b'PRINCE ALBERT HISTORICAL WALKDo you want to take a walk back in time? If so, join local historian Paul Arculus for a journey back to the 1850s. In the mid 1800s Prince Albert, justerswhobroughttheirgrainfrom south of Port Perry, was a true boom- many miles away to sell to the Prince town. On Sunday September 15, PaulAlbertgrainmerchantsratherthanRowan Tree Hall was the name T.C. Forman called his home in willleadahistoricalwalkthroughundertakeanarduousjourneytoPrince Albert schoolhouse. Prince Albert.Prince Albert as it was in the 1850s.Toronto or Kingston. Prince Alberts Inthe1850s,whilePortPerrygrain volume was surpassed only byPrince Alberts bustling and opti- when therst train passed through onand the entire proceeds will be used struggled to establish itself as a set- Brantford.misticcommerciallifewasbroughtits way to Port Perry in 1871. A massby the Lake Scugog Historical Society tlement of around 100 citizens, neigh- Paulwillguidethetourthroughto an abrupt end with the arrival ofexodus took place that year and theto further their projects. bouring Prince Albert was a bustlingthe town during its boomtown statusthe railroad.When talk of the railwaynext.OneofthelastbusinessestoTo add to the historical nature of town of 600 residents. It was a thrivingpointing out the residences of some offrom Whitby to Port Perry began toleave Prince Albert was its newspaper,the walk, visitors are invited to dress community of hotels, tanneries, threeits more notable citizens. Among themgainmomentumin1868,thebusi- relocating in Port Perry in 1873. Theinperiodcostume,althoughthisis Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1857. churches,aschool,dozensofstoresare the doctors, lawyers and leadingnessmen realized that they would beonlybusinessestoremainwerethenot compulsory.andworkshopsoccupiedbywagonbusiness people of the time. As in hismore successful at the northern ter- post oce and general store. makers,harnessmakers,shoemak- earlierhistoricalwalksPaulwillbeminal rather than at a station on theThe Lake Scugog Historical SocietyThe historical walking tour will ers,blacksmiths,tailorsandgrainrevealing some of the gossip and scan- line. Slowly they began to close theirorganizes the historical walking tourbeginatthePrinceAlbertUnited merchants, a drug store and severaldals of the era, including accounts of adoors in Prince Albert and made theof Prince Albert. There is no chargeChurch at the corner of Barber and general merchants, two jewellers andcouple of murders!short journey to Port Perry.for the tour although a collection willJe rey Streets on Sunday September awatchmaker.The newspaperThebirthplaceandchildhoodThe fate of Prince Albert was sealedbe taken at the conclusion of the walk15 at 2 p.m., rain or shine.rst in this part of Ontario was publishedhome of Sir James H. McBrien will be inPrince Albertin1857.Therewasincluded on the walk.McBrien was even a drill shed where the local mili- born and raised in Prince Albert before tia practiced its military skills.joining the military. He rose through An astonishing fact is that PrincetherankstobecometheChiefof Albertwas,byvolume,thesecondGeneral Staof the Canadian Army in largest grain-handling centre in Can- 1920 and later, the head of the RCMP ada during this era. This was due inand was knighted in 1935. During his no small measure to the existence ofcareer, he frequently returned to Prince W.M. Willcox opens The UnionDrug,seven aggressive grain merchants inAlbert, as his birthplace remained in Grocery and Liquor Store in 1869.the community who attracted farm- the family until the 1970s. Above: James H. McBrien (1900).Left: James H McBrien home.8 FOCUS - SEPTEMBER 2019'