1800-1970 shelves to find what we needed and back to the counter to weigh the purchase. Nearly everything was sold in bulk in those days and had to be weighed up for each individual customer. Both store and house were burned to the ground in the early summer of 1928. We have often wondered if the pioneer Duffin’s cabin was on that corner. Proceeding up the hill which was much steeper then than it is today we noted the large brick house (Valley View) known then locally as the Logan House. Mr. Logan was at one time the Village Postmaster. It was one of the show places of Pickering when it was first built. It was of particular interest to us, as a few years earlier it had been the temporary home of Lord and Lady Hyde and their friend, Baron Lord Somers, during the time their Canadian home was being built on Liverpool Road North (Manresa). Their stay in Pickering was of brief duration as at the outbreak of World War I they returned to England to join their respective regiments. Lord Hyde on the death of his father assumed the title of the Earl of Clarendon. Next was the Pirie Block mentioned elsewhere, then the brick residence with the minaret-like towers at each end. Opposite was the Gordon House operated by Mrs. Gordon and son Robin. We well recall the lovely garden to the west of the hotel where in the springtime a large bed of narcissi would perfume the air with their heady scent. The office of the Standard Bank was in the eastern end of the hotel and it was here we opened our first bank account in Canada. Opposite the Gordon House and running north was Lola Street (Windsor Drive). We cannot recall any houses upon it except the old barns behind McFadden’s drug store which was on the north-east corner of Lola Street and the Kingston Road. At the north end running west-ward was Rose Avenue. It was extended later and connected with Cameron Street forming a through street between Elizabeth Street and Windsor Drive taking the name of the older Cameron Street. There was no Sherwood Road West then, it was part of the Morcombe Farm. Stan Davis had his barber shop immediately east of McFadden’s drug store – hair cut 25 cents- them came Burling Furniture Store and Funeral Home. Next came the Dale Block, a Dry-Goods store at the west side and a hardware store on the east side. Upstairs was the local Oddfellows Hall and the tailoring establishment of Nels Margach. Then came the bake shop. Dr. Towle’s house and office occupied the corner lot of the Kingston Road and Norah Street (Park Road North). " "Reminiscing 91 To return to the south side. A narrow lane led to the rear of the Gordon House, where patrons could tie up their horses in an open shed or stable them. It separated the Bank Chambers from Buntings store and the Pickering Post Office, Mr. R.A. Bunting, Postmaster. This general store had been established in 1857 by Mr. Bunting’s father, Brereton Bunting, J.P., and was the oldest family business in the Village. W.J. Coakwell’s harness shop came next, a very essential industry in the days when the horse was still king of the road, but even then was fast becoming superseded by the motor car. A couple of houses and then the John Murkar residence. Mr. Murkar was the owner and publisher of the “Pickering News”. The “News” office was next door on the corner. It had originally been a frame building housing an implement agency but had been clad with cement blocks giving it the appearance it had today. The type setting was all done by hand, small jobs were run off on treadle operated platen presses, there were two, the weekly newspaper as well as large posters were printed on an ancient Hoe press, turned by a hand crank. Later a gasoline engine was used for power. North on Norah Street was the Morocombe farm house. This field-stone cottage style house is a splendid example of stone houses of the 1850’s period. There was only one other in the Village like it. It was situated opposite the Friend Meeting House. The barnyard and farm buildings occupied what is today Sherwood Road West. Across the road from the farm house was a semi-detached brick house. Mr. L.D. Banks occupied the north half. On the corner of the Kingston Road and Norah Street was the butcher’s shop, a frame building. Then came the Fawkes residence where Miss Katie Fawkes operated the Bell Telephone Company switchboard in the front room. Next came the Methodist Church, parsonage and church sheds. Built in 1879 it was the largest Protestant church building in the Village. Then came a white frame house, then a low rambling cottage, a white frame house, then a rough cast one and the J.H. Bundy’s tinsmith and