RHODES: Albert Silverwood had a substantial stake in Chatham
Article content
The photo I have included is one I have shown you before in regards to the life of photographer Neil Cromwell Gibson.
The photo eventually found its way into the collection of historian William Gray Glassco who was delighted to share his pictures and his outstanding knowledge. He was a mentor.
The picture was taken in July 1905, when Gibson climbed to the top of the CW & LE powerhouse smoke stack, which was 125 feet in height.
Once at the top, he took four incredible photographs of the core area surrounding him.
Particular to this story is the large building at lower left.
This was the Chatham Ice House.
I am not sure of its age, but it represents the era when ice was harvested from the river in winter and then stored in insulated facilities for distribution in the warm months.
In 1900, this ice house was operated by an entrepreneur known as D.K. McNaughton.
Dougald Kay McNaughton was born at Chatham on May 22, 1845 and is first mentioned in the town directories (1864) as being a clerk and living at his parents’ home on Wellington Street.
By 1880 he was in business for himself at 54 King St. West (old numbering system).
I would place his store on the south side of King Street, two or three doors west of the Market Square. This would be about opposite to the former Gray’s China Hall.
McNaughton sold eggs, produce, and acted as a commission merchant for large orders of these commodities.
Shortly after this time he moved his business to 150 King St. West (old numbering system), which would make his store location to be on the south side of King Street, two or three doors west of Fourth Street.
At some point he obtained the large ice house (mentioned in regard to the photo) and became partner in a firm known as McNaughton-Walker Wholesale Produce Merchants.
The firm did a large business and was known to ship products direct from Chatham to Great Britain.
D.K. McNaughton was married four times: Mary Ann Northwood, 1850-1892, married 1870; Hannah Esther Burton, 1859-1898, married1894; Emma Frances Steele, 1855-1909, married 1903; and Anna Spier McKnight, 1866-1955, married 1910.
McNaughton died at Detroit on Oct. 31, 1928 and reposes in Maple Leaf Cemetery.
By 1900, the old ice house was listed as being at 163-165 King St. West (new numbering system) and was now known as the Walker Egg and Produce Company. James Flemming was manager.
In 1906 the firm was listed as being Fleming, Tillson, Flavelle, & Company and they dealt in coal, wood, and ice. This variety of products would give the firm a year-round business platform.
By 1910 the firm was operating as Flavelle-Silverwood and had begun to shift its focus towards dairy products.
The Silverwood name should be familiar to older readers as Albert Edward Silverwood would become one of the larger dairy products distributors in Canada and his Chatham operation would be substantial.
- E. Silverwood was born at Lindsay, Ont. on Feb. 15, 1876 and joined the Flavelle firm in 1899.
He moved quickly through his postings and was able to gain control of the firm by 1913.
His was smart, understood marketing and his accomplishments were sourced in his ability to anticipate what products people would buy.
Circa 1920, Silverwood bought the former Chatham Fruit Growers Association warehouse at the northwest junction of Raleigh Street and Spencer Avenue which had previously been converted to a dairy by the McGeachy family.
It was originally a one-floor building, later given a second floor, but I am not sure when or by what entity.
A.E. Silverwood died in 1961, after which his firm changed hands. The name began its demise in 1984 and completely disappeared in 1999.
The Raleigh Spencer site is now host to a multiplex apartment block.
In a future column I will revisit the age of horse-drawn milk wagons to tell you about the McGeachy family.
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.