Photo from the collection of the Library of Congress
Last Friday of September! Today’s old photo comes again from the collection of the Library of Congress, and the Detroit Publishing Company Archives.
Today we take a look at St. Mary’s Church, designed by Cram, Goodhue & Ferguson of Boston. This picture must date from 1904, as the church looks built, with just finishing touches going on, and the landscaping still not done.
Here’s the view today.
Photo from the collection of the Library of Congress
With all old photos, it’s always about the details. I wonder what the story is here, with the couple and the woman?
Photo from the collection of the Library of Congress
Also, check the doorway, look out for the doggy.
Have a good weekend everyone! See you back here Monday, for the first post of October.
Time sure flies.
It’s always amazing to me to see such a barren land in old photos, to see what it was like before anything else was there – very surreal. What I’m really interested in, in this picture, is the building that stands SSE to the church – the building on the far left of the picture.
Possibly this building?
http://g.co/maps/szbaj
I agree CPC – when I first saw it I thought it had to be the first row houses! I think the date is right.
Also I wonder if the single figure in the picture is an older child, not a woman. The length of her clothing makes me think it is a child. A woman of that era would be wearing a long skirt, like the one on the left.
I like the detail of the dog.
The Walkers did not allow any photos to be taken of their buildings under construction which is a strange quirk. This link is instructive:
http://walkervilletimes.com/1913.htm#
Rare occurrence when the present windows look better than the originals.
The photos of St Marys bring memories flooding back to me. I was a boy chorister from 1949 to 1955 under the direction of Mr Sydney Tarrleton. Although he had a rather sharp temperment he was a marvelous musician and organist. With his abrupt manner he brought out the best of us boys and made us sing like angels. I don’t know about today but then the church was packed every Sunday morning and evening. Needless to say the church is beautiful, very “English”. I also appreciate the photo of the lovely line of “terrace” housing. Good on the owners for keeping them as they are, bearing in mind this is Windsor!!
I was baptized and confirmed just south of St. Marys at St. George’s and attended from 1952 to 1955, serving during the a.m. (and the radio broadcast over CKLW) and sang in All Saints downtown at Evensong. Rev. Mr. Draper was priest at St. Marys and Fr. Davies was at St. George’s. Those two Walkerville churches were as different as night and day, although both were Anglican!, although both had wealthy congregations.
To Ken Andrews
How nice to hear a blast from the past. Parts of our choir also sang on CKLW on Saturday mornings on what was called “The Birthday Party”. The hostess was an older lady who’s name escapes me but I remember she owned a ladies hat shop which was on Ouellette Ave in the Prince Edward hotel. After the broadcast a small group of us would proceed to the old Woolworths on Ouellette around the corner from “London” street to buy their cheap sweets. If I remember correctly CKLW used to broadcast on the 5th or 6th floor of the building next to the Norton Palmer hotel.
To Paul & Ken:
Almost correct. CKLW broadcast from the top (10th?) floor of the Canada Trust Building, one block north of the Norton Palmer Hotel at the corner of Victoria and University Avenues (University Ave. used to be called London Street). I started my broadcast frolics virtually next door, when CBE Radio was on the 9th and 10th floors of the Security Building at University and Pelissier.
Wow, Paul and Hal. So, that would be a little bit after the famed “Symphony Syd/Sid” of a very primitive late-night gig on CKLW… spin records and one-way phone-in chats. And St. George’s Rector was Rev. M. C. Davies, who also was MPP for Windsor-Walkerville and Speaker of the Ontario Legislature. His son, “Bud” Davies was well-known deejay and host of CKLW’s dance party. CN later hired him for their train p.a. announcements at major passenger stations in Canada, ’til VIA emerged in 1977.
Paul, Hal & Ken: I’m a friend of Paul’s from St. Mary’s, but Hal’s right: 10th floor, later Riverside Dr., the new CKLW bldg. There, Bud Davies was a host on The Birthday Party aa was Art Laing, disc jockeys on pop music shows. Bud had an amazingly mellifluous speaking voice. Looking at St. George’s, I see Ken Jaggs of whom we knew then, recently died, back at St. George’s: interesting circle. He was also rector at Grace Churh, Brantford, where our Rector at St. Mary’s, Archdeacon McRitchie moved from St. Mary’s: that also a beautiful Church, Rectory almost English opulence. ‘Low’ vs ‘high’ was less a bane to us than All Saints’ chorsiters who were excellent, tho’ I twacked a few of them at Kiwanis festivals. Wow Ken, memories is rite!
Yes, Murray you too bring back memories. All Saints choristers were quite good but didn’t match those of St Marys. I won first prize at the Kiwanis Music Festival in Chatham for boys solo twelve years and under in 1953. A few of All Saints boys were there and I left them gaping in wonderment. I have to add that today I would have everyone running for the exits!
Thanks,Hal, for correcting me, I nearly got it right. Also thanks for the info on CBE. I always wondered where they broadcast from.
The dog is quite interesting to see in the picture, as the Rev. Canon Jane Humphrey has a little dog about the same size that she walks around the neighbourhood with.
I recently came across a group of 4 connecting photos that were shot from the tower/steeple of St. Mary’s Church in June, 1906 by a Walkerville resident named Ernest J. Clegg. He was a Lancashire chemist who came to Canada in 1902 and went to work for Parke Davis & Co.. His photos of Walkerville are interesting — the 4 mentioned above amount (almost) to a panaroma shot beginning in a westerly direction & swinging around in stages to the north-east view out over the cemetery. I would love to know more about Clegg — was he, for example, connected to the Church to some degree? (Given that he got up on the roof!) I’d be happy to share these photos with anyone who can supply further information. CHEERS, Rod Anstee (Ottawa)