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Centennial Section Acton Julv From early beginnings Free Press marks 100 years It was on July the of The Acton Free Press was bravely printed on and in this of TOO souls The Matthew tw the vacant rooms Bakery The Friday iw annum in advance Editor and Jwrt Harking an ambitious businessman who also the Advertiser atwnwW papers well over a century ago hud hwts than nowadays and small towns might have two or three Acton paper and there hasnt been another since And for most t that the towns newspaper has been in the somewhat inky hands two families the Moores and the Dills But back to the ready for a paper Mr Hacking ted inadeiirK and he decided the was ready for him need hand set typo in narrow and a handfed pre He arranged to rent in Matthews at the bustling Amy corner of Mill and Willow This been moved back down Willow now houses Bakery Council meeting held there before the town hull was built The first Issue is completely reprinted for this centennial edition including his words We launch our little craft Into the big ocean and christen her the Free Press sail on good ship He reasoned For a number of years this village exhibited but comparatively slow progress In growth and its business was done in an easy going Jogtrot sort of stylo Of late however a decided In every way has been per ceptible It has continued to grow and prosper In a ratio more in keeping with the modernized Ideas of younger mushroom villages Wo have faith to believe that the impetus which has recently been given will continue to exert an Influence that will carry It forward with very rapid strides Surprisingly there were carrier boys then a practice soon abandoned in favor of mall delivery and store purchases House- tohouse delivery by eager youngsters was resumed In the summer of with the introduction of home mail delivery service in Acton New building later post office After two years of printing upstairs Mr Hacking persuaded his landlord a long time merchant James Matthews to build a one- storey frame building next door to his thriv Ing store and post office on Mill St to house The Free Press Here the newspaper was produced for another two years next door to its original site This little building then became the villages first separate post office with James Matthews postmaster over SO yearn later a recruiting station then the home of the oncefamous Acton Checker Club the Acton Public Utilities office and then Evans moat shop It no longer exists The Toronto- Dominion bank alts on the location now The first apprentice was T Albert Moore He washed inky rollers carried the papers to homes of subscribers rain or and learned to set typo Its recorded foreman Bob Simpson once declared it was impossible to get out a weekly edition without a pitcher of Hob Dickies beer Moore Galbraith are new owners On November Joseph Hacking wrote The present editor and proprietor of the Free Press finding after a fair trial of two and a half years that managing two separate establishments at a distance of fourteen miles apart was neither profitable nor satisfactory has concluded to dispose of the Free Press and confine himself to his business in Guelph In future the Free Press will be conducted by Messrs Moore two enterprising practical printers sufficiently experienced in news paper life to warrant the hope that the be beneficial to our patrons and all concerned the next week the masthead read A Moore manager S Galbraith editor but Iho four page paper looked just the same the front page filled with a short story witticisms and anecdotes as well as a few ads especially for patent medicines the back page solid advertising and the middle two pages a melange of local and world news with more local and ads Something had been amiss thai wasnt reported in Free Press The new owners sot out by saying Wo do not hold ourselves responsible for the past history of the paper nor the course It has pursued Mr Hacking we are sure tried to do his duly and act In an Impartial maimer to both political parties Wo are rcspon Bible for the future alone Wo dislike making prom I sea and I he re or we will not make them But If energy careful ness management pluck and will make It the best paper In the county It be so We do not Intend to make it a poll tlcal paper to take cither the Grit or Tory side of the fencebut wish to make It a good family newspaper We just added to Iho mechanical department of the establishment a cord press and other requisites to a well con ducted printing office and being both printers we are prepared to lurn out work equal If not better to any other InlheCounly word brief will be to make Free Press a welcome visitor to every intelligent and welt home throughout this section of the try However they went on to record in the same Issue for their readers in well ordered homes almost two complete columns of the confessions of a man who murdered his wifo all from the Mercury Com horrid details of tho followed Including