The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

WHITBY FREE PRESS, WEDNESDAY, FEBRITARY 7, 1979, PAGE T r Brian' Wjnter 's IE. i M ~w THE BUCKLE Last week this column looked at on, Industries, the tannery. This week m the second. major town industry, th, The buckle factory was located on Brock, Dunlop, Byron and Gilber tannery. This property today is thes The buekle factory, wýhich manufà horse harness, operated from 188 the old-tlmne industries to close itsd In 1887 the Town of Whitby was ti from Toronto, and found a possibl businessmen,,G.V. Martin and Sami To make Whitby more attractive,t businessmen $15,0S, of which $10,000 and $5,000 was a gift, if they establi shi In October 1887, G.V. Martin andi & r* deal to purchase the O'Donovan Carniage Factory for $1 ,200. The property was sold by tender by County Judge G.H. "Dartnell, and the Toronto men's bid was the highest.,1 i By February 1888, the brass foundry at the new factory, known-,as the Martin Manufacturing Company, was in rie operation. The foreman of the machine shop was a man from Buffalo who had been in charge of a factory where 2,000 men were employed, and a number of workers moved from Toronto to Whitby to join the new industry. tb y.In February, 1888, the Town of Whitby gave $5,200 to the Martin Manufacturing Company to pay,,for the site it had Y ý purchased, new buildings, and the boiler and engine. The company, true to its promise to, the town, immediately FACTORYempîoyed 40 men at its plant. By 1889,th company was able to report that it employed an le of Whitby's three major average of 50 men, and paid out $12,300 in wages. Ne examine the history of The-business thrived under the managem ent of Mr. Martin, ie buckle factory. who retired because of ilI health in 1903 and turned over his i the pnoperty bounded by interest in the company to Fred Hatch, a Whitby hardware rt Streets, opposite the merchant. site of the Safeway Plaza.' Mr. Martin moved to Newark, N.Y., and Mr. Hatch moved actured brass buckles for into the house at the corner of Dunlop and Byron Streets which D1964, and was the last of in recent years was the Match House Restaurant doors. The buekle factory w as now known.i as the Miatch Manufactu- nying to attract industry. ring Company. Between 1906 and 1912; Mr. Hatch undertook a le client in two Toronto -major building prognam, réeplacinig the old wooden buildings of uel Trrees. the factory with two-storey jbrick buildings which covered an the Town offered the'two entire block. The' only.:building' rema ini ng is thebrick barn' was in the form of a* ban' wich ii presently occupied, by'Pioner Interions. ed anindustry in Whitby.-. Behind the barn was.a brass moulding shop.constructed in amuel Trees completed a 1911. Brooldin w. Bylies The Brook]l'in Scouts ýregular monthly Papeî- Drive will he held Saturday, February 10 starting at 9 a.m. Please leave papers tied securely two ways, ai the curbside before 9 a.m. Sorry, newsprint only can be accepted, no glossies or, catalogues. Ashburn residents pîcase note thai your- pipers can be left at the Ashburn Communiîy Centre up ta two days prior to the paper'drive. Do not ]cave ther«n ai (the Centre after the pick-up- has been made. For, fuîther information pes contact Alex MacLeod at, 655-3602. SThe Brooklin Spring Fa ir Boar-d will -hold a meeting Thursday, February 8 ai 8 p.m. at the Brooklin Commiunîty Centre. Everyone is invited (o attend the meeting and voice his or her opinions. New ideas arc always wclcome, but whlatis really needed are.people from (Jie community who ai-e able to spare a few hours of their time serving on commit tees. The-c is m-uch (o do to prépare for the fair and only a few people (o do the work. Corne out and sec what is being planned foi- our fair. Perhaps your contribution will be just whai is necded (o make (ho 1979 Brooklin Spring Fair a greater success. The Brooklin Businessmen's Association will hold a meeting on Tuesday, February 13 at.8 p.m. at the Community Concept Centre (Baldwin St.). Kevin Tunney, DJrector of Planning will be the guest speaker. He will bring us up to date on any recently proposed development. in Brooklin. Members are urged (o attend this meeting, and any business people who have not yet joined the association are n-ost welcome. The next Kinette Teen Dance will be a 50's dance to bc held ai the Brooklin Community Centre on Saturday , February 10, from 8 p.m. to midnight. Dress is ta be (liai of the 1950's ancl there will be a prize for the besi costumes. AUl teens (1:3. to 17) are welcome. Admission is $2 and ide ntification is recjuir-ed. For further information cal Jane Baron ai 655-4818.