Author and historian Campbell Cork presented a session on historical characters of the area and the Lynes Blacksmith Shop in Kenilworth at the Mapleton Historical Society’s annual meeting on May 4 at the PMD arena.
Cork, a Mount Forest resident, began the evening with a look at famous people who lived in the area but did not necessarily stick to Grey, Bruce or Wellington Counties.
He described these individuals as fairly average people who did something extraordinary; people who kept going despite the challenges they faced.
“I’m not going to tell you about Willie Jackson of Wingham who hung out with Louis Riel for a spell. I’m not going to tell you about Howard Kerr from Huron County who formed Ryerson University. I’m not going to tell you about Lucknow’s Donald Dinnie, at six feet six inches 250 pounds, who in 1860 at the age of 23, set a world record by carrying two boulders weighing 785 pounds, while walking across a bridge,” Cork said.
“I am going to tell you about William Coutts from Maxwell, Grey County. At four months of age, his father was run over by horses. Coutts and his mother and sisters went to live with his grandmother in Feversham. Four years later his mother died from pneumonia and he and one of his sisters were sent to live with an uncle in Wareham. At the age of 16, Coutts married Charlotte Robinson and moved to
Toronto, where he worked in the stationary business,” Cork said.
He continued the history on Coutts, stating that he developed a greeting card line and formed the company W.E. Coutts Co. Ltd, which grew to employ 1,000 people.
In the 1930s, Coutts joined forces with Joyce C. Hall, manufacturing cards under the Hall Brothers name in Canada. By 1958, the company became what is known today as Hallmark Cards.
Coutts died in 1971 at the age of 93.
“I am going to tell you about John Diefenbaker, the 13th prime minister of Canada, born in Neustadt; A fiery speaker who had a vision of one Canada,” Cork said.
He described Diefenbaker’s experience with tremors, which comedians imitated and named the Diefenbaker shakes.
Political opponents of the prime minister questioned his ability to function in a political setting because of his health issues. Diefenbaker was the only Canadian prime minister to have a disease named after him: “The Diefenbaker Disease.”
Unknown to many, Walt Disney’s roots were in Bluevale, Ontario. Cork described Walt’s father Elias as an unsuccessful contractor in 1895. After many moves and different career paths, the family travelled to California, hoping to make their fortune in the gold rush.
Unsuccessful, the family moved to Chicago, where Elias was employed as a construction worker for the 1893 World’s Exposition. This event is claimed to be the source of inspiration for Walt’s Disney kingdom.
The boy who was to become The King of Cash, left Ireland at the age of 14 and was employed at a bakery in Kirkton, Perth County.
“After an unsuccessful attempt at the business, the boy, Timothy Eaton, set up a cash only store in St. Mary’s near Stratford. From their he opened a store in Toronto,” Cork said.
“Eaton’s success was based on buy deeply, pay smartly and sell loudly.”
Cork noted Eaton went on to introduce the Eaton’s catalogue in 1884, which gave Canadians access to a variety of merchandise. After the catalogue had outlived its life it could be found in the backyard privy. Eatons was purchased by rival company, Sears Canada, in 1999.
“Normanby fighter Noah Brusso was five foot seven, weighed 170 pounds. Brusso was the first and last Canadian world heavy weight champion. He was also known as the shortest heavy weight champion of all time,” Cork said.
He stated that Brusso’s mother hated pugilism. While working on lake boats, Brusso fought with two ship mates, jumped ship and landed at the Detroit Athletic Club. When one scheduled boxer failed to show for a match, Brusso took to the ring and knocked out his opponent in the fifth round.
By 1905, using the name Tommy Burns, he had been the heavyweight champion of the world 16 times and was famous for taking on two opponents at one time, knocking out one opponent in 27 seconds of the first round.
Married four times, Brusso was buried in British Columbia where his fans pooled their funds to have his tombstone engraved with the words, “Here lies Tommy Burns.”
Jack Stafford had humble beginnings as a food salesman in 1894. Known as “The Jam and Jelly Man” in Bruce County, Stafford also had an interest in Sports, founding the Ontario Minor Hockey Association.
“In 1973, his horse, Royal Chocolate, won The Queen’s Plate and he met Queen Elizabeth II in the winner’s circle. Stafford was awarded a Sovereign Award in 1976 as Man of the Year for his contribution to the sport,” Cork said.
He revealed that Stafford Farms won 131 stake races, ranking them fourth on the list of all-time leading stakes winning owners in Canada behind E.P. Taylor’s Windfield Farms, Conn Smythe and Seagram Stable.
Cork also gave an informative power point presentation on the Lynes Blacksmith Shop located on Highway 6 in Kenilworth.
James Lynes came to Canada from Ireland in the 1840s and settled on Garafraxa Road, establishing a blacksmith shop on the Kenilworth site. Eventually, James Lynes Jr. took over the operation of the business.
“By 1955, the world changed and factories started manufacturing what a blacksmith produced. The blacksmith shop was closed. James Jr. wanted his wife Mary to have a new modern home, but did not want to build across the road and sit and look at the old place,” Cork said.
He pointed out James Jr. and Mary had a son, Frank, born in 1934. A Depression-era child, who went on to become a medical doctor practicing medicine in Hamilton, Frank would make monthly trips back to Kenilworth, picking apples in the family’s orchard, picking berries from the garden, attending the Sacred Heart Church garden party and would return home each time with a jug of Kenilworth’s finest water.
“The family home was left undisturbed after Frank’s parents passed away. Frank returned each weekend to shake off the work week. He would climb the stairs to find his bedroom, sleep in his childhood bed and enjoy the Irish mementos on the fireplace hearth,” Cork said.
He added Frank’s family would attend church on Sundays; the same church he attended as a child. Frank’s grandchildren visited Kenilworth and were quickly put to work painting and working in the gardens and orchard.
Retired in 1999 at age 65, he attended his last garden party at the church in 2014 and passed away one year later. A will left by Frank revealed his wishes for the blacksmith shop to become a historical educational centre.
The blacksmith shop remained closed and virtually untouched since 1955. A calendar from 1951 hangs on one wall and a long row of horse shoes fills another wall. A call at the house note is pinned on a beam.
Beneath 65 years of cobwebs and dust, equipment, tools and supplies can be found. Chunks of iron line the building’s narrow corridors.
After the Township of Wellington North accepted the donation of the property in 2017, volunteers began restoration of the blacksmith shop. In September, the shop’s first open house welcomed 340 visitors. Plans are currently underway to work with 15 blacksmiths and countless volunteers to keep the facility viable in the community, Cork explained.
