Trenton Town Hall

Did you know that Dr. James Naismith, born in Almonte, Ontario, invented the game of basketball in 1891? The sport began as two peach baskets nailed to the gym ...balconies at the International YMCA training school in Springfield Massachusetts. Learn more about Ontario’s sports heritage: https://bit.ly/33e4vhU : Kansas University Archives #HistoryWeek2020

Trenton Santa Claus Parade 1990

To look at these three houses is to look at a piece of Trenton's history. All three are still standing today. Click on the photos for descriptions.

Although it was officially "Murdoff's Grocery", it was most often referred to as the "Market Square Grocery" because of its close proximity to the daily market held in the town hall. The store was in operation from the late 1880's until approximately 1908. Originally from New York, James B. Murdoff (1861- 1928) married Laura Viola Card (1864-1946). Three of their four children predeceased them. Two sons died in infancy and their daughter Eva Murdoff Meyers at the age of 30. Eva's young daughter Virginia was raised by her grandmother Murdoff. Virginia married Ralph Weaver the founder of Trenton's Weaver Funeral Homes. The Murdoff's surviving daughter Ethel became a Nursing Sister with the Canadian Army Medical Corps in the first World War. By 1912, the Murdoffs had moved to Toronto where James opened a dry goods store.

In November 1960, 25 enthusiastic people attended a meeting in Batawa. The chairman was Arthur Duncan, Batawa public relations manager who along with Stephen Choma, Batawa violinist, outlined plans to form an orchestra. The result was "The Eastern Ontario Concert Orchestra" under the capable leadership of Mr. Choma. An executive was named and the Bata Shoe Company offered the use of the recreation hall for practices. Those first practices attracted around a dozen musicians.... The number eventually grew to more than fifty attending rehearsals. The name was chosen because the orchestra members came from all parts of the area from Colborne to Kingston and everywhere in between. The members, bound together by their love of music, included executives, teachers, farmers, housewives, business people and students. At one point, the members ranged in age from 8 to 80. After 60 years the orchestra is still going strong and is now based in Belleville and known as Quinte Symphony. Stephen Choma passed away in 1976. One of the special projects of the Quinte Symphony is the Stephen Choma Memorial Fund. The fund presents scholarships to talented young members of the orchestra in recognition of their contribution to both the orchestra and the community. See more

Some well-dressed spectators arrive to have a look at the building of the Trent Canal around 1910.

In 1882, the land at 178 Victoria Avenue was sold at public auction to Samuel Squires Young for the sum of $1,600. Samuel Young (1852-1925) operated a large and successful wholesale grocery business on Front Street. He was also active in the community serving as a town councillor and also as a member of the school board. In 1884, Young began the building of this large and commodious house. Like most of the residences built during this time in the area of Dufferin, King and ...Victoria, the style was an indication of the owner's wealth and status. Here, Young, his wife, daughter, and a servant lived in the house that would become known as "The Gables". Young sold the Victoria Avenue house in 1906, opened another store in Toronto for a time, then retired to travel the world. However, for the rest of his life, he spent his summers at his Bay of Quinte cottage.

The Quinte Drive-In located on Whites Road, just east of CFB Trenton, opened in 1950 and operated for more than 40 years. By 1959 it boasted a new 'big screen'. The admission fee was 65 cents and $1.00 per carload on "Buck Night Wednesday'. This dusk to dawn venue was a popular destination for family movie goers with pyjama-clad kids, young couples and carloads of teenagers sneaking in additional friends in the trunk. The Quinte Drive-In shut down in 1992 and the land and ...buldings were sold to Cooney Trucking. The screen and old projection room/concession stands were demolished in 2002. Today, all that remains are the raised ground the screen sat on, the old driveway entrance and exit, and the fencing that was once so prevalent around drive-ins. There were once over 300 drive-ins in Canada. Today only 36 remain. Of these, 16 are in Ontario with the remaining ones scattered across the country.

In the weeks ahead of Remembrance Day, November 11, poppies are worn so we never forget those who sacrificed for our freedom. A YMCA volunteer named Moina Michael started the tradition after being inspired by John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields.

A rainy Remembrance Day November 11,1995.

Here is an aerial view of Frankford in 1957 showing the downtown area and both bridges.

WARTIME STORIES The First Canadian Army played a major role in the liberation of the Dutch people in World War 2.Over 7,600 Canadians died in the nine month campaign to liberate the Netherlands. "Harry" was born in Holland and now lives in Trenton. This is his story.... .................................................... I was only four years old when the war ended so i don't have many memories but there is one that has stayed with me. We lived in a town not far from Amsterdam. There was a severe food shortage and I was a sickly child. Each morning our Jewish neighbour would come to our house with an egg for me. She told my mother "This will keep him alive". Sometimes it was the only food I had that day. There was an occasion when soldiers searched all the houses on our street. When they left, I followed my father to the attic and saw him remove some floor boards. To my surprise, our neighbor crawled out of a tiny space. My father told me not to tell anyone. My mother suffered severe anxiety. My brother and I were not allowed to ask questions. Ours was very much a "children should be seen and not heard" kind of family. After the war, she went away to a hospital for a few years and I was sent to boarding school. All I was told was that she was "sick". As I entered my teens, she became more terrified of another war and feared her sons would be sent to fight. We had to leave Holland. There was only one country where she wanted to go....Canada. We arrived in Montreal in 1957. My mother seemed more at peace here although she still refused to speak of the war. Later we moved to Toronto where I worked at Union Station and then in the insurance business. Twenty years ago, I left Toronto and moved to Trenton. The day after I came here, I went to the Legion on Quinte Street and thanked them for the liberation of Holland. My father had done the same thing when we first arrived in Canada. I am close to eighty now. Thank you, Canada. There is no place I would rather live.

