Leo J. McDiarmid — The Sportsman’s Store

Christoper Trotman with thanks.. 1933 December

After the 1923 fire, the new building housed Leo. McDiarmid’s Sports on the corner of Elgin (victoria) and Bridge Street. Guns could be purchased or repaired, and ammunition and decoys were sold. Later Cliff Caldwell and his wife Edna operated a hair salon and lived on the second floor. About 1950 George H Doucett bought the building and his insurance company operated there until the early 70s. Mr. William S. Rowat was his office manager and after he lost an eye and could no longer drive, Mr. Doucett’s nephew Allan joined the staff. Mr.and Mrs. Dan Nichols occupied the upstairs apartment and the building was later purchased by Howard McNeely who operated a barbershop at 120 Bridge.

The Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum has loaned several pieces from our collection, including the curling stone seen here. It was purchased at Leo McDiarmid’s Sportsman Store, Carleton Place

This 1933 receipt from The Sportsman’s Store is a recent donation. We love their slogan: “The Sport Store of A Sporty Town”! It was owned by Leo “Sport” J. McDiarmid (1884-1967). Leo was the only one of four brothers who fought in the First War and survived. Opening the store after his return to Carleton Place, Leo also was involved in local politics. Together with his mother Mary, he unveiled the Carleton Place Cenotaph in 1924, created to honour the town’s fallen sons.–Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

Visit us at Lambs Down Festival on Saturday to learn all about wool!

Cram’s Tannery was located at Sussex and Campbell Streets, and owned by Albert E. Cram, who lived at 77 Lake Avenue East. This quote is from the “Do You Remember When?” newspaper column, written in February 1953 by Leo McDiarmid (he wrote under the pen name “S.C. Ribe”):

“Joe Schwerdtfeger, Pete Lever, Steve Jones and Billy Garland, who were employed at Cram’s Tannery, could whisk the wool off a sheep pelt while you were saying ‘Jack Robinson’. The pelts were put into a curing vat, the wool baled up and shipped, a lot of it to the United States.”

The “Do You Remember When?” series of entertaining and historically informative weekly newspaper articles, appeared in the Carleton Place Canadian during the 1950s. A collection of columns is available for reading at the Museum.

Carleton Place and Beckwith Heritage Museum

Mary and William McDiarmid lost three sons in the First War. Victor (age 20), Harold (age 22) on Vimy Ridge, and Arthur, who was gassed on Vimy Ridge but came home to endure hospitals and sanatoriums, before dying on January 20, 1919 at the age of 19.

When the town of Carleton Place dedicated their new War Memorial on May 24, 1924, it was Mary McDiarmid, on the arm of her only surviving veteran son Leo, who slowly but proudly walked up the path and unveiled the monument.

We will remember.