-' The Brooklin Library has another great contest going on (o encourage your children toread. The curîrcnt. action at theë ibrary is called "Mad Hatter lVarch Movie Contesi". -.Al](lhe Carni*val .q ueen chosen Feb. ,23 A Carnival Queen -wi e crowned for (lhe 1979 Winter Carnival at a dance Feb. 23 at theCentennial Building, 416 Centre Street South. The dance begins at 8 p.m. and ends at 1 a.m. Admission is $5 per person. There will be numerous prizes given away during the dance, and' a hot and cold buffet will be served. Contestants for the Carni- val Qucen Contest will be [rom the Whitby high scbools. The Qucen will rcccive $100 courtesy of Safeway Stores. and -will reign over (he Winter Catniviir weekend, [est ivities. Tlic.kets aré avalable < ai the dom-or,,o -.by.,alling *boys and girls have to do is read a book' that has been made > nf a movie,f hcn finl oui an ehtry blank 'ai the Brooklin Lihra-y. Winners will receive freû tickets (o the Cinomna Whitby (Brock Theatrc) in Whilhy In use on their March Break. Draw will *take place ai the'lihî ary 'on Saturday, March 17. DATEhS TO REMEMBUiEt Fch. 8- Brooklîn Spî'ing }"aii Boardciveling - il P..1. Fei). 1<0 - Boy Scotl Paper Driv< 9 a.m. Fe>., 10t- Teen I )ance B-8 .m Fei). 13 - irionkliin inese Association - il 1p.n. Susan -Smith 655-3932 Brown's Drop-Off breinre 2 pr-n. Sist.> Daffodils' Membens of Beta Sigma Phi Sorority are finding it easier (o withstand weather because (bey have been plan- ning for spring and the appearance of the daffodil since October. This is the (bird year Beta Sigma Phi bas undertaken the selling of daffodils for the South Durham Unit of the Cana- dian Cancer Society. This year's co-chair- persons are Mrs. Lenore Coulson 'and Mrs. Carol Steffen. Beta Sigma Phi members wiIl be selling daffodils on March 29, 30 and 31 at local plazas and stores but the bulk of sales is (o businesses by an. ambitious plan of pre-orders. Letters will be sent in February with order envelopes enclosed whereby businesses can Place pre- orders for daffodils. The. businesses don.'t buy (hem (o sel] but (o display in their places of business perhaps for cancer giving (hem (o their staff or (hein customers. If any businesses have ..been unintentionally over- looked, it is hoped they will call o place their pre- orders: Mrs. Lenore Coulson at 723-4539 or Mr's. Carol Steffen at 576-3330. Have a room to divide? Or maybe add timacy? Gregg.has a solution! a litile more in- MITCHIELL BROTHERS, Building Su 1ppies Ltd. Brooklin 655-4991 Many of the ernployees of the buckie factory worked there al their lives. >.Thére were six bookkeepers over the years, Addie Martin, George Whitelaw, Esther Harvey, Florence Houghton, Annie Toms and Lauài Pellow.ý Charles Barton Sr. came from .Toronto in 1888 with Mr. Martinî and Mr. Trees to become the first superintendent of the plant. The three others were A.T. Harrison, Charles Barton Jr. and Albert O'Dell. The first four employees were Charles Barton Sr., James Anderson, George Mowat Sr. and Miss Annie Fallon. 1 The last three employees when the factory closed in October, 1964 were Gordon Noble, Russel Bailey and Robin Nicholson. Mr. Nicholson started work at the buekie factory at the age of 16 and was there for 58 years. Saddlery hardware was the term used for the produets of the buckle factory. During the First World War, there was such a demand for this equipment that the buckle factory operated on three shifts for 24 hours a day. The buckle factory had 112 employees in 1906, and the war sustained the industry for several years, but by 1920, the gasoline tractor.had replaced the horse on many farms. In 1920, a number of employees were laid off and the work '-"week was shortened, but during the Depression of the 1930's when few people could afford gasoline, the horse returned to popular use and the factory prospered agaifr. In 1929, Fred Match died, and Samuel Trees Jr., son of the original founder,' purchased the factory. It'was later managed by his son J.D. Trees, and was known as Samuel Trees & Co., or WVhitby Malleable Iron, and Brass Ltd. In 1958 when Mr. Trees closed biïs blanket factory on, Brock Street North, he'moved the'blanket and sweat pad industry into the buékle factory, but the, company's days were numbered. > Gone were. the days whenGeorgeWhitelaw acted, as a commercial- traveller for the buekle factory, travelling from coast to coast selling Whitby saddlery products. The machinery at the buckl e factory ground to a hait in May 1964, and in October, the assets of the company were disposed of at 'a public auction. Two years later the factory was demolished, but it t00k 10 years before the vacant lot becamea commercial centre in Whitby again. DENTURE THERAPY' CLINIC 111 DUNDAS ST. W. WHITBY. 668-1484 Add 'alitti e -"Gregg" warmth to your home Gregg cabinets are desgnea toir durab.tity. using toIndred wood v.th morise and tenon consruc. Iton Framres are soid cod00COO are Oolic brCh. solid Oak or oak verteer Ail Gregg cabinets teature superor synthetic tnshes. Particuiarty reslistant te nortnatltousehotd oear and tearifludong witer Or stear,. rut juCes. butter and SuCti houbettotd chem.cratn as arnmontaî Furîhermore, Gregg cabnets comte in a w#00 range et nodets te ltt nour Plece requtreenento aied designs needs à% dÀà, 4%- t buil dentr Î9