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An Imaginary Walk Through Stevensville
with Shirley Beam
We were very pleased and honoured to have Mrs. Shirley Beam come into our classroom to present us with a history of Stevensville as she remembers it. Here is her account.
“We will start in the centre of town, going north where Stevensville Road and Main Street intersect.
First we’ll talk about the building in which the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce, Mae’s Restaurant and His ’N Hers is presently located. This building was built in 1908 by Samuel House. The bank has been called The Standard Bank of Canada, Sterling, The Commerce and is presently named The Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The store, housed in the same building, was first operated by William (known as Pat) Robinson. Walter Moon and Fred Staples bought the business in partnership. Later Mr. Staples went into the insurance business and left Mr. and Mrs. Moon to operate the store. Mrs. Moon carried on the business with her son, Bill, helping her, when Mr. Moon died. This store took in the whole area around the bank with doors opening both out onto Stevensville Road (which was then Victoria Street) and Main Street East. Wallpaper, china, dishes, men’s work clothes and many other things were sold where Helga now has her beauty shop. Groceries could be bought in the area where Mae’s Restaurant is now located.
“There is an apartment on the second floor of the building. On one occasion the occupants of the apartment had company for supper. On the way downstairs, the guests set fire to the building. All the people were evacuated safely, but the inside of the building was burned out. Mrs. Moon went out of the store business at that time.
“Now we will go north on Stevensville Road across the bridge to where Keith Winger now has the garage. This garage
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used to belong to Mr. Edgar Heximer, a very kind man who was good to the children. In suitable weather, Mr. Heximer flooded the creek to provide skating for the children. When they got cold, the children warmed themselves beside the big, round pot-bellied stove in his garage. Skates were hung with the help of a long-handled hook, on nails in the walls. When they were ready to resume skating, the children could step outside the door and slide down a roller coaster-type hill to the creek. Mr. Heximer provided music from a radio, which sat on a small platform outside an upstairs window.
“Mr. Heximer made other contributions to Stevensville. In collaboration with Charles Sherk, he built Stevensville’s first fire truck. Later, Stevensville acquired other fire fighting equipment. When Charles Sherk moved from Stevensville to Hilton Beach, a municipality without a fire truck, Stevensville donated its first fire engine to this municipality. This fire truck, replaced by newer equipment, is now on display in the museum at Hilton Beach. Edgar Heximer sold the business to John Gilmour in 1940.
“Next we come to Cline’s Ornamental Iron Works. The big building at the back used to be a blacksmith’s shop owned by Howard Bertran. The farmers brought their horses to town and got them shod here. A forge was heated up and used for shaping the iron. When cars became more popular, and fewer horses needed shoeing, Mr. Bertran moved his shop next door to the old barn behind Rureen Lichtenberger’s house. Here, Mr. Bertran pounded out the ends of old hot water tanks, which he had purchased, and re-sold them as culverts.
This business was later sold to Roy Cline. When Mr. Cline’s son, Clarence became of age, he helped his father and later took over the business. Clarence is now retired and the business was sold to Herman Menger in 1982.
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“The next building where Timothy Kloetstra’s father, Jim, had his upholstery business, used to be Spear’s Garage. The first school in Stevensville, built about 1866, was behind this building and the brick from this school can still be seen. At one time the large upstairs was used as a place of entertainment for the young fellows and girls. Here they would hold dances and put on plays. They had lots of fun.
“Walking north we come to Rureen Lichtenberger’s house. Between Spear’s Garage and Mr. Lichtenberger’s house there is a road allowance that is called Hayslip Street. Bees used to be kept in a building, behind Mr. Lichtenberger’s house, on Hayslip Street.
“Next to Mr. Lichtenberger’s house, is his shop and showroom. Fish and chips used to be sold in the shop area and in the showroom there once was a drugstore owned by Mel and Bob Stuart. The Stuarts later took the drugstore to Ridgeway. There was a restaurant in this area where ice-cream and light refreshments were sold. Things like school books, patented medicine and toothpaste were also sold here. At another time this room was used as a barber shop where Art Hill and Ray Lapp worked.
“Next we come to the Flour and Feed Mill which was owned by ‘Daddy’ Clifford Beam. Here farmers used to come and get their grain chopped. Originally, this building was the location for the first United Brethren in Christ Church. Tombstones can still be seen in a small cemetery behind the structure. Eventually, the building came into disuse, so in order for it to be used as a feed mill, Chester Beam enlarged it with the addition of a block front.
“The next building was Roy Morningstar’s Hardware Store. Here such things as screws, nails and hammers could be bought.
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In the back, Mr. Morningstar did some soldering. He made eavestroughs as well as other things. Later Mr. Morningstar moved to Ridgeway and Jerry Collis carried on with the same type of business.
