McCracken Block
570 Turnberry Street, Brussels, Ont.
( Built: 1877 )
William H McCracken bought the south part of the north half of Lot 14 in 1870. McCracken was one of the village’s early merchants. He is listed as the proprietor of one of the general stores in Ainleyville in 1870 (Huron Expositor Apr. 29, 1870)
McCracken suffered a loss valued at $4,000 in the 1876 fire and was insured for $2,000. He immediately began rebuilding on his part of the lot south of Smale’s. A year later it was reported that William H McCracken, had erected a two-story brick building adjoining Smale’s block to the south.
By August of 1877, McCracken was able to move into his new store: “A New Building – Wm H McCracken intends removing into his new brick store on Monday next. This building has been pushed forward very rapidly and is a fine, substantial edifice 25x60 feet, and 2 stories high, with flat roof covered with felt and gravel. There is also a cellar the full size of the building with seven feet walls. We congratulate Mr. McCracken upon the completion of so fine a building.” (Huron Expositor Aug. 3, 1877)
McCracken ran the Bee Hive grocery and was an issuer of marriage licenses. In 1883, he sold part of his business to Fred Pelton: “F Pelton has sold out his boot and shoe business to Thomas McCulloch formerly of Wroxeter, and Mr Pelton has again resumed business on the opposite side of the street having bought the shop formerly occupied as an ice cream saloon from WH McCracken.” (Brussels Post Nov. 9, 1883)
Above Photo: In this photograph, part of a coloured postcard taken before 1898, you can see the Stretton Block south of the Queen’s Hotel, Smale’s one-story building erected in 1882, and the Smale & McCracken Blocks built in 1877. Thomas Farrow built the next block to the south, for use as a post office, in 1893. A brightly coloured omnibus stands in front just up from Beatties Livery. Advertisement Below: from the Brussels Post 1893.
McCracken may have gone out of business for a time but was again selling groceries by 1887. At the end of 1896, William John, William H’s son, had taken over the grocery business and store. “Will J McCracken was in London on Wednesday purchasing a new stock of groceries for his store. He expects to have them opened out, in the store recently vacated by his father, for Saturday of this week.” (Brussels Post Dec. 4, 1896) WJ McCracken and J Crich bought the confectionery and fruit business of William Wilton in 1897. (Brussels Post Feb. 19, 1897)
WH McCracken is still listed in the newspaper as in the grocery business in 1910. He died in 1913 at age 72. The McCracken Block and Farrow’s Post Office Block to the south were destroyed by fire, perhaps some time after 1910 and before 1925 (see the Smale Block story). As Gerald Gibson remembered, there were six horseshoe rinks at this site in the mid-to-late 1920s where on Saturday nights players displayed their skill in games of horseshoe pitching. (Our Story, p. 121)
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