1904

From The Story of Dartmouth, by John P. Martin:

Dozens of householders moved on May day. As winter broke up, cardboard signs would appear in porch windows reading: “To Let, Possession May 1st.” Houses that remained vacant for a year or more were looked upon as being haunted. For $10 or $15 a month you could rent dwellings of eight or nine rooms with large backyards and driveways. For $25 per month you could almost have the pick of the Town.

The Telephone Company purchased the residence at 69 King Street in 1904, and moved from 19 Edward Street. The arrangements were the same as at the latter place. George MacDonald the lineman, continued to live in the house with his family, paying rent to the Company. Two rooms on the King Street level were taken over for the installation of switchboard and battery equipment. When the “hello” girl went off duty in the evening, Mr. MacDonald looked after all calls until morning, for his bedroom was located within easy earshot of the buzzer.

The North Star Club acquired the Turtle Grove Hall on Dawson Street, and became definitely organized. John Moir was elected President, and John Behan Vice-President. That year the Centrals’ Club played in the Halifax Baseball League. Our octogenarian Mayor Frederick Scarfe inherited a fortune from a brother in Australia, and sailed for England to claim his share. In September, Sir Charles Tupper visited Hon. Dr. Parker at “Beech-wood”. Dartmouth Boys’ Christian Ass’n leased Reform Club Hall.

In 1904, long distance road-racing was revived hereabouts, probably influenced by the Olympic games held that year in America for the first time. On Thanksgiving Day two Dartmouth boys were victorious in Halifax road-races. Gerald Foot won the boys’ contest from Rockingham to the City, and James Martin captured the 10-mile race from Bedford. (Martin kept running for 30 years.)

This photo taken in 1904 by Town Councillor Thomas G. Stevens shows “First Red Bridge” situated at the Town limits looking east towards Graham’s Corner [now Prince Albert Road, between Cranston if it were to connect through to Prince Albert and Celtic Dr.]. John R. Graham’s slaughter-house is the whitish building on the right. The cows grazing are in the pasture of George Walker of 36 Main Street, who with his son Harry, ran a milk route to Dartmouth.
This was part of the 230 acres of Crown Land grant to Christian Bartlin. In the mid-1920s Pius Otto filled in the shore near the stone wall, and erected a large icehouse. It was taken over by MacCullochs Ltd. in the early 1950s. Lakeview Point Road was cut through there during World War II when Harry Walker divided the field into building lots. “Glenwood” is behind the tree on the extreme right.
All the reddish bank of clay near the Dundas Garage and up Celtic Drive at the right of the photo shows definite evidence of glacial origin. Farrell’s Pond, or Carter’s Pond, on the east of Celtic Drive, was a favorite skating surface. It is now filled in and levelled.