“The next building belonged to the Wade family. It was built in 1847 by William Walter Wade, a tailor, who was one of the first people to live in Stevensville. Mr. Wade travelled to Fort Erie to do some work there also. This custom of travelling around and in different places was called ‘strumming the cat’. I don’t know the origin of this expression. Twenty-one Wade children were born in this home, including myself (Shirley Wade Beam). My grandfather, Coleman Wade was a tailor, who made men’s suits and coats. He had his shop in the little building attached to our house. The telephone office, which was situated in our front room, was moved to the little tailor’s shop. Before this time, the telephone office was in the front room of Alvin and Ethel Sider’s house, next to the C.N. Tracks at the southern end of Stevensville. It was also in the Tubby home where the Ken Winger’s now live, next to the present United Church.
“There is one interesting experience I would like to tell you about before we go on with our walk. One day my father went across the tracks to the station to meet someone who was coming to our place. Now, the doors of the station were always black with soot. At this time there were tramps who used to come and ask for food. My mother never turned them away, but would fix some good food for them and take it out to them. They were never invited into the house because they were too dirty, but we had a bench outside where they could sit. On this day when my father went to the station he happened to close the door and written in the soot on the back it said, ‘If you want a good meal go to the first house on the left hand…
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side of the road.’ My father erased the writing and didn’t have as many visitors after that.
“Now back to the Wade home. Dr. Colver, who was the doctor in Stevensville for many years before his death in 1904, had his office behind the tailor’s shop.
“Next to this building is the present Fire Hall which was built in 1952.
“Across the street is Dr. Vincent’s home (Allan’s grandfather). Beside this home there is a little street called Paul Alley.
“Now we are walking south along Stevensville Road to a vacant lot across from Rureen Lichtenberger’s home. This is the site of the old post office, which is in front of Bert Climenhage’s furniture store.
“Beside the post office, there was a lane leading back to the saw mill which was owned by John Pirson. His son Fred helped with the business. It was a busy place with farmers bringing in their trees to be cut. The lumber was green, so Mr. Pirson had a kiln to dry it. There was no electricity so the mill was run by steam and the furnace was fired with sawdust. Some of the lumber was sold to a man who lived in the States. He was a builder who made cabinets. The old saw mill burned down and was never rebuilt.
“At one time there was a large grapeyard, owned by John Pirson, in the area between the sawmill and the railroad tracks. Grapes were sold to factories for canning and making wine.
“We will continue our walk down and cross the bridge over Black Creek to the Stevensville Hotel. It was built in 1884
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by J.H. Haun, for Robert Hutcheon, who owned and operated the hotel as the Hutcheon House for many years. It is one hundred years old this year.
“Between Frank’s store there used to be a butcher shop and next door to that an ice-cream pavilion.
“Next we come to Frank’s store which is a very busy place from 8 o’clock in the morning until 10 o’clock at night. Frank sells groceries as well as beautiful all-occasion cards, and some school things such as notebooks and pencils.
“To the west of the store, where Frank now lives, is the site of the second United Brethren Church.
“Next we come to Wale’s storage shed which was once the cider mill. The first cider mill was located in the parking lot where McGregor and Miller now have their insurance office. It was a small operation and was destroyed by fire. The next cider mill was owned and operated by Charlie Wale. As a little girl I used to like to go to the mill and get a fresh cup of good cider, using a little granite cup that hung from a nail. Mr. Wale was a kind man. At Halloween all the children could come and get a drink of cider. As far as I know there was never any damage done to the cider mill because the children liked Mr. Wale. Grapejuice was also made at the mill. Outside, there was a large pile of pulp. Norman Noyes, who lived across from the United Church, used to spread it on his garden to enrich the soil.
“We will now go to the Stevensville Planing Mill. It was owned by Samuel House, and it was destroyed by fire in 1908. The fire was brought under control by a bucket brigade using water from Black Creek.
“Across the street from the Planing Mill on the corner of
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Coral Street and West Main, where the showroom once stood, was the site of a church built in 1880 by the Krehbielites. After the discontinuation of services, it was used by adherents of the Church of God faith. Later it became the office and showroom of the Stevensville Planing Mill.
“We will continue walking west to the United Empire Loyalist Memorial Conservation Area. This land was donated by Mr. and Mrs. W.R. House. This is a project of the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority with financial assistance from the province of Ontario.
“Past the park we come to Ott Road where we will turn right and come to the Reformed Mennonite Church. Benjamin Beam donated the land for this church in 1872.
“We will go back now, past the post office and stop at Mr. Baughn’s house. Mr. Baughn’s parents once owned and operated a store here. At two different times the post office was in the front of this building.
“We will begin walking west again past Mr. Crosby Hendershot’s home and shop, where he fixes T.V.’s and radios.
