70 Years Ago
October 20, 1948
– The Napanee Athletics went down to defeat in two straight games to the Chatham Hadley’s in the Ontario Baseball Association intermediate ‘A’ championship. The Chatham squad effectively played small ball, using well-timed bunts to help their 13-8 winning effort. The Athletics had a tough day in the field, however, as they were charged with 10 errors over the course of the day.
– Napanee council passed a bylaw authorizing the expenditure of $14,500 toward the Centre Street bridge over the Napanee River, which was constructed by the County. Council also approved a bylaw authorizing the construction of sanitary sewers, pavement and sidewalks in the area of 25 new homes north of Thomas Street.
– The Ontario Progressive Conservative caucus named Thomas Laird Kennedy, of Peel, as party’s interim leader and the province’s premier, replacing George Drew, who had resigned to pursue federal interests. Kennedy, who had been serving as agriculture minister, said he had no plans to seek the party leadership on a full-time basis as the party’s upcoming convention.
40 Years Ago
October 18, 1978
– Randy Davey, 19, of RR4 Napanee was to receive an award from Ontario Lt.-Gov Pauline McGibbon for his efforts to rescue five people from a burning apartment building in Picton.In his efforts singlehandedly rescuing those people in May 1977, Davey received second and third degree burns over most of his body and spent many months recovering in a Kingston hospital’s burn unit. Previously, Davey was bestowed a similar honour by Gov. Gen Jules Leger.
– Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation and Communications agreed to pay the cost of a traffic survey of the Canadian National Railway overpass at Dundas Street, Bridge Street and Camden Road. The decision came at the urging of the Town of Greater Napanee and Lennox and Addington County councils, who considered the intersection hazardous. The study was seen as a first step before any changes could be made to create a smoother flow of traffic through the bridge.
– Bruce Finlay, a former president of the Strathcona Paper Company, called it the end of an era as a number of company houses near the mill were torn down. The Roman Corporation bought the houses along with the mill in 1974. The homes were considered unsuitable to live in as they had no furnaces, wells, or septic systems. The company elected to save the first house on Brown Street, where Finlay grew up, to commemorate the village. Several visitors drove to Strathcona to take demolition photos for posterity.