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"A Family Tradition for 132 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Wednesday, August 5, 1998 - 13 Sketches of Scugog by Paul Arculus Sketches of Scugog is a historical column written by local resident and historian Paul Arculus and published in the Port Perry Star each month. rd [J [ [J One of the most photographed stores in the early days of Port Perry is the NE ik Parrish family started in hardware business in 1868 on the south side of Queen Street where Brock's stores are now located. William T. Parrish was born in Napanee where he started a hardware business. He brought his family to Port Perry in 1868, purchased the Worthington building and converted it into a hardware store. The Parrish hardware store became a prominent fix- ture of the set- tlement and was a highly successful ven- ture, largely because of the wide range of merchandise which W.T. was able to obtain. Parrish estab- lished the Port Perry Tin Works at the rear of his building although he sold this branch of the business to James Boxall in 1883. Above: The interior of W. T. Parrish Hardware store, before the fire of 1884. Mr. Parrish can be seen behind the coun- ter at far left. Right: Interior view of W. T. Parrish Hardware, look- ing south-west towards front of store. Parrish Hardware store located where Lukes Country Store now stands. This particular lot remained empty until 1866 when E. Worthington built a two storey, flat roofed frame building for his flour and feed business. Worthington sold the building to W.T. Parrish in 1868 and opened a new store The success of W.T. Parrish was reflected in the palatial home which he built at 280 Cochrane Street in the late 1870s, in spite of the 1875 depression. Here, he and his wife Caroline raised their three children, William Lewis, John William, and daughter Edith. The Parrish home was later the resi- dence of Dr. Matt Dymond, Minister of Health for Ontario, and is now owned by eo The W.L. Parrish Hardware store, located on Queen St., where Lukes Country Store is today. \ with unidentified man standing in the entrance. Brian Callery. The disastrous fire of 1884 had a signifi- cant impact on W.T. His store was completely destroyed and he was severely depressed over his losses. However he did want to see his ven- ture continue so he turned over the entire enterprise to his 19- year-old son William Lewis Parrish. W.L. "Lew," took on the responsibility of designing a new build- ing and supervised its construction. The new brick two storey build- ing was opened in February 1886. W.T. died shortly afterwards at the age of 43 in August 1887. His wife, Caroline, passed away only nine months later, in August 1888. She was only 40- years-old. Shortly after their deaths the store name was changed to W.L Parrish. John W. Parrish married Sarah Jane Currie, a niece of George Currie, a grain merchant and pioneer in the community. Currie owned and operated the store directly to the west of Parrishs. Sarah died when only 27-years-old while giving birth to their daughter. The child, named Sarah Jane in honor of her mother, lived for only four months. Edith Parrish married Dr. Samuel McDowell. Dr. McDowell came from Bowmanville and took over the practice of Dr. Hamill at 249 Queen Street. The marriage took place in December 1893 at the Parrish home on Cochrane Street. The officiating minister at the wedding was Rev. D.C. McDowell, father of the groom. Unfortunately the marriage failed. Dr. McDowell left Port Perry and his practice was taken over by Dr. Samuel J. Mellow. Dr. McDowell eventually settled in Colorado while his ex-wife moved to Toronto. After her death in 1955, Edith was buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in Prince Albert. Dr. Mellow was also buried in the Pine Grove Cemetery in 1925. Lew married Nell Henry and they had four children but none expressed an interest in continuing the family hard- ware store. He ran the store for 58 years. Lew Parrish was known as a very quiet man but he was held in high regard for his knowledge and his business skills. His employees particularly respected him. In his younger years he was active in lacrosse and throughout his life he took an interest in horses and was one of the last businessmen in town to continue to own and use horses as a hobby. Harry Peel bought the store and the business from Lew Parrish in 1947. Wes Lane worked in Peel's store as a high school student. He knew Mr. Parrish as a "shrewd but hardworking businessman." Wes bought the plumbing and heating division of the business from Peel in 1957, occupying the basement and top The Worthington Flour and Feed Store as it appeared in 1866 to 1868. The building was purchased by W.T. Parrish in fall of 1868. ge floor premises for three years before building his own workshop on Highway 7A. Lukes Country Store later took over the entire building and established the thriving business which exists today. Thus the 75-year-old tradition of a hard- ware store at this location passed into history. Lew Parrish became Reeve of Port Perry in 1906 and in 1908 was elected as Warden of Ontario County. In 1956, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his election as Reeve, the Port Perry Council honored him for his work in the community. At that time the council noted "You personally contributed your efforts towards bringing a modern post office to Port Perry, and to which you gave effi- cient guidance during its construction." This recognition was a timely and not- able one for he died a year later, on Aug. 4, 1957 at the grand old age of 90. W.L. PARRISH