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GARAGES & SERVICE STATIONS
Texaco - Ruby's Garage
Located at the northern limits of the village on the west side of Highway 59, was built in 1943 by John Horman, son of William Horman, as an outlet for farm machinery, an agency for John Deere. On May 1, 1959 Mr. Audy Ruby purchased it from John Horman who had entered the real estate field in Kitchener. In June, 1966, in company with Robert Stere, Mr. Ruby added an up-to-date Car Wash at the rear. Building and racing stock cars on the nearby Nilestown, Flamboro tracks is a specialty of these two men and their friends, who make this garage their automotive port of call. Mr. and Mrs. Ruby, in early 1967, took over the Mansion House, Stratford, and Robert Stere conducted the business. In December, Mr. Ruby resumed operation of the garage.
Schaefer's Sunoco Service Station
At the northeast corner of Hope and Woodstock Streets, was originally the COMMERCIAL HOTEL. In 1934 it was remodelled by the Jacob Meisner Estate into a Service Station and Lunch Room, and operated by Mr. & Mrs. John Meisner, until July 1, 1945. Mr. & Mrs. Walter Schaefer became the new proprietors: Walter is one of the few owners of service stations in Southwestern Ontario to hold a certificate of twenty-years' continuous service in one and the same station.
Houghton Motors - 83 Hope St. W.
In February, 1947, Russell C. Houghton opened his auto-painting and repair shop in Joseph Duval's former blacksmith shop, now occupied by the Zehr's Esso Service, 94 Woodstock St. S. On Oct. 2, foundations we re set for his new building at the corner of Hope St. W. and William Street, and by Christmas of the same year he had completed his first paint job on the truck of Fred W. Stock. The firm recently celebrated its 20th anniversary. Russ and his staff, Ed Wilker and Bill Schlitt specialize in the servicing of Volkswagen and allied makes of cars from a wide area.
Gord's Supertest
Located at 103 Woodstock St., South, at the corner of William and Woodstock Streets is on the site of the weigh-scales of the defunct flax-mill (see picture). In 1938, Mr. A.B. Roth leased it from the Supertest Oil Co. It has been operated by the following lessees:
A.B. Roth
Fred Weicker & Paul Kalbfleisch
Clarence "Mike" Steinman
"Red" Hannon
George Parkinson
Albert Wettlaufer
Ky. Orsborne
On June 14, 1964, Gordon Neeb took over and, with some remodelling, maintains a fine station with added facilities for minor repairs and greasing.
John's Service Station
A second Supertest stand is located at 34 Hope St. E., and is operated by John Gascho. Johnny, aS he is popularly known, dispenses soft drinks, ice cream and other delights of young and old, along with gasoline and oil. He makes a specialty of changing your tires, when necessary. He acquired the station from Clarence Steinman, who moved to Florida for health reasons, on July I , 1955.
Diehl's Garage - 27 Hope St. W.
Clarence W. Diehl purchased his build ing from Henry Leinweber in 1936. It served originally as an egg-grading, packing-station and poultry-house for Mr. Fred Krug. The Council minutes of February 16, 1937 record Mr. Diehl's request for permission to secure a Class A garage licence to permit wrecking of cars, the storage and sale of them on his premises. Request granted. Mr. Diehl is still in business on a limited scale owing to ill health. He was a long-time member of the Citizen's Band and for many years serviced the engines of the power-house and fire truck.
Stan McDermott Motors
If this building could talk, it could save the editor a great deal of research. The blacksmith business was begun, we believe by Michael McDermott, and was advertised in the first issues of the local paper in 1895. With the slackening of the trade, the father and his son Frank were superseded by two other sons, Norman and Stanley, who turned their talents to selling Chevrolet and Essex cars and Locomotive washing-machines. Norman looked the image of Sir Winston Churchill, on one of the school pictures of 1880; Stanley followed Lorne Appel as junior at the local Traders Bank about 1910.
A cement-block building was added, in 1916, to serve as office and show-room. With Ed. Brockel as mechanic, the two brothers conducted a fine car sales and service garage, well known for its honest dealing. Stan shone in football, too.
The sons of Norman have carried on: Harold, Clair and Stan. Stan and his son Ronald are now continuing as Stan McDermott Motors, one of the few firms in our village still in the hands of the founder's family.
Zehr's Esso Service - 97 Woodstock St. S.
On this corner of Woodstock and William Streets, most pupils who went to the old school in the first half of the century will remember the barn of Joe and Mrs. Duval. In it Mr. Duval housed his carriage and cutter, for he was the local horse-taxi owner and drayer. It was originally the blacksmith shop of J .W. McKay. Mr. Duval provided us with some stirring sights as he trained his horses, Mrs. Duval warning him in unparliamentary language what not to do. If anyone had a green-thumb, it was she, for her fenced-in yard was always a profusion of blooms, and she would share them with you if you were not one of those nasty urchins, that would tease her from a safe distance.
Christian Strahm and Sons had a garage here for a time, after a cement floor had been put in; Russ Houghton started out here.
After doing business in the Oxford Hotel barns for a time after he came to town and set up a Chevrolet agency, Mr. William Bourne tore down the old shop and put up the present cement-block building. The builders happened to strike quick-sand and had to widen the footing to prevent the sinking of the foundations. In 1959, after Mr. B.J. Heidman had carried on an agency here, the station was closed for a number of years. Later, the late D.N. Snyder used it for storage of his tru'cks under the name of D.N. Snyder Transport of Baden. For a time it served to store turnips for the H.G. Culver & Co.
In September 1966, Mr. Irvin R. Zehr opened up his Esso Station for servicing cars and doing general repairs. Working for him are Harold Fisher and Leonard Schwartzentruber as regular mechanics, and Roy Erb, during the holiday months at the pumps.
Schmidt Auto Body - Sebastopol
The red-brick building was erected by the South Easthope Township Council to house their road-grader and snowplow. For some years, Mr. Robt. Rudy used it for storage of materials. In 1960, Bruce Schmidt bought it, put in a cement floor and a ceiling. Having learned the art of body repair with Russ Houghton, Bruce opened his own shop here, doing most of his business in tires, repainting and collision repairs rather than general auto repairs. Bruce and his wife Betty, nee Klein , are r ally enthusiasts and place high in any rally they enter. In 1967, they placed second for mixed crew in the Vancouver to Montreal Shell Rally, and had previously won the Lobster Rally out of Moncton, N.B.
Sippel Motor Sales
After a year's service with the S. Bricker firm in the red-brick block next door, Mr. Arthur Sippel opened his own garage in 1928, in the former Kruspe blacksmith shop, the other two parts of the block to the north being a butcher shop and grocery store. In 1946, in order to move his gas pumps off the highway allowance, he removed the front 15 feet of the building and set his pumps back onto his own property. In the ceiling the trap-door is still visible, through which the buggies and wagons were lowered from the second storey in the horse-and-buggy days, His son Earl took over the garage in 1951 and the car sales agency in 1960. He deals in Chrysler products, chiefly Dodge cars.
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