hardware store. It was also the Pickering office of the Home Telephone Company, Miss Davidson chief operator. Looking back west over the way we have come, we see on our left the old Town Hall with its tall hose tower and bell described elsewhere. It was not an eye-catching feature of the landscape but it served its purpose for over twenty-five years and now had a distinctly run down " "92 The Village of Pickering – 1800 – 1970 appearance. Its interior reeked of stale tobacco smoke as all little used public buildings do. In it were held concert, amateur plays, dances and occasional police magistrate’s court, coroner’s court, and was also used as a Polling Booth at Election time. Walking past the Town Hall on St. George’ Street we notice on our left M.S. Chapman’s new brick house and further along on our right almost to St, George’s Anglican Church, numerous stables and barns to the rear of the houses on the Kingston Road. They had been an eyesore to the churchgoers for many years. Immediately east of the churchyard were the tennis courts and to the west the lane which led to the Village slaughter house on the creek bank overlooking the Elmdale Mill dam. Retracing our steps to the junction of Kingston Road and St. George’s Street we see on our right Gordon Law’s blacksmith shop with Bob Ham’s woodworking shop in the rear. Both very important industries in those days. This building was the old S.S. No. 4 West Public School built in 1867. To the east was the Eastern House, a one-time hotel and a very old building. On the corner of Church Street was a low ramshackle building housing a furniture store in the front and Piper Gordon’s barber shop in one of the back rooms. Between this building and the Eastern House was an open space, where horseshoe pitching contests were often held in the summer evenings. Crossing back to the north side and next east of Bundy’s hardware was the Miss Boone’ cottage (rear Butt’s Barber Shop) then a really old store, Simpson’s Millinery, where we bought a pea straw hat for the princely sum of ten cents, then W.V. Richardson’s office, Notary Public and Insurance, On the corner was Jas. Richardson’s Grocery. Turning the corner and proceeding north on William Street (Church Street North) we remember some older houses and then Cornell’s and Gordon Law’s new brick homes. Across the street was the Public School described elsewhere. Jones Avenue (Sherwood Road East) ran up through a field to the east. On the corner of William Street and Kingston Road was Mr. C.S. Palmer’s brick house, one of the more than half a dozen built in the 1880’s. Going south on Church Street we recall a frame cottage standing on a lot (Disney’s) on the east side of the road and south again a semi-detached brick house, then a single brick house, then another brick house since destroyed by fire (on the site of Dr. Atkinson’s office). Then the entrance to the athletic grounds (Lincoln Avenue) where the " Reminiscing 93 first of fuly mlebrations were held for a few yeon. Another house or two and them we came to GmdOn's Lumber Yard (Many Apia Neat we attend as we walked, or drove. down Church sweet were the sheds of the SL Francis He Sales Roman Qthofic Church on the causes of Christens Cres, num, were no more than five or six louses on this award and most were quite old. Opposite Cmistens IXCs., was the Romm Catholic Church, an imposing building. Immediately north of Ne church were the foundation walls of the rMory only really burred down. CHURCH mUwT— 1919 Imoking back north past xveml houses we saw on our left the hams Had stables a penises livery (RMman's). Tanning south again on Ne hrow of Ne hill and on our right was the imposing home "Kinin ult" built by Mr. G. T. Maar a attired business man from Toronto. It arm one of one show places of the Village when but built around 1890, what 1% terraced lawns ell well-appointed stabler and arrime hmm. It is a lithe difficult after Rome fifty add yews to recall Carry home on this sheet as we passed up and down on our way m the F dak All but we do remember quite disfwclly thus Just across the road from "Kin- miN" and a little south was a long wooken building known as she 94 Tim Plunge of Plekerfg-180.1970 Planing Mill. At Me time it was used mi for nmage of apple barrels. We remember, haxpvM, the action Mds, (stakes used for baskets and wickM ware) an bath sides of the road about here and a Imge one down by the mill mad They were harvested in Nes Spring. Looking sloth toward the Grand Tmnk Railway bridge we saw in the foreground the bridge aver Dufn's Cies]: and close at hand that over We mill nm and farther on to our right