Old Brockville Photographs

Pictures of old Brockville Industrial Factories

12 October 2008 – 10:28 pm

[click on any photograph to enlarge it]

Bowie & Co.

Bowie & Co., Brewers and Malsters

[view taken from Water St., looking south east]

Water St. E. [south side] from Bethune St. to Park St. [now demolished, and the site of the Executive Condominium]

Laing Produce & Storage Co. Ltd.

[aerial view taken from over river, looking north]

Manufacturers of “Betty” Brand Condensed Milk and “Dorthy” Brand Evaporated Milk, and “Golden Glow” Creamery Butter [1929]

39-41 Water St. E. [south side] from Bethune to Park St. [now demolished, and the site of the Executive Condominium]

A more complete story on this factory can be found by following this link on our sister site, Brockville History Album

General Milk Products of Canada Ltd.

[view taken looking north]

Manufacturers of Butter, Milk Powders, Condensed and Evaporated Milk, etc. [1956]

Pearl St. E., cor. of North Augusta Rd.

Canada Carriage Company

Canada Carriage Co.

1879 – 1930

[view looking north-east from rail line, taken about 1900, before the 1905 fire]

Carriage and Sleigh Manufacturers

Park St., just north of the Grand Trunk Rail Line [now demolished, and the site of the Brockville Legion and youth softball grounds]

This engraving shows the new and expanded Canada Carriage Co. buildings that were built after the destructive fire of January 4, 1905.

^

Phillips Cables Ltd.

Eugene F. Philips Electrical Works Ltd.

[aerial view, looking north-west, taken about 1940]

Manufactures of copper rod and insulated wires,wires and cables

King St. W. at the city limits [just recently demolished, 2008]

1000 Islands Mineral Water Co.

[view looking north-east, taken in 1970s, before being demolished]

58 Brock St. [north side] at head of Buell St. [now a city park]

Union Hat Works

[view looking south-west from Park St., taken about 1905]

Park St. [west side], just south of Grand Trunk Rail line

In 1902 an existing enterprise, known as the Union Hat Works of St. John’s. Quebec [now known as St. Jean} a small city located south of Montreal on the Richelieu River, approached the Town of Brockville. They offered to relocate their factory to Brockville. The reasons for their re-location was said to be, to get nearer to their customers in Ontario, along with their need for larger facilities to expand.

Brockville Town Council were very interested in welcoming a new source of employment and soon entered into negotiations with the three principle shareholders, J.C. Saulnier, A. Decelles, and Charles J. Altman. A bonusing deal was eventually arrived at with those proposing the relocation of the Union Hat Works to Brockville.

It was necessary to go to the rate-paying citizens with a referendum to approve a contract which involved the town providing a free piece of land from three possible sites. The $19,000 bonus aid would have to be raised by selling debentures. The value of the completed project would be secured with a mortgage for $20,000 in favour of the town. The factory business owners in turn promised to build a 3-storey brick main building, 100 feet long by 45 feet wide, and a wood-frame one-storey side wing to the west, 75 feet long by 35 feet wide at their own expense.

The owners also pledged to build these buildings and to install suitable machinery to the valuable of at least $20,000. When the building was completed, the town would make the first payment of $5,000. Following that, when the placement of the suitable required machinery was completed, a further payment of $7,500 would be paid to the owners. The company could not raise any money by a mortgage on the property. One year after the placing of the equipment a payment of $500 would be made.

The company would not be required to pay any property taxes for the next ten years, commencing in 1903. In turn, the company pledged to employ at least 100 workers, and to pay out to them at least $30,000 in wages per year.

The town agreed to complete the bonus on equal amounts of $1,500 per year for four years as long as the Hat Works continued in business and continued to hire local workers.

The Bonusing By-law was presented for a vote on July 14, 1902 and received the approval of the voters.

The ideal piece of industrial land on Park St. just south of the GTR main line was handed over for the construction of the new hat factory.

^

Wolthausen Hat Corporation Ltd.

[view looking west from Park St.]

Hat Manufacturers

Park St [west side], just south of Grand Trunk Rail line

Stetson Hat Co.

