Photograph of Bessie Blanchard, sister of Marjorie Blanchard Campbell (wife of William L. Campbell). The photograph was taken around 1920 when Bessie visited her sister and brother-in-law, travelling from Jamestown, New York. It also showcases the east view from the backyards of the houses on Barrie Street.
This fire hall was located on Barrie Street between John Street and Joseph Street (shown on a map of Bradford from 1900) where the current post office now sits.
From the Yesterday section of the Bradford Witness: "Mrs. Earl Bowles submitted this week's photo of the Bradford Methodist Church taken before the First World War. The building still occupies a prominent spot in the town just north of the post office on Barrie Street and has since become the Bradford United Church. The trees which used to shade the street are long gone, but many of the older house along that street, including the church, are in excellent condition."
The Bradford Witness was the local newspaper. It was first published on February 20, 1879 by Mr. E. Garrett. He was born in Hampshire, England, but settled in Bradford with his parents when he was only one year old in 1856. Before starting The Witness, he worked for Mr. Broughton who published the South Simcoe News, another Bradford newspaper. The fire of 1892 destroyed the offices of The Witness, and the two papers amalgamated, with E. Garrett as proprietor.
This is Bradford's first building solely dedicated to a Post Office, built in 1936 at 22 Barrie Street. It was designed by Gordon S. Adamson, and contracted by J. Saint of Bradford. Prior to this, the post office was housed in a shared building on Holland Street on the current day Century 21 parking lot.
Located on Holland St. at the corner of Barrie St. This building was originally a hotel (Central Hotel, Uneeda Hotel and in 1900 the H. Hulse Hotel). In 1951 the bank was held up by the Boyd Gang which had robbed a number of banks in the Toronto area and Montreal. The robbery resulted in a shootout with Bradford police. There is a bullet lodged in the building across the street from the bank which was the police station at that time. Today this building is the CIBC bank.
"If CN has its way, the last real contact Bradford has with the railway will be gone soon when the train station is either sold or torn down. The railway was an integral part of the community when this photo was taken in 1939. Submitted by Wilbert Mulliss of Bradford, it shows Percy Stephenson, an express clerk at CN who delivered parcels to and from the train station and the post office. Stephenson, who was Mulliss' uncle, posed for this hot on Barrie Street with John Street West in the background. The old Model 'A' truck was owned by CN, and Stephenson worked for CN's agent in town, George Green, an insurance agent and former town clerk."
A decorative plaster point recovered during demolition of The Lukes House/The Convent in August 1994. This house had various owners throughout its history. Most notably, Reverend Egerton Ryerson, Samuel Lukes and the Ursuline Order of the Diocese of London (Catholic sisters).
