The building located at 1 Holland St. East (on the northeast corner of Holland and Barrie Streets) is part of what is known as the Green Block. The structure was originally owned by Mr. Green, who lived with his family on the west side of Church St. in the hotel. The Masonic Hall is still found upstairs at this location in 2014. (1, 2) Many businesses have been located at 3 Holland St. East (on the northeast corner of Holland and Barrie Streets) over the years. They include a grocery store, a boot and shoe shop (run by Charlie Wilson), an insurance company (that was later run by Fred Cook), a delivery service for C.N.R. (first by horse and buggy, then later by Model T Ford), a hamburger stand (run by Harold ‘Butch’ Boyd), and a telephone office. The first private telephone came to Bradford in 1885 and was run by a number of businessmen. There were ten phones only for Bradford. A garage was later added at the back at the laneway for trucks and cars. (1, 2)
The building located at 15 Holland St. East was bought by Harold Boyd many years ago. He ran a pool room on the ground floor on the west side. He added a second floor above the pool room for living quarters. Jack Pong owned a restaurant on the east side of the building in the 1930’s. (1, 2) The two-storey, brick and cement building located at 19 Holland St. East was owned at one time by George Simpkins. He ran a plumbing, heating, electrical, and eavestroughing company upstairs. There was a show room downstairs and the east side was a workshop. George and his family lived on Moore St. across from Joseph Street. Ethel Gapp was his bookkeeper, Ted Gapp was his electrician, and George Manton did the heating work. They drove for miles around the country in a Model T truck. Harry Barron bought the business in the 1930’s and kept the same workmen. Then the business was moved to the southwest corner of Holland and Simcoe Streets. (1, 2)
The two-storey, frame building in this photo (from 1995) was once located at 52 Holland St. East. It and sat on a narrow lot and had long sheds at the back. Several families lived here over the years, including Joe Graham, his wife, and sons Leonard, Ogil, Weldon, Gilford, Leeson and Donald. Joe was a semi-retired farmer from the Cookstown area and he ran a farm on Concession 6 on the south side (west of Simcoe Road). The boys had a butcher shop and Weldon trucked, hauling coal for the dredge on the big canal and fill for the dam from Simcoe Street. Harold Boyd eventually bought the property. He had Sinclair MacDonald remodel the structure and add a rental apartment upstairs. Harold’s daughter and her family lived in the rental apartment before the building was demolished in the 1990’s. A plaza was later built on this (and the adjoining McLain) property. (1, 2)
