It’s Wayback Wednesday, sponsored by Jamie Lockwood, broker/owner of Sutton Group Muskoka Realty!
Hanna and Hutcheson Bros., 86 Main Street East, Huntsville, Ontario. c1911.
This retail business was purchased by George Hutcheson from Smith and Culp in 1883. The business operated under the name of Hutcheson & Son until it was destroyed in the fire of April 18, 1894, which swept through town destroying 32 buildings in total including all of those on Main Street between the bridge and West Street. Just weeks after the fire, the town enacted a regulation requiring that the walls of all new buildings be built of either stone, brick, iron or clad with brick or stone. A loose fire brigade was formed in the months following the fire but an official fire brigade wasn’t formed until 1899.
After the fire, George Hutcheson rebuilt the store on the same site but withdrew from the business. William E. Hutcheson, R.J. Hutcheson and William Hanna of Port Carling then formed the firm Hanna & Hutcheson Bros. to carry on the business. The Independent Order of Oddfellows had met on the top floor of the original building and continued to meet in part of the upper floor of the new building until they moved across the street to occupy the upper floor at 67 Main Street East. On December 28, 1911, a fire destroyed the dry goods business of Matthew Wardell at 77 Main Street East, across the street. Wardell started over by moving into the Hanna & Hutcheson building which he rented for $600 a year. Later he installed electricity and the Wardell family purchased the building for $6000 in 1920.
See more Wayback Wednesday photos here.
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In the early 70’s, I remember buying my first pair of Levi jeans in the basement area of Wardell’s. Those jeans required many washings to lesson the strength of the indigo dye!