Photo from the Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum
This is Bridge Street in Carleton Place – the west side, between College and Emily. No date, but c.1950. The occasion was an Orange Day parade, and landmarks include a barber shop, Chinese Laundry, the Roxy Theatre, and Carleton Lunch Bar. J. Gordon Lancaster is marching in the front row, second from left. The far right middle grove of trees is where Central School was. The next building was Central Garage. The theatre is the old Roxy Theatre where the Hamsa Yoga Place is on Bridge Street
There is nary a feather to be found on Bridge Street now where the Roxy Theatre once stood. But, once upon a time in your great grandfather’s days Jack Hoey ran a feather factory in part of the once theatre. It was called The Dominion Feather Company.
With a few eager employees and a ready supply of feathers from local farms it became one heck of a feather heaven. It was said that the grounds of the building was quite the site. Because the back doors were kept open in case a cool breeze might find its way into the hot factory, the huge fans inside blew tons of feathers around, and many found their way outside. It was considered feather heaven.
Some said there would be feathers sticking straight up in the grass surrounding the building. For a long time, some folks thought that feathers grew outside.
It’s unclear how the once-thriving feather plant met its demise, but apparently Hoey pulled out due to a lack of feathers. Rumours circulated that undreds of feather dusters were still inside the modern building when the company shut down. You know–thinking of those thousands of feather dusters buried somewhere makes me smile. The next time I pay homage to those who have passed locally I will imagine them surrounded by beautiful feathers.
Clipped from The Ottawa Journal, 04 Dec 1911, Mon, Page 9
Almonte Gazette 1911 December
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