Cornwall’s days of yore witnessed quite an eclectic interspersing of commercial and residential structures.
Some time ago, the owner of the residential property at 526 Amelia Street (2017-2021) inquired as to whether or not we could shed some light concerning an old foundation in his back yard that he was contemplating tearing down. It ran next to the fence line for the CCVS parking lot mid-block between 5th and 6th streets. The foundation is still there and the property is for sale again.
According to the 1916 Fire Insurance Plan, a long rectangular building ran behind three houses of like size in that area. The 1923 Fire Insurance Plan shows that building gone, and there was then a bakery operating from a series of attached buildings in an L-shape along the back end of his property, bearing an address of 526-A. Also, there was quite a bit of open land then where the CCVS parking lot is today.
At the time, we had neither advertisements nor other information relating to a bakery there. However, now that most of the Cornwall newspapers are digitized on the newspapers.com subscription site, it was easier to locate a few advertisements and relevant short news articles. In August of 1899, master baker Charles Thorpe had just opened his bakery at that location. He advertised for a sober man to work as an apprentice and had the following to say about his product: “Bread is the staff of life and everyone should be particular about the kind of bread they eat. The most healthy, substantial and palatable Bread is the home-made loaf baked by C. Thorpe. This is the verdict of everyone who has given it a trial. Give it a trial and you will be convinced.” During 1903, neighbors extinguished a small fire at the bakery during Thrope’s absence and Thorpe was one of three representatives of a neighborhood delegation petitioning for water service in that area. During the following year, Thorpe was one of the master bakers serving on a committee that standardized the pricing of a loaf of bread.
Consider, also, the small bungalow at 326 5th St. W. Phillip Helmer married Tassie (Gillie) Helmer. In 1919, Tassie purchased 40′ of frontage from Farrand Gillie. The couple and their family resided in the 1.5 storey house at 328 5th. He had built and operated his bakery at what is now 326. Sadly, Phillip died from pneumonia early in 1932 at the young age of 39. In 1947, upon returning from WWII duty, his, Lyall Helmer, purchased the property from his mother plus an additional 20′ from Farrand Gillie and refitted the bakery as a house where he raised his own family.
If you are aware of other lesser-known remaining links to our past, please consider e-mailing me at donsmith@cornwallcommunitymuseum.ca .