LEST WE FORGET Close to 1000 soldiers are buried in the Ravenna Cemetery in Italy. Of those, 438 are Canadian. One is Trenton's Earl Potts. Earl's father was Frederick Augustus Potts who drove stage-coach between Trenton and Belleville and later was a member of the Trenton Fire Department. In the first World War, Fred Potts went overseas with the Rifles division and served with the Canadian 2nd Battalion 6th Infantry Division throughout Europe. It is recorded that he fought a...nd was injured in the battle at Vimy Ridge. Earl and his siblings attended the Union School on College Street and later Trenton High School then located on Marmora Street. Earl and his brother Charles (Chuck) Potts trained here and In England and served overseas together as members of the Hastings and Prince Edward Regiment. Sgt. Earl Augustus Potts was killed in action in Italy on December 8, 1944 at the age of 28. He is buried in the Ravenna Cemetery. His name is inscribed on the Fraser Park Memorial Gates. Thanks to Earl's relatives, Sylvia Reddom and Tim Potts for sending us these pictures and information

Here are a few local rock bands. These photos are from 1969

Here is another story of the building of the Post Office. This is the story of one of the workers involved in the construction. .............................................................. When a newspaper pre-maturely printed Mark Twain's obituary, the author said "The reports of my death are greatly exaggerated". Trenton's Henry Crandell may have had the same reaction when his death notice appeared in the local newspaper. When the post office was being built in Trenton, ...twenty-eight year old Henry, known for his building skill, was appointed foreman. On Sept. 20, 1888, Henry climbed the scaffolding to take some measurements on the clock tower. He leaned out and fell to the road below. He was carried on a door across the covered bridge to the home he had built on Mercia Street. His obituary was printed in the newspaper the same day. One week later, it was reported that Henry was still alive although in critical condition in Kingston hospital. He would remain there for a year recovering from his many injuries, one of which was a split tongue. In the custom of the time, alcohol was slowly dripped onto his tongue which eventually healed. Unfortunately, when released from hospital, Henry had become addicted to alcohol. Overcoming his addiction, Henry Crandell lived to the age of 81 dying in 1941. The house he built at 25 Mercia Street still stands. The main part of the Post Office is gone but the Clock Tower remains. Oh yes, Henry's death was greatly exaggerated a second time when a geneology site reported that he had died in 1918. ................................................................... The above is from information sent to us from Henry's great-grandson William Edward Crandell (who is very happy that the Crandell family survived!) See more

So many of our photos of downtown Trenton in the past show the post office with its distinctive clock tower. Some of our followers don't know its history so here is a repost on the origin of this building. ........................................... The history of Trenton's post office goes back long before this building was erected in 1888 at the corner of Dundas Street West and Albert Street. By 1823, the mail arrived weekly from York by courier on horseback. When one of t...he first attempted mail hold-ups happened near Trenton, the courier began carrying a pistol. By 1839 weekly mail arrived by stage coach. The first daily mail coach began arriving in the village in 1851 and mail was kept in a store house at the Gilmour Lumber Company. In 1888, the federal government commissioned Thomas Fuller to design a Post Office for Trenton. Fuller had already designed Ottawa's parliament buildings and the New York State Capitol. The newspaper reported that the building will be a permanent improvement in the town. When the town fathers complained that there wasn’t a clear view of the clock faces, the tower was raised to a height of ninety feet. Fuller designed over 80 post office/customs houses for small towns across Canada. Today only 11 remain undemolished with most being used as museums Home mail delivery began in Trenton in 1947. Prior to that mail had to be picked up at the post office. Today only the clock tower remains. The rest of the building was demolished in 1971 to make way for Trenton's third City Hall and a parking garage. In 1979 the Clock Tower was designated as a heritage property for architectural and historic reasons. . Buried behind the building is the original village well.

