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20 -- PORT PERRY STAR ANNIVERSARY ISSUE -- Tuesday, September 20, 1988 FROM PAGE 16 first to get into the business of manufacturing truss- es for which it has long been famous. Forty years ago we didn't have much industry. One small harness factory, Jeffery and Taylor's was located on the north side of Queen Street just east of the Port Perry Star building. On Perry Street was a small shoe factory situated near where is now the Liquor Store. Both of these industries ceased op- eration during the 40's. The industry which | believe was most widely known was Peel's Chick Hatchery famed for its Barred Rock Chicks, not only locally but throughout Canada and even in other countries as well. Then about the time | arrived in Port Perry, so did Arthur Brunton, one of whose activities was breeding Rhode Island Reds. These too brought fame to our community when Brunton's Rhode Island Reds were introduced to India. Attracting industry to smaller communities was not easy 40 years ago, but in the late 40's the old Town Hall was leased by a corset manufacturer from Drummond, Quebec and seemed to do well for a while. About the same time the Tease family esta- blished a factory for making sports sweaters, socks and such in what had been the shoe factory on Per- ry Street. When this building was destroyed by fire, a new building was erected on Perry Street, north of Queen, and this industry too brought some fame to Port since it (for a time) produced the socks and sweaters for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Then, a short time later, Ken Jackson esta- blished his "Butter Tart Factory" and it seemed that overnight Flamingo Tarts became a well-known and very popular product far beyond the bounds of Port Perry. Around the same time the Coulter Metal Stamping Plant was erected on the Oshawa Road; it is now of course the A. G. Simpson Plant. Our present Municipal Building is the third in the time that | have lived here and it (the building) was the first erected as the Tease Knitting Mill. It is inter- esting to recall that the Municipal building in 1942 stood on this same site. It was a very small, frame building, it didn't appear to be much larger than a one car garage, but it was adequate for the times. However, after the War it was found to be too small and so moved to what is now Prentice Barber Shop. That too in time became too small and on Mr. Teases' death the factory building was acquired by the Village, remodelled and enlarged to become the Municipal Building now serving those needs. CULTURE AND RECREATION: There were four churches in Port Perry in 1942, Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic, and Unit- ed. The War Memorial Library, now the Y.M.C.A. and the Lawn Bowling Green on the adjoining prop- erty were of a standard far superior to that found in many smaller communities, and were very popular and well used by the citizens. The old Skating Rink was situated (as | recall) on the site now occupied by the Kinsmen's (Scout) Hall. The Fairground, still in the same location, has undergone much growth and improvement. Even 40 years ago, our Fair was well-known far beyond our community since it was noted for one of (if not the) leading Holstein Show in Ontario. This record would not be complete without mention being made of the "Old Hospital", the yel- low brick building, now a residence on the west side of John Street, between Mary and Casimir Streets. Port Perry and surrounding communities had much reason to be proud of this hospital which came about because of the vision of Drs. David and Robert Archer. This was the first General Hospital in the then Ontario County. Oh yes, there was a hos- pital in Oshawa, but before then Oshawa was a sep- arated city and not part of the county. The fact of the Hospital had much to do with my coming here to practice, since | preferred to live in a small communi- ty, but | believed strongly that a Hospital was essen- tial to good medical care. Some time ago a friend asked me "What is the greatest change you have seen in Port Perry since you came here?" Without hesitation | replied, "The roads!" Forty years ago, the roads were a very im- portant factor in a doctor's everyday life, and | well re- call being stuck in MUD on the Oshawa Road at the Townline. | had more trouble in the mud than in the snow, bad though that was in most winters. On one occasion | came to a halt on the third concession by Osler's Forest. Mansell Gerrow was in the same pre- dicament just ahead of me. His bakery van (yes the bakers delivered in the country!) was mired in the ~ Dr. Matt Dymond writes about Port Perry's past mud so he and | piled branches on the mud so our wheels would catch and get us on our way. My most unforgetable experience with the roads happened one Saturday morning, or rather Friday night/Saturday morning on Hooper's Bridge on 7A. | had been called to Cartwright Township at about 10 P-m. to deliver a baby (let me interject here--all the talk | hear and read about these days about "Home Birthing"--I suggest they talk to those who have ac- tually been involved!!). The spring break had begun and Lake Scugog, as it did every year was steadily spreading across the Highway. | was on my way home at about 3:30 a.m. Saturday when suddenly by motor went dead on Hooper's bridge. | opened the car door, and the water already above the run- ners flowed into the car. | had only low shoes and rubbers, and the nearest phone was a mile or more away and at that time of the morning farm dogs (or any dogs) are not at their most friendly with strang- ers. So | closed the door and sat hoping that some- one would come along and report my plight. This didn't happen , but about three hours later my en- gine started and my car crawled across the cause- way. That was the first time | ever wrote to the M.P.P. and often regretted that it had to be a complaint. Af- ter | got to Queen's Park myself, | asked that M.P.P., the Reverend John Foote, V.C., who was the mem- ber to whom | had written, if he recalled my letter. He did and had begun to take action to have something done about that part of Highway 7A that crossed Lake Scugog | little dreamed on that Saturday morning sitting "in Lake Scugog" that | would be directly involved in having the "Annual Causeway Flooding" cleared up once and for all. But the improvement of Highways and Rural Roads alike has been nothing short of phenomenal and in the case of our community has done much to popularize our area and | believe has been an important factor in our economic and popu- lation growth. So that's what | recall of Port Perry of 46 years ago. Much more could be said in more detail. | ha- ven't touched upon the "NOW". The reader can see what now is. Hopefully this sketch of what was, will help the reader to make comparisons. A brief history of how the causeway ____ A --_ Op Lake Scugog and the marsh around the area created plenty of traffic problems for early settlers. Prior to the build- ing of a bridge, a ferry had to be operated during the open season for travel between Port Perry and the Island. - In the years 1853-54 the Scugog bridge was built by the County of Ontario, connecting Port Perry with Scugog Is- land. Although the floating bridge was a vast improvement from previous methods of travelling to and from Scugog ls- land, it proved to be very unstable and in 1884 tenders were let for the construction of a new bridge. Tenders for the construction of 600 feet of the east-end of Scugog Bridge were being received until October 14, 1884, and work was to be completed no later than the 1st of September 1885. Chosen to do the job were Messrs. -- Jesse Ireland, Nicholas Dyer and Wm. Trennum. | During the summer of 1885 logs were lined along the | sides of the floating bridge and then the centre was filled with earth until the bridge sank, forming a foundation for the first solid, permanent roadway, connecting the Island with Port Perry. I In 1934, the Ontario County Council, which controlled the road, widened the narrow causeway bridge to accom- modate the use of motor vehicles. Due to continual flooding of the causeway each Spring, in 1960 the Provincial Government agreed to $1.5 million to re-build the causeway bridge linking Port Perry and the Is- - land. That present causeway bridge is still in use today. CANA ai b