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7~e.reee 2G THE OSHAWA TIMRS, Seturdey, June 24, 1967 LEATHER COMPANY ESTABLIS) vere renew HED BEFORE 1830 Jonathan Bartlett Started Tannery + The role played by the fore- 'fathers of R. S. McLaughlin, the pioneer of the automotive industry in Canada, in the early . history of Darlington Township * is perhaps not as well known as 'the accomplishments of Osh- » awa's first citizen. : John McLaughlin, the original »member of the family, came ' from Northern Ireland and took \ title to his homestead near + Tyrone, from the Canada Com- ' pany on May 27, 1840. He se- cured title on payment of £62, +10 shillings. The Canada Com- | pany was incorporated by King ' George IV to dispose of lands | in Upper Canada. + Mr. McLaughlin began at 'ence to clear the land _ which + was completely wooded. His * recollection was that if anyone | went any distance from the + original clearings it was neces- 'sary to "blaze" the trees to , find the way back. But he clear- *ed a considerable acreage and | frugally prospered. He built his * original house and barn. ' The genealogy of the family »in the male succession included 'McLaughlins Leaders In Early Darlington James and John, Robert's sons were J. J. McLaughlin, who lo- cated in Toronto and invented the formula of Canada Dry Gin- ger Ale; Col. R. §. McLaughlin and the late George W. Mc- Laughlin. William died many years ago. Dr. James McLaughlin's son, Major A. E. McLaughlin, a prominent Bowmanville barris- ter, was killed in action during the First World War. The late Col. Lorne McLaughlin, who was later associated with Dur- ham County militia units, was a son of John. In farming, industry and mil- itary affairs, John McLaughlin was the forerunner of a great tradition. An old flour mill at Tyrone was a monument to his industry. The holdings of the McLaughlin family in this area comprised some 380 acres. Young James McLaughlin be- came a doctor and carried on a successful practice in Bowman- ville. Robert, William and John continued on the farm with their father. Robert bought the 50 acres adjoining his father's *four sons of the old patriarch. » They were Robert, William, Dr. property. John bought the land William remained on the home- stead and later inherited it. Robert found his 50 acres too small for his ideas of farming. gan to make ax handles and whiffle trees in his small barn. 'Then came his venture in mak- ing a cutter. Needing more space he built it in his father's barn. Overwhelmed with orders for these farm necessities and blocked in his desire to secure a larger farm, Robert moved to Enniskillen and opened a shop that took his full time and more in turning out his several products, He had to hire men to assist him and thus grew the famous line of McLaughlin ve- hicles. The family holdings in the Tyrone area were consolidated by the late George W. Mc- Laughlin in 1935 when he pur- chased the homestead from the widow of William, the land to the north originally owned by John, together with his father Robert's 50 to the west and all the remaining acreage in the block save the off 20-acre lot on immediately to the south and the north west. Not. fully occupied Robert be-|.to,¢ Always a rich agricultural area, Durham County from the early pioneer days has been well served by agricultural so- cieties which have provided the means for the farmers of the area to show their products and Two of the finest fall fairs in the area today are the Orono Fair, operated by the Central Durham . Agricultural Society and the Blackstock Fall Fair, sponsored by the Cartwright Agricultural Society. The first steps to the organiza- tion of an agricultural society in the county were taken in November 1830, when a sub- scription list was circulated among those interested becom- ing members. The first meeting to elect offi- cials of the society was held at Fletcher's Tavern in December 1830. David Smart. was elected president, Jacob Choate trea- surer and Erasmus Fowke, sec- retary. The society's constitution was adopted at the first general Agro Society Kept By Fall Fairs Of Today Traditions In 1832, Mr. Choate was authorized to import thorough- bred cattle and a number of pure Durham and other breeds were introduced by him and sold to members of the society at cost price. The same officer was author- ized in 1834 to purchase seed wheat for the same purpose. He purchased 100 bushels of white flint wheat in the United States and a small quantity of red chaff wheat in Hamilton. Both proved a failure, as they were not adapted to the county's soil. These were the first importa- tions for agricultural improve- ment in the district of New- castle. Agricultural societies for Northumberland and for the separate ridings of each county of Northumberland and Durham quickly followed. A 'Grand Cen- tral | Exhibition" was held periodically, at which thousands of dollars were given as prizes and the display of cattle, horses, sheep and other kinds of stock and farmer's produce amounted meeting held at Weelington Inn, to th ds of entries in the Port Hope, Jan. 20, 1831. | various classes. Wide Leadershi 'Where To Get Water? 