[aerial view looking south]

Hamilton St to Park St., just south of the Canadian National Rail line [demolished in 1973]

St. Lawrence River Steamers

14 September 2008 – 4:56 pm

[click on any photograph to enlarge it]

The steamer Kingston was a regular visitor to Brockville and other river communities from 1901 to 1949

Picture taken about 1940

The SS Kingston was built in 1901 for the Richelieu & Ontario Navigation Co. Ltd of Montreal. It was the second in a series of three new paddle steamers built by the Bertram Engine Works Company of Toronto. Each steamer was built bigger than the one before. The “Toronto” was the first, in 1899; followed by the “Kingston“, and then the “Montreal“, in 1903.

The Kingston was characterized by her two round funnels and two side-paddle wheels. She was 288 ft. long, had a beam of 30.15 ft., a draft of 13.25 ft., and weighed 2925 tons gross.
The ship was designed by Arendt Angstrom, the naval architect of the Bertram company, assisted by L.E. Tornroos.

She was owned by the Canada Steamship Lines from 1914 to1948 and, along with the SS Toronto, operated on the Toronto-Rochester-Kingston-Thousand Islands-Prescott run. Following the tragic burning of the Noronic at Toronto in 1949, overnight lake service with CSL was halted, and the Kingston never ran again.

S.S. Toronto

From a postcard about 1913

**Passengers on the S.S. Toronto enjoying the river cruise**

From an early postcard

From a 1947 newspaper clipping:

“Hamilton, Aug. 25 — Once a queen of the great Lakes fleets, the 48-year old steamship Toronto has made her last trip to Hamilton, and today awaits the wreckers’ torches. pride of the Canada Steamship Lines fleet when when launched in 1899, she operated for many years between Toronto and Prescott, with calls at Rochester and Clayton, N.y., Kingston and Brockville. she has been purchased by the Steel Company of Canada for scrap.”

S.S. St. Lawrence

From an early postcard

**S.S. Rapids Prince running the Long Sault Rapids near Cornwall**

from an early postcard

A bit of history of the S.S. Rapids Prince found on the web site of the Canada Steamship Lines

**Excitment mounts as passengers aboard the S.S. Rapids Prince see the ship approaching the Cedar Rapids**

from an early postcard

The Island Wanderer was a smaller excursion steamer which ran amongst some of the notable islands and passed locations and sites of the Thousand Islands near Alexandria bay and Gananoque.

from an early postcard dated 1901

From a “Descriptive Time Table” leaflet published by the owners of the Island Wanderer and composed by the ship’s captain, E.W. Visger (no date):

Str. Island Wanderer on her forty mile trip among the islands.

Leaving Alexander bay at 8 a.m. and 2:15 p.m., Thousand Island Park at 8:35 a.m., and 2:50 pm, stopping at the Hub House, only a few yards distance, thence passing up the river for many miles among beautiful clusters of green-decked isles, crossing the boundary line between the United States and Canada, and stopping at the city of Gananoque, in Canada, reaching there at 9:50 a.m., and 3:50 p.m., leaving at 10 a.m., and 4:15 p.m., giving 25 minutes for a ramble in Canada on the afternoon trip.

Thence we go down the Canada side and among the Canadian Islands, passing among large groups of the most beautiful islands of the grand old St. Lawrence, and which has heretofore never been explored by a large steamer, nor has eye ever gazed upon from a steamer’s deck, also rounding the Fiddler’s Elbow, and passing through the Lost Channel, we enter the main channel of the Canadian waters, passing close to Echo Point (a place recorded in ancient history), reaching Westminster Park at 11 a.m., and 5:15 p.m.

From thence, we pass close to Sport Island, Summer Island, Hayden’s Island, Manhattan Island, Long Branch, Anthony’s Point, and Bonnie Castle, arriving at Alexandria Bay at 11:30 a.m., and 5:30 p.m.

We again leave Alexandria Bay for Thousand Island Park and return, after each round trip, leaving Alexandria Bay at 12 noon, and 6:15 p.m., returning leave Thousand Island Park at 12:35 p.m., and 6:50 p.m.

the Island Wander is the only boat that makes this trip, and she makes this trip twice daily, Sundays excepted. maps of the river and this trip may be found at all hotels and other public places along the river.

Fare for round trip, 50 cents. Tickets for sale by Cornwall Bros., and at the news stand at Thousand Island House, Alexandria Bay, at the Thousand Island Park, by our agent A.R. Irving, and at the Office, Fisher’s Landing, Hub House, and Westminster Park.

E.W. VISGER, Captain.