Samuel Dickson Block
87 Main Street South, Seaforth, Ontario
( Year built: 1869 )
Samuel Dickson bought part of Lot 40 from William Hill in 1868. The Dec. 17, 1869 issue of The Huron Expositor reported: “On Monday the Seaforth post office will be removed to the new and commodious building erected for the purpose, by our enterprising postmaster, Mr. Samuel Dickson.” The post office was at this location until the red brick post office was built in 1913.
The building is a superb example of an original store with a handsome and richly modulated brick upper façade. It is solid white brick with Italianate details, for example, the row of round-headed arcaded windows outlined by pediments and window labels in brick. In later years, the brickwork was emphasized by paint as seen in the photograph taken in 1900 and, less so, in the building as it is today. The flat roofline is accented by the beautiful brickwork frieze, across the upper façade. The building received a new storefront façade in 1978. The storefront cornice with sections marked by box brackets and the end pilasters with large brackets are still relatively intact original features.
James C. Laidlaw of the Canton T. Warehouse was the first tenant in the south store, from October 1869 to 1876. An advertisement in the Oct. 15, 1869 Huron Expositor notes: “Mr. James Laidlaw has opened that neat new store in the new post office block as a grocery.” Other grocers followed: John Fairley in 1877, Duncan D. Rose, 1878-82, John Fairley again from 1889-92, Adam and James Crozier had The Post Office grocery from 1893-97, and Charles S. Andrews’ grocery was here from 1900 to 1915.
Above Photo: The sign for the Post Office is visible in the lower section of the north window. The south store in this photograph is likely Duncan D. Rose’s grocery, in business 1878-82.
Miss Ferguson, a dressmaker, is listed as having “rooms at 40” from 1881-82. Agnes Dickson, also a dressmaker, had rooms here from 1883-85.
In 1916, Thomas Phillips moved with his family to Seaforth and he opened Phillips Fruit Store in the south store and his family continued in business here into the 1960s.
When the new post office building was built in 1913, the north store was occupied by a car showroom for a while. In 1923, William E. Kerslake opened a flour and feed store here and Kerslake’s continued in business until 1961.
John Hamilton owned the next lot in 1863. Paul & Hamilton, Fruit Dealers, did business here for a time, in the frame building to the south. The May 24, 1872 issue of The Huron Expositor reported: “Thomas Foster has commenced the work of excavating for the foundation of his new brick hotel, adjoining the post office block.” However, Isabelle Campbell writes in The Story of Seaforth that Foster added to the existing frame building in 1873 and used it as a hotel. Richard & T.W. Dennie took over management of the Royal Hotel in 1883, William Simpson in 1885, and William Pinkney in 1890 to 1893. He was the last to do business in the hotel. The building was divided into two separate spaces in 1894. Robert Haxby had a restaurant in one part and James Constable had a barbershop in the other.
Above Left Photo: The Duncan D. Rose grocery store circa 1880. Advertisement Above Right: The Huron Expositor, March 10, 1893. Lower Left: Huron Expositor July 4, 1893.
Francis Fishleigh opened his Seaforth House, a hotel in a frame building the south part of this lot, in 1863. Thomas Foster had his Royal Hotel here first before moving to the next building to the north. The old hotel was converted into a store and James Wright sold groceries from here in 1873-74. Thomas Kidd ran a liquor store here in 1876-77. Then, the store was vacant until the Beam brothers opened a butcher shop in 1884. They were soon replaced in 1885 by George Pierson who was a baker. Pierson in turn was replaced in 1886 by Thomas McBride, also a baker. The store again fell vacant until James Gillespie started a saddle and harness making shop here in 1889. Gillespie was in business here until 1898. The store and hotel buildings were destroyed by fire in about 1900 and Samuel Dickson bought the lot in 1902. Nothing was built on the lot until many years later when Phillips added a storeroom.
Advertisement Left: appeared in the Seaforth Sun June 8, 1883 issue.
Above Photo: Thomas Phillips operated a large retail and wholesale fruit business in the south store of Dickson’s Block. In this late 1920s photograph are Thomas Phillips, the man standing in the doorway wearing a suit, his wife, Mary, beside him, sons Frank, at right, and Angelo, leaning on the delivery truck. McKillop Mutual Insurance office is now where the storeroom for Phillips Fruits is in this picture. Advertisements Below Left: July 24, 1940 Carnival issue of The Huron Expositor; Below Right: 1936 store promotions paper.
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