'Turn-Of-Century Issue ' The saying: 'Mighty Oake 'from Tiny Acorns Grow" can "be applied to the Oshawa Pub- clic Utilities Commission which *at the end of February of *this 'year was supplying the demands vot 25,157 electrical consumers 'and 18,948 water consumers. « Few residents of Oshawa will 'eb able to remember the days twhen it was common practice *to sojourn to the back yard on 'a dark, winter morning to prime sthe pump with a kettle of boil- ling water, or walk a block from a neighbors pump with a pail of water several times a day; but these were com- mon occurrences in Oshawa prior to 1890. Today the PUC pumps an average of 260,000,000 gallons of water a month during the winter months and 355,000,000 gallons per month during the summer. The commission also had a peak demand of 110,000 kilowatts in April of this year. . . . ' . . . . . * + Knox Presbyterian Church, Oshawa, came into being as a 'result of the congregation of St. *Andrew's Presbyterian Church Voting by 346 to 169 to enter a4he United Church of Canada $n 1925. + Following the consummation pf the union, a meeting of those who wished to continue to worship as Presbyterians was held Feb. 5, 1925 in First Baptist Church, . King Street East, with Rev. John Gibson Inkster, minister of Knox Pres- pyterian Church, Toronto, pre- siding. , On the motion of C. R. Me- Intosh, seconded by James Cor- mack, it was decided to re- main members of the continu- ing Rresbyterian Church. Mesdames Henry, Sinclair and McIntosh and Hugh Gilchrist and James Cormack were named as representatives on the Presbyterian Advisory Council of the Presbytery of Whitby. . The first few services of the newly organized congregation were held in the Knights of Pythias Hall at the corner of King and Simcoe Streets. It was soon found necessary to move to a more suitable place and through the courtesy of the rector and officers of St. George's Anglican Church, the church held its services in St. George's Chapel for almost two years until the basement of the present chiirch was com- pleted. i¢ basement was dedicated Déc. 11 ,1927 by Rev. W. Ha Andrews, of Queen Street East Presbyterian Churth, Toronto. In/ April, 1929, a call was extended to Rev. Duncan Munro who served as minister for three years. He was suc- Knox Church Organized After Vote On Union Here". "sai" ccs The laying of the cornerstone of Knox Church was performed by the Rt. Rev. J. S. Shortt, moderator of the General Assembly on June 13, 1934. Others taking part in the cere- mony were Rev. N. R. D. Sin- clair, moderator of the Synod of Toronto and Kingston; Rev. John McNab, moderator of the Presbytery of Toronto, Rev. J. G. Inkster, Mayor W .E, N. Sinclair and R. H. Deyman. The dedication and opening services of the new church on Simcoe Street North were held Oct. 12 and 14, 1934. Rev. W. Harold Reid came to the congregation as its min- ister of 1937. He was succeed- ed by Rev. William McRoberts in 1942 and through his leader- ship the mortgage was burned in April, 1944. Rev. H. F. Davidson was called in the fall of 1945. Under his leadership the congregation looked to new frontiers with the result that a Sunday School, later to become St. Paul's Pres- byterian Church, was set up on Wilson Road North. The keys to the new building were turn- lee" Pi oe ea 1950. in e ox congrega- tion called Rev. S. B. Coles and shortly afterward St. Paul's became an augmented charge and Rev. Bruce A. Miles became its minister. During Mr.. Coles' pastorate an extension to provide a min- ister's vestry, choir room; library and other meeting rooms was added at a cost of $22,815. At this time also Knox Church sponsored the opening of St. Luke's Church as a mis- sion on Rossland Road West. In March, 1958, Rev. R. B. Milroy became the minister of Knox Church and after a suc- Around 1890 the use of pumps and cisterns in the business section for the storage of water for fire fighting became irk- some. Between 1898 and 1902 no less than seven reports were submitted to council by skilled professional men dealing with the provision of a water supply for the village of Oshawa. The delay in making a dec- ision was due to the two schools of thought. There were those who thought of piping water from springs in the Raglan area by gravity to storage tanks in Oshawa and thence by gravity feed to homes and businesses. There were also those who look- ed approvingly toward Lake On- of 4,000. The cost of the Raglan project was estimated at $80, 000. In 1899 council approved plans for the construction of a pump- ing station at the lake and the estimated cost of $76,434. Con- sideration was also given to a plan to draw water from the Oshawa Creek and purify