“The next large home is the place where Dr. Buell used to have his office. Dr. Legris also lived in this house as well as Dr. Twidle.
“We come next to a little gift shop, occupied by Mrs. Tweney. This was first built as an insurance office and was owned by John Isaac Burger. Later, Fred Staples had his Insurance Business here, then it became Harry’s Trophy Shop.
“Next door was the pool room and barber shop. Art Otterman and Ted Bushel were two of the barbers that had their shop here. There was also an ice-cream parlor in one of these buildings at one time.”
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“We are now at the corner of Stevensville Road and Main Street East, where Wale’s Plumbing is now located. The building was first owned by Phil Lichtenberger who sold International Farm Equipment. He also repaired sewing machines. At one time the upstairs of this building was used for putting on plays and square dancing. The building was not made strongly enough for the number of people that attended, so the activities had to be discontinued. Steel rods, that were put up to support the floor above can still be seen in the ceiling downstairs.
“Once a month a man called the medicine man used to come through Stevensville. Many people would bring a bottle, and buy some medicine which was supposed to be a cure for everything.
“Now we will go around the corner and turn south, walking along Stevensville Road. There used to be a small building where Wales have their parking lot. Mr. Swartz had his shoe repair here.
“We pass the house where Mr. Swartz and his daughter Mamie used to live and we come to the Library. This was the first fire station in Stevensville. It was built in 1925.
“Now we’ll cross the road and go to the Memorial Hall and the park. Before the hall was built, in the park there used to be a round, wooden bandstand where many concerts were performed. There were tennis courts in the park and people would come from miles around to play in the tennis tournaments. Both Dr. Buell and Chris Climenhage would often win. There was a ball diamond there for many years.
“The first Memorial Hall was completed in 1967. It burned down on December 12, 1978 and was rebuilt in 1981.
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“Just south of the park, is the United Church. This church was erected in 1885. The pastor, Rev. Kearns, literally put his shoulder to the work and pushed it to completion, personally assisting in getting the timber out. At that time it was called the Methodist Church but later it became the United Church.
“Just north of the park was the home of Harry Dean. He was a mechanic who repaired cars.
“The next building is a long white building, which is now apartments. Ray Doan, who was a butcher, once had a grocery store here.
“In the lot between the United Brethren In Christ Church and Doan’s store, there once stood a barn. After Phil Lichtenberger moved from the building, which is now Wales Plumbing, he had his business in this place. He sold International Farm Equipment, including hayloaders and binders. He also sold buggies and cutters. Joe Harris then had the business for some time.
“Next we come to the United Brethren In Christ Church which was built in 1914.
“We will walk north again to the corner of Stevensville Road and Main Street East. We will turn at the corner and walk east along Main Street. We come to the parking lot of McGregor-Miller Insurance. In this area the James Evely home once stood. Mr. Evely sold C.C.M. bicycles and paints. Fresh milk could also be bought here. Mrs. Evely also collected the money for the gas bills. When Mr. Evely became too old, he sold the store to Jim Potter who sold spices and meats. Later, Harry’s Trophies were sold in this store before they moved to the place where Mrs. Tweney has her store. This land
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was also the site of the first cider mill, before it burned down.
“Now we continue walking east past the home where Mrs. Moon once lived, to Lloyd Wale’s home. There was a small building on this property where Lloyd Wale first had his business. Later he moved his business to the corner of Stevensville Road and Main Street West. Jim Weldon moved this shop across the road from the Stevensville Public School and it is a part of his house to-day.
“We continue walking east to the store, which was owned by Alfred and Nellie Davis. Mr. Davis was not very well and he had to stay in bed because of pneumonia. He used to make leather billfolds to sell. This was a good store to buy ice-cream. Mr. and Mrs. Davis bought a television which attracted customers to the store. Often they would sit and watch T.V. while eating ice-cream. Mr. and Mrs. Davis sold the store to Jukoskys and later it was bought by Wayne Branston. Now it is no longer a store but a private home.
“Next we come back to our school. When I was a girl there used to be an old pond called ‘The Duck Pond’. There were a lot of cattails in the pond so the Kinsmen had it dredged and we young people used to have fun skating there. Other changes have been made in the school also. New rooms have been added and there is a beautiful gym and library. You even have computers. It sounds like an exciting place to be. When I was a girl we didn’t have all of those things.
“Our walk is finished and I hope you enjoyed our time together. Good-bye”.
Since the writing of this article some changes have taken
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place. The class was saddened by the death of Mr. Baughn, who was so helpful in telling us his story about being postmaster and printer. Mrs. Tweney’s Gift Shop and His ’N Hers have moved to a new location on West Main Street where Mr. Climenhage had the funeral parlor. Stevensville continues to change and develop.
— Elaine Winger