fact his daughters uttered lamentations painful to hoar Two now take over T Albert Moore Boon styled himself Publisher and Proprietor and S W Editor They said frankly In January 1B78 Compliments go great way In encouraging an editor but It wilt not support him It Is a well known fact that it lakes a great deal of money to run a newspaper and we would like if those who are in arrears would come and settle at once Another change In management was duly recorded on July IB 1878 Editor Galbraith had accepted a situation with thd Montreal Evening Post Mr T Albert Moore says the editorial that week the former publisher at the solicitation of many of his friends as all his time would be taken up in editing the paper resolved to take into partnership his First ledger named readers The first ledger handwritten by Joseph Hacking has been saved carefully these hundred yearn According to its yellow pages the first subscribers In 1875 read like a whos who the new village incorporated Just two years They were Chas Cameron James Swltzer George Herbert James Wilds John Kennedy Morris John B Coats John Secord Watson John Cameron Samuel Laird John Kenney Peter S Armstrong W Walker Wm Trotter James Goodall John McDotigall Stafford Zimmerman Dr McGarvin Edward Nicklln Benjamin Nicklin John Speight Eli Snyder Charles Hill Stephenson James Moore Fred H Storey Edward Lucas John Rosa Major Allan Thos Edgar Robert Little Daniel W Campbell Abraham Matthews Bowman George Forbes James McGuire Robert George Ryder Hugh Cameron Sydney Smith Chas Cameron Mrs Swan Donald D Maloney Smyth Ramshaw Robert Dickie Ran som Adams Root Scott Kennedy John T Brown John Gelding Patrick Kelly GaUoway Jos Allan Thos H Campbell Geo Stoddard Jamea Oliver Logler John Storey John Walters J M Mann Matthews Cntine Henry Damper Creech Christine Henderson Fisher C Sydney Smith John Bums James Matthews Adam Dickson Malcolm Kennedy James E Cobban Isaac Francis Horace J Hall Anthony Stephenson John Jamieson Mathew Kennedy Beck Hail Cook David Smith Michael Speight James McLam Williamson Thos Moore Alex Grant James Ryder Henry Yeman Edward Moore Dr Asa Hall James Cameron Samuel Carter Rev Lee Duncan Kennedy James ipbelL Steel J Henry Smith Mrs VkiCHWm Watson Miss Stafford H Hunt Peter John Rev Wm Cameron Albert Matthews Subscriptions In the neighbouring countryside went to Brock Benjamin Anderson McDonald John Scott Jr John Arthurs John Shaw Lamb Gordon Duncan Taylor Benjamin Wallace Peter Mann Donald McDonald Archibald Campbell Joseph Lasby Moore Alex Cunnings Alex Lasby John Gamble Joel Leslie Thos Elliot Leslie Wright John Stalker James McDonald George Douglass Stove George Wright John George Agnew David Adam Winlow Donald McLanty Walter Robinson Fife Somerville Storey Thos Cameron Arch McEachera George Token Mothero Allan McDougal Samuel Moore Waldy Brown Bros James Bell Jacob Fisher George EUiot John Paul Kennedy Andrew C Scott David L Smith Andrew B Murray John Warren Joseph Sims John Waldy Mrs Samuel Speight Alex H Brown Smyth Malcolm McPherson Michael Lamb D and A Maim George Walters Danfield James McKenzle Peter Lee Smith David Black James Caverhill Peter Anderson George Martin James Daniel Thompson James McGregor John Slasser Robt Gibbons Ismond John Stewart George Henry AB Grant James Scott John Murray James Gibbons Kennedy Alex Waldy Duncan McGregor Daniel Robertson Joseph Allan Thos Gamble Joseph Brown Daniel Livingston John AC Anderson John Berton The Whiter J Nicholas Forbes John McKinnon Alex Kennedy John McLaren Mary Swackhammer John Robertson Thos Cook Alexander Smith Hugh McLoughlin John Bennett Ken nedy Jamea Shark Oliver Lasby John Lamb Mrs Ann Russell Solomon J B Free Press staffer are shown here In the early lire IQOOs I Moore In the Matthews Km hoy I A Dills Charles brother Mr 11 Monro an manager thus allowing it much longer time to collect local news other renting mutter that Free Press may attain even much higher here I of ore Particular attention will be given to local affairs nay the brothers That weeks I a throttling nine hi no passed through town Hie wheat looks well the bund was out serenading Ir Monday and wis In far Ice and cukes Mr Grunt stepped on a needle but it able to bo uboul again the Congregational Sabbath School picnic was held In Mr grove complaints are being made Home boys In the habit of bulbing In Morrows pond in the daylight it dull In town World news routine- there were threats of of July parades in Montreal there were between dentht from sunstroke at St luis Inst week the billiard room attached to the Hotel In went up In name and one fire engine exploded natives are revolting at New Caledonia damaged tils boot the promised reforms on Cuba have begun A dim is William Jans arid Mary Glass bin wife hurlolle Adams Wilbur I ft Harriet K Allies and Abigail Adams In I Wilt ait widow of bought In IiiiiI Six yeurtj later William Grunt a wagon maker and flrnl Dutiable after juration bought the In Mr Grunt hold i Robert inner