it. Finally in November, 1902 council acted on a report by Willis Chipman, a preemment consulting engineer of the day and in 1904 work on the water and sewage systems was start- ed, withthe McKnight Construc- tion Co, as the general contract- ors. The total cost of the under- taking was $200,000 before water was turned on in 1905, SEWERS IN 1905 When sewers were laid in 1905 they followed separate sys- tems whereby household water was drained into the sanitary sewers while water from roofs and catch basins in the streets made its way into storm sewers. The sanitary sewers ran to a point east of Ritson Road, near the~CPR crossing where it en- tered ah open creek to continue to the lake. In those days the odors arising from this outfall sewer were not a problem as that area, now part of the city, was open country. However, with the passing of the years, the need to continue the sewer became essential. In 1910 council purchased a 135- acre strip of land which form- ed part of the J. G. Henry farm and extended from Bloor Street to the lake. A contract was awarded to the Gibson Construction Co. of Port Hope, for the extension of the 24-inch sanitary sewer; while cessful pastorate he was suc-| ceeded several years ago by ceeded by Rev. D. Parry- Jones. AM oe aM ac ent minister. @eer @ewreys " ~ a contract was let to Murray and .Spencer, of Niagara Falls for the construction of a sew- Rey. G. W. C. Brett, the pres-|aeg disposal plant at a cost lof $27,000, | laying of supply mains at an) Development H Even before the turn of the century, Ontario County was regarded as a leader in agri- culture as well as in stock breeding. The land was well tilled and well stocked. Most farmers had comfortable dwell- ings and large, roomy barns with orchards, gardens and and enjoyment. An early history says 'the front townships have often been described as the Garden of Canada." It took years of perseverance, hard work and self denial to bring about this praiseworthy state of affairs. The agricultural Societies did their share towards gaining this objective and especially did much to encourage stock breeding. The first agricultural society was formed' in Febru- ary, 1953. The officers were: every convenience for comfort) p In Livestock First Big Industry In Oshawa Built At Suggestion Of Simcoe Older than Confederation by almost 40 years, Oshawa's old- est industry, Robson - Lang Leathers Limited has an inter- esting history which dates back prior to 1830. Established by the late Jona- than Bartlett in those early days when Canada was a hin- terland and the war of 1812 a recent memory, the enterprise has steadily progressed, though under changing ownership, to its present sound status. Known until recent years as the Robson Leather Co., the firm merged with the Lang Leather Co. and today operates tanneries in Oshawa, Cobourg, Barrie, Kitchener and London. The firm, which normally employs 250 workers, produces splits for shoe uppers as well as splits for gloves and shoes. Charles Robson is chairman of the board and Angus E. Barton, president. The three vice-presi- dents are Fred Glasser, Justin Stoner, in charge of manufac- turing and Francis Lorenzen in charge of finance. Governor John Graves Sim- coe suggested that a tannery should be located in Oshawa and Mr. Bartlett, to whom the suggestion was made, acted upon it. At that time the found- er of Oshawa's oldest industry was working in a tannery on what is now Bloor Street in To- ronto, having migrated there from his former home in New Hampshire. Coming to the vicinity of Osh- awa, he built a tannery in what Cemetery and carried on busi-| ness until his death in 1845. At that time the business was taken over by his brother, Wil- liam and by his son, Thomas, both of whom proved successful business men. Ten years after taking over the concern they were able to buy the South Osh- awa tannery, located near what is now Mill Street, from Luke and Ash, Thereafter the King Street tan- nery was used only as a curry- their competitors. In 1899 fire destroyed the South Oshawa tannery, but un- daunted by adversity, the own- ers secured as their new loca- tion the building in Cedardale which had been occupied by A. S. Whiting, manufacturers of scythes, forks and hoes. The business rapidly regain- ed its pre-fire status and in 1904 the final step, its incorpor- ation as the Robson Leather Co,, Ltd., was accomplished. Since moving to Cedardale the company has enjoyed great prosperity. The original build- ing that was vacated by A. S. Whiting was a small structure which bad a capacity of less than 50 hides a day. From time to time, as the trade warranted, additions have been built till now the plant has a capacity of more than a car load of hides a day. ing place. NEW MANAGEMENT In 1861 William Bartlett died and his death was closely fol- lowed by that of Thomas Bart- lett. There was no one left to operate the tanneries and the King