Esso? Downtown Bridge Street Carleton Place

 

Photo kindly shared by the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

 

I am going through a lot of pictures at the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum and most pictures I see of the town are taken right where the RBC and Scotia Bank are situated. I keep wondering why. But look, something I personally have not seen before. An Esso station!  Joann Voyce said Earl Horricks ran this Esso and Carman Lalonde said Barrs.

Comments are waiting to be gathered.:)

 

Sandy Iwaniw—When I came to Carleton Place in 1971, I believe that station was operated by Earl Horricks. I used to take my car there to be serviced.

Larry Clark–In the early 60’s it was operated by Rupert St Jean (and for some time before). In 64/65 I operated Clark’s Esso at the 7/15 junction but the restaurant was vacant until the next tenant.

Dale Costello– Pulled up for a refill, where .50 would take me all around town on a Sunday afternoon.

Sherri Iona– Jane Horricks Chandra went to school with me, it was her dad’s station.

Linda Gallipeau-Johnston—That looks like our old theater on the far side of the garage – they used to give away a free piece of silverware in the evening in the 50’s – I remember my Mom collecting it.

 Randy Townend-–yes that was the theater Linda …Dennis Spoor also had a garage there as well!!!in the 80’s.

Valerie Edwards–& on the near side of the ESSO there was a house set back with a large front yard – wonder if there are any pictures out there? hey, what about the year of the cars? & on the near left side, scaffolding? Is that the year the present Olympia bldg. went up?

Jennifer Fenwick Irwin–Yes, the empty lot with the scaffolding on the left is the recently burned down Laskaris family’s restaurant. Linda, do you remember the date on this? I think it was 1960. Valerie, the Museum does have photos of that house beside the Esso. Will post someday.

Keith Giffin —The Barrs ran the garage before Earl Horricks Jeff Perkins after him and Brian Fumerton and Denise Spoor next to it Harold Dowdall barber shop next Kelly,s laundry the Theatre and the Carleton lLunch Barr my family ran the lunch bar for a number of years.  I remember it being Barrs because my dad sent me there to borrow a left hand monkey wrench I was told it was being used and come back in 20 mins.

Nancy Hudson —Percy Barr ran it in the 1950’s and later Earl Horricks. I remember my Dad used to go over in the evenings and visit with the other men there.

Nancy Hudson—My family lived on Victoria St. during this time [mid-late 50′], I remember the Thornton family lived in the house back from the street next to the garage and Ned Root had a little shop beside the house. Next was Stanzel’s taxi then Dr. MacDowell’s office where Community Living is now.

Wendy LeBlanc— I guess the car buffs could tell us approximately the year this was taken. Notice the Roxy Theatre and the Chinese Laundry and, I think, a barber shop, are already gone from the scene. Who remembers the little grey stucco (?) house that was set back from the street in the grassy area in the lower right of the photo? And the tiny buiding that housed Root’s Shoe Repair and later The Ideal Candy and Smoke Shop?

Mike Kean— Linda, Horrick’s was the place to be to talk to everybody after you drove up and down the main street as many times as you wanted and didn”t feel like going out to curb service.

John Armour— Earl Horrick’s Esso, later taken over by Tim Nephin. In 1972, gas was about .35 cents a gallon (pre metric). My Father let me charge up to him, all the gas I wanted, to fuel my small boat with 5 1/2hp Johnson motor. I spent my summers exploring every nook and cranny of Mississippi Lake and only shut the motor off to re-fuel. Finally put a rod through the motor and burned it out from overuse.🚣 (Have always owned my own boat since I was 11 years old)

The theatre next door originally had piano accompaniment in the days of silent movies. (My Grandmother, Mae LeMaistre, played)

On the other side of Horrick’s was a smoke shop.

Rick Roberts-Rupert St Jean operated the Texaco at the north west corner of Lake Ave and Bridge Street (where the Canadian Tire gas bar is now) . As a student, i pumped gas there from early 1967 – August 1971. BTW, Stomping Tom Connors was a regular visitor at Rupert’s Texaco when he was playing the Mississippi Hotel…. used to come over for a Coke and story-telling when he was off.

Earl Horricks operated the Esso station in the picture, from the early 1960s (and maybe before) until after I left CP in 1971. The Horricks family lived directly behind the Esso station in a white house facing Victoria Street. The empty lot to the south of the Esso station served as a Chrysler dealership for a year or two somewhere in the 1962-1964 era… I remember going with my father to check out the cars with the push button automatic transmissions.

Jane Chandra–You are correct Rick. Our Father owed it in the 60’s. Tim Nephin apprenticed and work for our Dad, he did not take over the business when he retired.
The Bernicki’s from Smith Falls lived in the little grey house that was set back off the Main St.in the 60’s. They were originally from Smith’s Falls, Dale’s Dad worked in the Butcher Shop where Young’s Variety Store was on the Main Street.

Rich Morgan—

The picture was taken from the roof of the Olympia Restaurant. The smoke shop discussed in earlier comments was called the Ideal Candy Smoke Shop ans was operated by a couple! My mother worked there for several years in the late 60s.

Wendy Healey–

I definitely remember the gas station on the Main Street in the 70s and the Tiny smoke shop and Candy Store. We used to go in and fill a bag for 10 cents. I remember the smell of it was inviting. Must have been the combination of tobacco and candy. Loved that store.

Angela Bigras–

My family lived right across the street above the bank of Nova Scotia for years. It was Horricks who ran the gas station. I see the slopping rails on the bank from here that we used to sit on and watch the people go by. I have many many pictures of Carleton Place back then. My mother was a Bennett and my father a Bigras. I was entrusted with all the photos handed down from both sides.
Angela Bigras

Photos Tom Edwards–

This is our great grandmother Eva Ferguson carrying the bible in the 1969 Orangemans parade. I laughed when I saw the pic. The Ha on the wall behind the parade is Earl Horricks Esso garage on Bridge Street. The writing on his wall used to say Happy Motoring!!!.

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