By Michael Walmsley
Kelly Road runs E-W from West Street S below Rogers Road.
One of Huntsville’s most prominent citizens was born in Bermuda in 1879.
J. Frank Kelly served in his home country’s Salvation Army and was posted to Huntsville in 1909 as a staff captain with the Army’s branch of immigration. Kelly quickly fell in love with Huntsville to the point that, when the Salvation Army was intent upon transferring him to another location, he joined the local Methodist Church to put an end to the possibility of moving.
Frank Kelly was a man of many talents including being an accomplished baritone singer and a fine bass player. These musical abilities connected Kelly to two of Huntsville’s major entertainment scenes.
Firstly, while working for the Canada Life Insurance Company, he wrote the first group life insurance policy for the Anglo Canadian Leather Company, then began working for the leather company as a purchasing agent and, ultimately, became the premier bass player in the esteemed Anglo Canadian Leather Company Band. Secondly, Kelly was featured as both an instrumentalist and singer at Bigwin Inn on Lake of Bays.
Of all his varied endeavours, Frank Kelly’s foremost accomplishments occurred in the realm of politics. He was elected as a Huntsville town councillor from 1925-31, became Huntsville’s mayor from 1932-35, was a member of the provincial legislature as a Liberal MPP from 1936-45, and again donned the mayor’s collar from 1946-48.
An interesting accomplishment of Kelly’s during his political career involved his successful lobbying of the federal government for the erection of the Huntsville Town Hall. In addition, he and George Paget retrieved the clock from Toronto’s Union Station and had it mounted at the peak of the new Town Hall — a piece of history that remains ticking up to this very day.
Construction of Huntsville’s Town Hall was completed in 1927. Its clock, which came from Toronto’s Union Station, was officially started at 11 a.m. on October 11, 1927.
Kelly also partnered with another of Huntsville’s prominent citizens, H. E. Rice. These two entrepreneurs envisioned Huntsville as a mecca for winter sports and vacations and, through their efforts, much of Huntsville’s reputation as a fine tourist destination came into reality.
Frank Kelly passed away at the age of 92 in 1971 — a very fitting person to have his name on one of Huntsville’s street signs.
See more Saturday Streetscapes here.
Michael Walmsley is a retired elementary school principal who resides in Huntsville. He enjoys looking at things with a bit of “outside-the-box” perspective and totally believes in living today with a hand on the past and an eye on the future. He has published articles in Kanawa and Adventure Kayak magazines and has recently published a book entitled The Joy of Kayaking – Including the Kayak Quiz.
During this past year, as president of the PROBUS Club of Muskoka North, he has written a weekly article to the club’s membership which has included a focus on Huntsville’s streets. These articles have been combined into book form which will be published in the summer of 2021.
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Jacquie Howell says
Thank you Mr. Walmsley for these interesting historical notes on Streets in Huntsville. Jacquie
Bryan D. Boothby says
I delivered The Globe & Mail newspaper to Mayor Kelly on West Street when I was 8 years old. I remember him quite well.
Margaret Wiegand says
I remember when Mr. Kelly was mayor – the 2nd time. As a kid, I knew nothing about his history but felt the vibe around him was positive. Thank you for this history and for the series on street names.
Heather Kelly says
Thanks for this article! J. Frank was my great-grandfather. I did not meet him as he died a few years before I was born, but we grew up on stories about him (which were, perhaps, more legendary than factual). I often visit Kelly Rd and drive past the big old house whenever I’m back in town. This is a nice timeline that fills in a few blanks from my dad’s memory. I’m looking forward to researching more about him.