Street building was sold by the executors Thoms; while the South Oshawa tannery was sold in 1865 to Robson «nd Lauchland, who had learned their trade with the Warrens. Under the new management the concern continued to thrive ind, when in 1893, Mr. Lauch- land retired, the business now firmly established, became the property of James Robson. It is interesting to note that Mr. Robson was born on a farm near Whitby in 1842 and as a youth went to work in the tan- nery in Oshawa, operated by Thompson and Warren. Later he went to Indianapolis and re- turned to work for Bartletts for a time. Mr, Robson soon took his two sons, Charles N. and Fank W. into the business as his partners. was then a swamp located few rods east of the Oshawa 1877 DEBENTURES The town of Oshawa voted to issue debentures in the amount of $13,000 in 1877 for the pay- ment of board of education ex- penditures, UNION CEMETERY The formation of Union €em- etery Company was in 1875 when it took over the Presby- terian Cemetery and purchas- ed an additional block of land to bring the total to 50 acres. Dedicated to 1867 l 1967 OSHAWA Service Since Before Canada's Confederation are pleased to say... "Happy Centenarian THE CANADIAN RED CROSS SOCIETY Humanitarian We have had our 100 Birthday and Birthday Canada" BRANCH & wo o 1S) N © foe] = "y % e 9 ed eld By County Ebenezer Birrell, president; John Ritson, first vice-presi- dent; S. Widdifield, second vice-president; John Ham Perry, secretary - treasurer; and John Corbett, treasurer. The directors were: Joseph Pierson, John Clarke, John Shier, J: C. Sterling, A. Fare- well, Adam Spears and Wil- liam Boynton. Before that time there were township agricultural _socie- ties which held fairs either united or singly. The fairs of Whitby and Pickering were held at Oshawa, Duffin's Creek and Greenwood, alternately. Cattle fairs were established at Ashburn, Columbus and Greenwood. In 1855 the north riding set up a separate county society. The first county show was held |Sept. 28, 1853, at Whitby. To Be Proudly CANADIAN CANADIAN you can't boat BEND e e e CLOTHES 7, | There are no problems' tug thoroughly, beyond utes. As your carpet ro! imbedded dust, try it. 174 Mary St. Cleaning Plant of canadian CG " us 98 la Contede™ ne %% % ee 3 cE P : gS @ > ge Ce NU-WAY RUG (Oshawa) LTD. Extends Hearty Congratulations To Canada on her 100th ANNIVERSARY about shipping rugs out of town when you get NU-WAY to do the job, Our rug cleaning machine can handle all rugs from the smallest up, to any size, permitting us to do all. the work in Oshawa, using skilled Oshawa men. This giant Rug Duster, ever 14 ft. wide, cleans your compare, in a matter of min- lis through it is gently but thoroughly pounded te get rid of even the deepest \ ) NU-WAY RUG Oshawa's ONLY Complete RUG CLEANING CENTRE... At Nu-Way Your Rugs Can Be Dry Cleaned, Washed or Shampooed NU-WAY RUG (Oshawa) LTD. @ . Two locations to serve you better ® 54 Church St. Retail Store Pit S00 2 Ole > fh © oe Ooo & eo me ren, Pr Bs "2m ow a eee King's Neighlk By GEO, H. CAMPB The City of Oshawa has a Neighborhood Par ciation set-up that Is tl of almost every comm the country and the fact Oshawa has always bee! ed with a wealth of pa playgrounds, usually mo enough to take care needs. In earlier years, 0: schoolyards were plays for tocal sports activitie cially in the age-limit di Today, almost every size residential area | own Neighborhood Park started actually befor Community Recreation ation came into being, | we had many fine "area prior to World War Il. KING'S FIELD OLDES' Back years (and year there was King's Field, ball and general sports | located north of King West -- just about wher Road and Warren Aven now -- north of the 1 Eastern Electric Railv which had its right through what is now , Street. Sunnyside Park, back turn of the century, was | about where it is now -- it was much larger ( League baseball was there) and it extended north and east of its | boundaries and_ include area that is now Stace; nue, James Street and th tion of Drew Street, ne the "Olive Avenue Terra' There was a ball di down on '"'The Flats" whe Dominion Store now stan recall another much clo Mill Street and also tt on the Tannery proper Simcoe Street South. They played various where the Armouries stands and there was Commons" -- about whe LCBO store is located n Richmond Street West -- Duke Street, in those da: Lakeview Park is prac "new" -- the late Robe Laughlin gave that prop the city, for a public p today one of the finest province -- back in the 20's. One of the best remen Parks and sports fields, yesteryears is the proper owned by'Col. R. S. Mc! lin, known as "Parkwooc this territory -- includins as far as Oshawa Creek Eli Edmondson's Park a Oshawa Baseball Club the "Parkwood" area for diamond, erected Os first grandstand there an ed it "Prospect Park." M great ball game was | there -- long before the; and moved to Alexandra