Drill shed was Elora’s own ‘theatre on the Grand’ prior to LCBO store

The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who passed away on Feb. 23, 2015. Some  text has been updated to reflect changes since the original publication  and any images used may not be the same as those that accompanied the  original publication.

Visitors to Elora often remark on the village’s unique liquor store, located in the former armoury hall or drill shed.

For the past 151 years, this building has been a local landmark.

A  drill shed was first proposed in 1861, soon after the formation of the  Elora Rifle Company. Such volunteer militia companies appeared in many  small towns at this time, as a result of fears of an American takeover  of Canada, and anticipated raids and unrest by Irish Fenians. These  militia units scheduled weekly drills, and they desired facilities that  could be used in inclement weather.

The first proposals for a  drill shed in Elora were for a simple frame building about 100 feet long  and 30 or 40 feet wide. By late 1862, the consensus in the village was  that such a building might be useful for other purposes. Reluctant to  add the cost to the tax burden, village leaders proposed various schemes  of voluntary donations, subscriptions and a joint stock company.

Andrew  Geddes donated a building lot, which is now part of Hoffer Park, for  the site, but the project stagnated until early in 1865, when Wellington  County council provided a $400 grant.

J.M. Fraser, of the Elora  Mill, was elected reeve in 1865, and he was determined to push ahead  with the building. He decided the structure would be built of stone, and  that it would serve the community as a multi-purpose hall. Fraser’s  abrasive, argumentative manner soon precipitated the bitterest political  controversy in Elora’s history.

One group of people wanted the  location to be on the market grounds, which at the time spread over the  land that now contains the post office, cenotaph, township Civic Centre,  and Hoffer Park.

Fraser ran roughshod over the group, locating  the building on the south side of the river on Clyde Street. A third  group favoured a four-acre site in Pilkington Township, which would  contain the drill shed and relocated market and fall fair grounds.

Personal  financial interests inspired the leaders of the various factions. To  resolve the stalemate, Fraser, supported by two other members of  council, appointed a committee of his own choosing, a move that further  inflamed his numerous political enemies, and then called for tenders for  a stone building at the Clyde Street site. The controversy had not died  down when construction began in the last week of June 1865.

There  was further grumbling when the tenders came in higher than expected.  The masonry work was awarded to George Sutherland, and the carpentry to  A. McDonald, for a total cost of about $1,500. Both had been involved  previously in major construction projects in Elora.

No record  remains of who did the design work. The tenders had included some design  options. The building contains remnants of a ventilation system that  may have been the work of John Taylor, the Elora architect and engineer.  Taylor had a fetish for ventilation systems, but his experiments rarely  worked properly.

As the masonry work was nearing completion in  September of 1865, Fraser presented the contractor with a carved stone  featuring a rooster. Because of his diminutive stature and  self-important strutting posture, Fraser had long been nicknamed the  “Elora Bantam Rooster.” With the stone rooster crowing over his  north-side enemies, Fraser had the last laugh.

The Elora Rifles  began using the building in late 1865, just as the Fenian troubles were  coming to a head. Construction had not been completed when the council  began making plans for an addition at the rear for a council chamber.

By  the time the contract was awarded in the fall of 1866, the addition  also included an armoury room and space for the fire department’s  pumper. This work was done by Elora mason William Gray and carpenter  Peter Simpson.

The drill shed quickly became the favoured location  for entertainment, political rallies and dances. Reform leaders such as  George Brown and Oliver Mowat packed the hall on several occasions.  Big-league entertainment began in 1867, with a magic lantern show by Dr.  Bowman, and an evening of songs and recitations by Gaston Smith and the  most famous Canadian poet of the day, Alexander McLachlan.

In  July of 1867, G.F. Bailey’s circus used the drill shed and the grounds  to the rear for his performers, animals, and exhibits of curiosities.

After  1870, entertainment and social functions eclipsed the military role for  the drill shed. The completion of the railway to Elora made the village  accessible to travelling troupes and performers.

The fare was  certainly varied. For example, in a two-month span at the beginning of  1871, the drill shed hosted performances of the plays Ten Nights in a  Barroom and Cousin Joe’s Visit, a dance sponsored by the Irvine Lodge, a  New Year’s Day performance by Fairburn’s Scottish musical troupe,  Howarth’s magic lantern show, a musical evening in aid of the Catholic  church building fund, ventriloquists, and a recital by Jean Watson,  billed as “The Scottish Nightingale.”

The village made some  alterations to the building in 1875 to make it more useful for  entertainment. The work included new lighting and a heating system, and a  permanent stage. The stage was improved in 1879 with an elliptical  front, footlights, and walls and doors at the sides and back.

In  the 1880s, the village hired David Ritchie to be caretaker and manager  of the drill shed. A versatile entrepreneur, Ritchie operated a tour  boat on the Grand River between the two dams. Local merchants hired him  to act as a town crier, advertising their bargains on the streets in his  booming voice, and posting sale bills on fences and posts.

Ritchie  also worked as an auctioneer and travelling salesman. As manager of the  drill shed, Ritchie brought in many touring groups, and kept Elora on  the entertainment circuit until his death in 1909.

By 1900, the  drill shed was showing the consequences of deferred maintenance.  Electric lighting had been installed in the 1890s, but major repairs  were also necessary. Income from the various events covered the  operating costs, but council was reluctant to make expenditures for  repairs and improvements.

In 1908, the council turned the building  over to the federal government’s ministry of militia, which agreed to  maintain the structure. Elora leased the building back on a 99-year  agreement, with the provision that the ministry of militia could take it  over at a time of national emergency.

The federal government  completed major work to the building in 1909. It included a new roof, a  hardwood floor, new window frames, and interior decoration. The building  acquired a new name at this time: the armoury hall. It was used largely  for military purposes during the First World War.

The building  continued its former role as a community centre under the new ownership.  Travelling troupes and performers appeared less frequently after 1920.  Local amateur group performances and dances, augmented by school  assemblies, flower shows, and political rallies, became the normal  events in the hall.

After years of disputes with the federal  government over repairs and expenses, Elora council concluded the  arrangement with the federal government was unsatisfactory. Elora  regained title to the building in 1949. Some improvements were soon made  around the entrance, and the building continued its long-established  role as a community centre.

By the 1960s, the building was used  much less frequently, particularly after better facilities became  available at the Elora community centre and the Legion extension.

For  several years, the village rented the building to the Simmons Company  for its sewing department. The building became vacant when the Simmons  Company moved to its new furniture factory in 1970. The building was  also used about this time as a second-hand furniture store.

The  village works department used the space at the rear of the building, and  in 1972 the Liquor Control Board of Ontario signed a ten-year lease for  the front portion for a liquor store.

The old drill shed/armoury  hall was designated a heritage structure by the village in 1983, and it  is listed as a building of national significance by the federal  government.

It appears to be the only surviving drill shed of the 1860s in Canada.

*This column was originally published in the Elora Sentinel on June 22, 1993.