him farm house and farm buildings of Mr. IOhn Clark. On Our Icfl just past the bridge Osco the ram was the ©mdale Mill mad with the mill ram on one side and the allow 4d o0 the other. The road went right around the mill building and also to the cut in front of the mill boomto john up at the top with Mill Street. The mill wzs operated by somer power oidia herd of about twelve fear which was redound comadembly during the spring fields by the high water in the rive[ no mill only did AMpping, the grinding of homegown gain for farmers to food then liamock. Mr. Fred Weeks the miller said that the dour mill itself was in good condition and mind be agivated quite eatlly. but the day at the small flour mill was paII. In imol of the lawn of the mill hoose could he traced the unions railroad ties of Ne siding which once saved the mill before the Grand Trek Railway was daublotmeks! and raised to cls present elevation. There was considerable acreage on each side of the railway track eagerly to the tilde creek, presumably for sidings should Pickering domalt into a town Of any Alan in 60 fuWrc. no old station han dings c ahe eastern end overlooking the creek were Ming u¢as a dwelling. nine was a cattle cresting at this point joining the north and south sections of file Gordon Bars, farm. It w also used m gain Almost to Gender's Grove used fn many years far picnics with minorities o Mind n slenderer. From our vantage Point just east of the mill boom one could Wk directly up Mill Street. On our right we could see the Gordon Duns. fonnhautt and buildings and a little beyond, hidden nm mpt me not spruce trees was the W. J. Miller Mii imm (Wm. Lawson a). On our left and almost opposite rile Gordon's was the Fred Andrew's farm louse and buildings. Further again to the north and almost hidden btldnd trees was the FriendsMeeting Hoare, at the junetiov of Will inner And the Finance Road. Walking northeasterly we noted that the land o each side of the mad was all farm land Approaching tire tap of the hill we passed the Miller mrM1ed, the Fonds Field end then the Friends Cemetery. We arc now back to the Kingston Read which at this point hod quite a stip MILL STREET LOOKING NORTH — Use Fade drum Ne lowest point in from of''Mapledale" To the lop opposite Ne Frieodi Meeting Hearst. This grade cauxd most cyclists m get off and walk. we most add that the Vowel made were far from good for c cl The measuring ring hoard walks were also in bad condition. Looking mat d "Mapledale" was to our right Neu the Rome two houses that are There now. Across the road oo the rover of We Oman - wood Road was a soli ly built brick Muse. The Goeawootl Aoatl forms The easter bouvdary of the Village, Trmrelling westward and an ur left was the FameW Meeting House. Her writer remembers sling the black clothed men and bomend women sedately walking m standing chaffing in small groups in front of the Meeting Home at the Lime of We Yearly Meeting Also on the south side was the beautiful home of Dr. Home Fuld. Approached by a circular drive, with its surrounding ornamental shrubs, trees, and stately elms, it was carry the most outstanding residential property hi Ne Village. Neat tlmr was The five brick raider" of The Miss Field's, weather of the, Village's fine brick homes. Almost opposite waw the envanx b The fomes Pialxnog College. Newt rout was the frame home originally owned by a member of the Richardson family. Across the road was the clonal aryle home of 96 Sire Vilbgeo)Pickmng—)8061910 Mr. W. V. Richmdcon. Then mine two Awards built frame Muses, thea a little A the west and almost hidden behind a closely pl ntM row oI spru¢, all more mw, war the Cmmge of Mr, David Amour It was. aoall holding of about three acres The barn wets to the mar. The cottage was of weathered clapboard and was built close to the ground, Across the mad was a tough cast house and Wen a little motor on We Bible lTristim Chu b, It is unfortunate that we have been unable to find any good photos of this historic building While we remember the butting well it is diRcuh to describe it. It was built of yellow brick and had no basement The style of building was similar to many such church buildings constructed in 185660 period. It had Men in disuse for come years and was later convened into a xrvim station. On the opposite side of We road was St. Andrew's PresbNeriao Church (now the Pickering United Church) and manse. Built in 1891 it was quite o w -looking buii being only o little over twenty Maps old. It was well scrammed and had a most attmttive appearance. This was In large pan clue to the efforts of Mr. G. T. Mauer of CTu¢h Street whir