Thank you everyone for your great response to my question. Was able to google it and get some pretty good info besides what you all contributed. Just wish Barrie would get off duffs and post some plaques on behalf of these companies. Makes walking the rail line or would make it far more interesting. Toodles Sandy Today's Topics: > > 1. Cotty's/Lakeview Dairy/Shoe Factory (Kevin & Nancy Caldwell) 6. Re: Cotty's/Lakeview Dairy/Shoe Factory (Ron Wingrove) > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 09:00:33 -0500 > From: "Kevin & Nancy Caldwell" <[email protected]> > Subject: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Cotty's/Lakeview Dairy/Shoe Factory > To: <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1"; > reply-type=original > > The old shoe factory housed commercial businesses later, including a > furniture restoration(1950-1970) and most recent Canadiana Curtains in the > 1980's, but the building was always referred to as the shoe factory. > > I remember as a kid, sitting on the rocks below it, watching the > fireworks, > finding a perfectly round 1" stone, wedged between the rocks. Might have > been used in the factory. > > What totally amazes me still, is that the original water's edge, around > the > bay followed the traintracks, and that most of the parkland along the > waterfront from Heritage park to Centennial Beach was created by trucking > in > fill/rocks, etc. This is what I was told as a kid. > > Can anyone verify this? What a huge undertaking, especially for back then. > > Nancy > > Message: 6 > Date: Fri, 28 Aug 2009 14:38:19 -0400 > From: "Ron Wingrove" <[email protected]> > Subject: Re: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Cotty's/Lakeview Dairy/Shoe Factory > To: <[email protected]> > Message-ID: <[email protected]> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > When my mother left Barrie I purchased several history books of Barrie and > Simcoe Co. for her. "Beautiful Barrie The City and Its People," is a > beautiful pictorial history of Barrie. I purchased it at the Museum. > > "The Underhill Shoe Company was in the process of relocating from Aurora > to > Barrie , bringing with it 75 to 125 jobs, much to the chagrin of > Aurora.(the > year was 1913).... > > "The decade saw the establishment of two durable industrial enterprises in > Barrie: Underhill Shoes and the Fisher Mill. On October 21, 1912, work > began > to transform the Spencer Industrials building on Dunlop Street into a > modern > shoe factory. Underhills Limited purchased the property for $1500 or $150 > a > year for 10 years, interest free. Under the agreement with the town, the > company was expected to employ 75, be manufacturing by February 1, 1913, > and > continue in business in Barrie until November 1, 1921, by which time it > was > to have invested at least $7,000 in the plant. From January 1, 1914, the > firm was to employ at least 75 workers for 300 days of 10 hours each a > year > and pay at least $30, 000 in wages. In july 17, the company closed its > Aurora factory, doubling its staff and payroll in Barrie. Underhills would > manufacture shoes in the same plant in Barrie until the late 1950s. > > On page 195 of the book there is a picture of the factory. > > Ron Wingrove > > -----Original Message----- > From: [email protected] > [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Kevin & Nancy > Caldwell > Sent: August-28-09 10:01 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: [CAN-ONT-SIMCOE] Cotty's/Lakeview Dairy/Shoe Factory > > The old shoe factory housed commercial businesses later, including a > furniture restoration(1950-1970) and most recent Canadiana Curtains in the > 1980's, but the building was always referred to as the shoe factory. > > I remember as a kid, sitting on the rocks below it, watching the > fireworks, > finding a perfectly round 1" stone, wedged between the rocks. Might have > been used in the factory. > > What totally amazes me still, is that the original water's edge, around > the > bay followed the traintracks, and that most of the parkland along the > waterfront from Heritage park to Centennial Beach was created by trucking > in > > fill/rocks, etc. This is what I was told as a kid. > > Can anyone verify this? What a huge undertaking, especially for back then. > > Nancy