Mr Fisher moved Mr from the Jnlm side of the lot to Die Mill St frontage Ihre he opened a tlnwure and stove shop After two or three lie sold Hie to I Stewart Mill 1n was moved In the winter of further down Mill and the Free moved in Publication date changes By now the paper came out Thursdays rather than Fridays and this day until about l years ago The Free Press staff in March was Clara Moore Earl Vincent A Dills Bob MacArthur Cam Currie arid H Moore It was at the time Arlof Dills assumed the ownership of the paper New location was tinshop On October the paper reported casually Remember that the Free Press office has been removed from the stand next door to the Post Office to the building formerly occupied by Stewart and Co as a tinshop The latter building hut been expressly and tastefully fitted up for us All our friends arc invited call and sec Editor Albert Moore guve fur more space to the need for a new cemetery to replace the dclapidated burying ground In so close proximity to the centre of the village to the nocturnal actions of wor young vagabonds a murder at tempt in entitled Whiskey and Pistols Inches of small type and the names of Sir John Mncdonatds cabinet us appeared in Mondays Mall Editor A Dills reminisced The Free Press building we recall as a boy had a big wide wooden verandah and the paper cutter was the first piece of machinery as one went in the front door A steam boiler was fired up every press day and the papers were printed on the old press Adams family owned the site This new location was at the corner of Mil and John on a lot which was first sold out of the founding fathers the Adams family subdivision by Ruth Adams widow to Ann McKenzle widow But this lot where the old Free Press building still stands had seen several ex changes of ownership in its course from to merchandising John Hogate a merchant in the early days sold the lot in 1852 to Angus Kennedy a carpenter Mr Kennedy built the white frame house which stood on the corner until the Manning block was built 20 years ago The house was moved out Highway No 7 about a mile east of town and is still there In there was a dispute among mem bers or the Adams family concerning pro perties Legal documents list Charles F In IB90 Moore purchased the pro perty from the estate of the late HP Moore states position Dated at Acton the 30th day of June 1879 came notice of Dissolution of Port nerthlp The name of Albert Moore was replaced by that of P Moore thit week and no It remained for many years Mr Moore wrote a fine editorial entitled The Change will be given ft affair jyi village and tocj columns will correct of loul which may transpire j In politics we neutral tod ahull nut devoted political party fufiiw hut at all intra and under free to matters of public Interest on their efficiently filled by the Journals wherein parly a specialty and wherein every faculty is afforded for ing their the village pap well content to let them do the heavy work of the trait It seems to us the village tan devote its energies to tier advantage by giving more atten tion to mutters of local import f fa Irs whkh the community fee an interest The affairs Mr Moore deemed worthy that same week included the item that Henry Clark is back from the Black Hills five years In the American during which time he was almost scalped a fatal sunstroke in gaweyfl a barn building bee for a neighbor In a runaway hone recovered thanks to a postcard from Chin- guueousy broken boards in the sidewalk lemonade and a lecture In Drill Shed under the auspices of the grcgntlonallsui ten dollar suits at and MeNnbbs cream by the quart or at Clark Matthew parlor citizens bathing pond Mr Storey shipping gloves all over Canada and the crop prospects are good but potato bugs hove reinforcements arriving dally It was cheery paper full of ments that delight readers today such as the Indian Punacca for Female Complaints ft World was also carried and Mr Moores first edition as editor reports thBi Russian authorities changing their dealing with national affairs because the present policy of repressing la absolutely fostering I Communism Socialism and Nihilism Congenial holiday for the editor column of the Dec 1870 records HP Moore resolved a holiday would be congenial so T Albert editor pro tern A better explanation further along the same page We announce In this issue the union matrimony of Mr II Moore Editor and Proprietor of this journal and eldest son the late Edward Moore Esq to Miss I Speight second John Speight Esq both of this village The marriage was consummated last evening at S oclock to- the Acton Methodist church Rev conducting the ceremony A largo proportion of the villagers were present and witnessed the ceremony which was solemn and Interesting The bride and maid Miss Lottie E Speight splendidly attired Mr Moore had groom his brother T Albert Moore This being the first marriage celebrat ed in the church the couple were Mr and Mrs P Moore were married in and this is their wedding photo