was largely Institutional in having the shares built. He also had We honor of Wag thecomergone. Mr. Mover was a Scotsman form Aberdeen and a staunch Presbyterian. Between The church and Annan properly was an avenue of black wNnul Veen. To, Alwest of the church was a emmg which contained a Imge furylace built before the day of stoves. This fireplace bad been partially endured, brick hope having been built on the side. The actual fireplace s of hand -made netnews Two houses west spin was She new Mme built in 1905 by Mr. R. A. Ismong the purunas¢t Skipping pee Muse we name to the semi magna d brick Fome mended on the west by Mr. @ Mrs. Robert Somerville and on the east by the MiseeLaw. They had been and still were prominent in We musical circles of the Village. Miss Hmtic was orgame of Ne Presbyterian Church for many years and also taught pace. One of her pupils bad house Ma W. G Mumar, who in his turn has contributed much to We musical life of our Vilhge. Miss Hattie Two was much in demand as an association for visiting and local talent. Miss Ne io was Summit of We Matthei s Chu¢F. An interesting item was mrsommed in an 1867 copy of "The Pickaring News' reporting a concert Mld in We Phic HaLL It mid ... 4he Mimes Law hung most amcptably." We Spot many happy evo- nings in their home singing hymns and old songs around Weir piaw. Roommate 97 Looking back to Ne Bible Christian Church and viewing the houses on the north side, they were, except for some remodelling antl modem- bntion pretty much the same as today. We have already mentioned C S. Palme's brick house on the northeast Comer of Church Street and the Kingston ROW, then came another of slower identical design, they must hove been built by the same bwlder. thea a law red brick hese known of the mit boom 0y its style and the type of local bricks used in iY construction it must have been very old, probably one of the added bock houses in the Village. We have now aNnmt reached the and of our wrindmings. Action the rend was the Brereton Bunting Mme (Disney Apts.). Built in 1887 it is an omstanding example of house building of that periW. It is one of several exhibit g the same features of architecture. The woodwork In IM gable ends, the anisic motion of the bricklayers art as evidenced in the gable ends, over the windows and on the chimneys. Mr. Bunting mrivei in Pickering in 1851 firm Ireland, taught school for car ymrs, started storekmpiag in 1857, retiring in 1887. Hews appointed Jordan of the Peace in 1863. He died in 1909 bit his name stiff remained a byword when we came w Fckaiad, particularly amongst risen of the MCOmEid persuasion for which denmi nnlion he Md Men a local preader up until the time of his deaU. We have sow completed our three-mile lour along the Village sseeM We did, however, fail to mention at the oulaet the Village side of the Old Station Bond. It was all fields with the exception of the Raman Catholic Cwetesies and a house m its southern east, almost out of sight. no mill aiding al tan along the Village side. The Pickering Grand Trunk Railway Station was really in the Township but we think a word about it may be interesting It was quite a busy place with smerad paper$cr seer flopping daily. Almost every week one would we cattle and hop being funded onto sial fans for the Taranto market by the droves who did business in the neighMmhood. Formers would W seen IeaN gtheir full milk cans every morning onto Ne milk Iain, also apples or sugar bens and Other farm produce in swean. There cars also a durable telegraph and exprtsS pa¢el serving. lumber and mWF bulky commodities would be call on the mW siding nearer W the Knploo crowd for delivery by mem unit wagon. Such was our Village some fifty b fiRy-dve years ago and if our memory has played rocks oe us we beg all olddmss indulgence pyCKBRING PUBLIC LIBRARY THE STORY OF OCR CREST In 1%$ Rev. Dr. H. S. Shepherd, D.O., on his return from n visit to Pickering, York- shire, England, presented to the Council of the Village of Pick - acing a replica of the epatof- areas Of that ancient town. The then Reave, Cyril E. Marley, conceived m ived he idea x all or part of his eoatnf. r Village emblem vna also he pave it engraved on the Chain of Office of the Warden Of the County of Ontario. Permission was obtained from the Urban District Council of Pickering, Yorkshire, to 0 their mat -of arms for this Pur pox. Inth three etrilliumeg Village 1place replace three roars a the mile andd crown f lnof the Pickering, Yorkshire cow"f- s. The wavy Dnea represent the rivers which flaw through both Pickermlow The design of r Crest was drawn by Mrs. Joyce McLean.