"Part of local history wiped out with Sinton", Sault Star Clipping, 1985

Thessalon - The burning of the Hotel Sinton last week marked the end of close to 80 years of history in the Town of Thessalon.

If the walls could have talked, they would have recounted the building being erected in 1907 by Thomas Moore of Thessalon, who also owned another hotel in town called the Commercial.

A Sault Ste. Marie contractor, McPhail and Wright, did the erection using double and triple brick construction. The circular corner front originally had a turret top resembling a fortress. The original name of the hotel was the Moorehouse.

Tom Moore was known in the area as a breeder and racer of horses. He married Elizabeth Patterson who had two children by a previous marriage. Mr. Moore died in 1915 and the hotel was sold to John Harris of Walford.

John Harris and his family moved to Thessalon from Walford, where Mr. Harris owned another hotel. He renamed the hotel Cecil House in honor of his son who had been killed in the war. John himself died in his first year of operation and in 1917, the hotel was sold to John Heffernan.

John Heffernan changed the name to Heffernan Hotel and it retained this name for the next 40 years. Mr. Heffernan was a widower, and he hired Mrs. Jane MacCartney, a young widow with two small children, to run the hotel. Jane had experience in this field as she ran the Queens Hotel, another Thessalon establishment, as manager and housekeeper.

Mr. Heffernan himself was not around too long but on his death he left the hotel to Mrs. MacCartney, who provided most of the history and aura of the establishment.

A flu epidemic following the First World War saw Mrs. MacCartney taking in a large number of the sick, in essence turning the hotel into a hospital. For this service she earned the name of Mother Mac to a great number of the Thessalon residents.

Mrs. MacCartney was born in India, the daughter of an army officer and came to Canada at an early age. Her daughter was Marie Noble who lived in Thessalon for many years in the grand brick house across from the cenotaph.

Mrs. MacCartney sold the hotel in 1945 to Sam Sinton who in turn gave the hotel its present name. On Sam's death, Mrs. Sinton sold the hotel to Gene Biondi of Sudbury whose main claim to fame seems to have been painting the oak beams in the hotel green.

Ray Forest took over ownership in 1960 and later sold it to Andrew Valiquette in 1974.

There is no doubt that in its day it was one of the finest hotels in Algoma, with its three fireplaces, oak dressers and china cabinets.

No doubt there will be fond memories carried away with the bricks when the clean-up crews move in, but the many patrons of the Sinton in the past can hope for continued fond memories if and when a new Sinton is built at the corner of Main and Huron.