One Year Later

Related Articles:
It's About TIME
The Catalyst for The TIMES
One Year Later

"This issue marks the first time we have not published the paper from our dining room table."

Timing is everything in business. A little more than a year ago, we put the finishing touches on the first edition of The Walkerville Times.

From the get-go, the paper found its voice, one that reflected a unique community with a history as fascinating as any on the continent.

The feedback has been incredible- I wish we had a dollar for every time someone has told us they read it from cover to cover! Many of you are collecting all the issues, which is gratifying, as we have laboured long and hard to bring these stories to you. While we have set a very high standard in the first year, our goal is to continuously improve the paper with each edition.

The current issue is no exception. After months of research and interviewing, we  prepared the cover story of Walker Farms, considered the best dairy operation in North America in its day. (Not surprising, given the fact that it was brought to life by Hiram Walker, a perfectionist in all his endeavours, including planning and building Olde Walkerville.) We hope that readers will send us more memories of the Farms so we can revisit this fascinating story in a future edition.

Also, University of Windsor historian Trevor Price takes a closer look at Moy Hall, founded by Angus Mackintosh in 1797 on lands just west of the future site of Walkerville.

Two stone pillars are all that remain of the great trading post on the corner of Riverside Drive and Moy Avenue. Recently, the City of Windsor installed acorn lights on top of the pillars (see photo on page 3). Keeping with the Moy Hall theme, Ruth Sharon provides a heritage recipe that could have been served at Moy Hall.  And check out "Letters from Margaret"- reader Margaret Stokes describes how her uncle would watch boats sailing on the river from his perch at Moy Hall in the 1800's.

In the last issue, we wrote about Walkerville's Seagrave Fire Truck Company. Walt McCall dropped off some photos from his private collection and a story about his fascination with Seagrave- we are pleased to present them here.

Also in Issue  #7, Sherill Tucker introduced a column called The Westender in which she looks at historical buildings in the west end of Windsor. This time, she searches for the roots of public transportation in Windsor- the Sandwich, Windsor & Amherstburg terminal (SW&A)- and ends up at The Junction, located at the foot of Wellington and University Avenue. Special thanks to Bernie Drouillard, a local bus historian, who provided us with the photos for this feature.

As usual, we've packed lots of stories in this edition, including a profile of The Walkerville Brewing Company, a trip from Walkerville to Detroit with Al Roach during the Great Depression, Walkerville's first apartment building, and a special section on Spring Renovation, including a look at the Grigg's House, one of Walkerville's architectural gems.

Elaine says operating The Walkerville Times is similar to raising another child- it requires constant care, support and maintenance (and feeding!) to ensure it grows strong and healthy.

In between giving birth to various issues, we searched for a new home to properly accommodate the paper and our other business ventures.

We are happy to report that this issue marks the first time we have not published the paper from our dining room table!

In February, we moved into new headquarters, located at 624 Chilver Rd, just south of Wyandotte in a building that has been recently renamed The Complex. Thus far, we have determined that the building is a real Walkerville classic, and has housed a long line of businesses. We hope to bring you its complete history in a future edition. If you have any information or photos of what used to be Foresters Hall and the Oddfellows Hall please let us know.

Our new office will allow us to develop new publication initiatives, including Internet publishing, corporate communication and advertising. We operated a full-service advertising agency in Vernon, B.C for six years and look forward to expanding our service offerings to include traditional and new media.

With that in mind, we have joined forces with David Wharton of Pangraphica, one of Walkerville's foremost graphic and web designers. The strength of this strategic alliance results in our ability to continue to build the paper and expand our Internet publishing capabilities, an area that both David and Chris have been actively developing for the past five years.

Jon Magidsohn has also joined our staff to assist in advertising sales. Jon discovered the paper after moving to the area from Toronto. He will assist us on a part-time basis while operating Altered States, an upholstery, antique and furniture restoring company.

As always, we look forward to your letters, e.mail, and photos. It is really a great time to be in business in Walkerville and a wonderful time to live here!