In 1863, Mr. John Josiah (J.J.) Haines Jr. applied for a management position at a Belleville Shoe Company. The serious-looking, middle-aged gentleman with bald head and whiskers was hired to manage the company. By the time the owners found out J.J. was only 21 years old, pre-maturely bald, with a full beard and mustache hiding his youthful appearance, he had impressed them with his business ability. In the following years, J.J. opened several of his own shoe stores througho...ut Eastern Ontario in partnership with his brother-in-law Frederick Lockett. Their Trenton store was located at the south-west corner of Front and Elgin where Emma's Bridal Boutique is today. While J.J. operated the Belleville headquarters, his father John Josiah Haines Senior looked after the Trenton store. John Haines Senior died in 1896 and Frederick Lockett died in 1901. J.J. opened a store where the Skyline Restaurant would be located many years later. It was managed by J.J.'s son Russell. Russell Haines also owned a Trenton shoe store in the 1930's. It was located at 10 King Street which would have been behind today's Liberty Tax Service. At one time, shoes were tied together and stored on shelves. Windows were only to let in light. Haines Shoe stores became well known in the shoe industry for using their large windows to display the latest styles. See more

In March 1954, a woman holding the hand of a small boy walked up to a policeman in downtown Trenton. "He's lost" she explained. The boy was asked "Where is your mommy?" He answered "In the new store." Throughout the day, several children needed to be helped to locate their mothers in "the new store". The store was Beamish located at 90 Dundas Street West. Several hundred people turned out on opening day to look over the ultra-modern building and its wide variety of goods. Th...e manager Mr. R. Kelly Black supervised a staff of 30. Beamish was a part of Trenton into the mid-1970's. .Later tenants included Pattenick's, Shopper's Drug Mart and Fields. Today it is the site of Dollar Tree. This undated photo of a Santa Claus parade shows Beamish located where Dollar Tree is today.

Here it is Ritchie's folly the story of the Central Ontario Railway .. another film by Sean Scally please enjoy ... and if you can like and subscribe https://youtu.be/oBPMuJeZfHU

Here are some photos of the Trenton High School band in January 1969. No names were on the photos. A few years before, the Board of Education purchased instruments and hired a capable instructor in the person of Ted Snider. In an interview Mr. Snider said, "there is no such thing as key people. I rely on the band as a whole." The 45 members of the school band practiced four days of the week for one hour before school. Besides playing in various assemblies and school events,... some members also played for the Trenton Citizens Band. One problem that did arise was because of the influx of students from armed forces families. It was not uncommon for band members to leave in the middle of the school year and it was sometimes difficult to find a person to take their place. However, an advantage to the shifting of families was that several of the band members had studied music in other parts of the country and abroad. See more

A new video about Trenton's past .... the story of Herb Ditchburn https://youtu.be/fFawZxd4E6Q

This photo from the early 1940's shows Trenton High School girls marching in a victory loan parade. Behind them can be seen the small A&P store which was located on Dundas Street West around where H & R Block is today. The store closed in the mid- 1950's only to re-open several years later. The new store was built on Quinte Street in the large area where the CNR train station, demolished a few months before, had been located. Opening day was September 3, 1964. By 9 a.m. a cro...wd of 1,500 had gathered as Mayor James MacDonald cut the ribbon. The manager was Douglas Campney. In 1985, this store was demolished after Mayor Neil Robertson cut the ribbon for a new A&P store built behind the old one. This time, new features were added such as a bake shop, delicatessen, international food aisle and health and beauty aids. The staff increased from 60 persons to 115 and parking places from 125 to 230. The store manager was Peter Copeland. A&P remained for twenty-five years. Since 2010, Metro has been located in this building. See more

In March 1980, in 24 hours, a record rainfall fell on frozen ground which was unable to absorb the water. This caused extensive flood damage in the Quinte area. Crews all along the Trent Severn Water System were kept busy controlling the flows along the river. Cold Creek dam in Stockdale burst severely damaging the saw mill and grist mill. In Frankford, 25 houses and businesses were seriously affected by the flooding and 12 families had to be evacuated from their homes. On ...the old Wooler Road, the Trenton Public Works Department used a back hoe to try and free ice from a culvert. Ice and debris blocked culverts and other ways for water to move through and out of the area. In Trenton, Sidney Street by the railway overpass, was under about four feet of water. One car, which attempted to go through, stalled and floated into the centre, before sinking. See more

Established in 1898 at a time when most farms were still horse powered, Implement Hall was located on King Street in the area of today's Celtic Pub. Cyrus Bradford Turney was the agent for the J.I. Case Threshing Machine Company which dealt in agricultural implements of all kinds, including cream separators, incubators, wire fencing, threshing machines, wagons, and buggies. The Turney house is still standing at the NE corner of Spring Street and MacLellan Avenue. Here he ...lived with his wife Laura Chatterson and their children. Times were different then, and many children died in infancy, including two of the Turneys five children. Cyrus Turney lived in this house until his death in 1931. By that time, Implement Hall was George Vanner's Tire Shop. His wife Laura remained in the house along with her daughters Gertrude and Maude, both employed as tailoresses at their relative John Turney's shop. By 1947, Gertrude and Maude had sold the house and bought the house right behind them at 195 MacLellan Avenue where they lived until their deaths in 1959 and 1961 respectively. Their brother Harold Turney, who was the liquor store manager, lived beside them at 201 MacLlellan Avenue with his wife and son, Gordon. In later years, Gordon would become well known in the Quinte Amateur Radio Club. See more