APAGE 14, WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 1980, WHITBY1 Our historical i heritage By EUGENE HENRY, -Whitby's foremost historian Jake McIntyre was a tin smitb before he became a Brock Street, hardware merchant in 1910. He brougbt the akill and tools of bis trade with him, however, and sheet metal work like furnace pipes and eavestroughing were always an important part o! the McIntyre business. Few people calied Mr. McIntyre, Jacob. He was "Jake" to ail, from casual Brook Street shoppers, to the mayors and councillors of the County Town, during a long life in business, at the "four cornera" o! Whitby. He was not a tall man, he just looked that way, because he was a lath-lean, man and always wore a soft, rancher style, fedora hat that added inches to bis real height. His angular, flesh-free, face was adorned with a thick, mid-brown, walrus moustache anid on rare oc- casions with soiled, metal- rimmed spectacles. The gleam of gold, could be briefly seen- when he smlled. With a quiet sense of humour, he liked a, good story. He seemed to be unaware of the fact that he had a somewhat casual approach to clothes. He did have two, even three really good suits, but he only wore the jackets of these garments, when he drove bis family to mass on Sundays at Saint John's Roman Catholic Church. At ail other timea he wore a pevcil-laden, vest (unbut- toned) on the job or in his shop. Jake must have been bald, because no one can remnem- ber seeing him without his hat. He drove one o! the firat Model-T Ford cars in Whitby and with a home-spun flair FREE PRESS Brock St. hardw are merchant ,IF.. .TYPEWRITERS REPAIRS & SERVICE', 1 ALL MAKES DANFORTH TYPEWRITER Rentals. Sales & Service ;b 408 Dundas Street \Nest 2940 Danforth Ave Whitby Toronto 666-1131 est. 1 - 930 698-2589 helped in the store. Francis a solid citizen and a good mian, helped bis father always. He eventually took over the business and ran it profitably until the mid- fi! ties. (on the east side of Brock Street opposite the Park), kept the house and Jake happy. Soon after the Brock Street store was opened, construction started at the for publicising bis business, got himnself involved with the town when he dug a pit for a gasoline storage tank, out- aide bis "four corners" store. It was haif under the Brock street sidewalk and balf under the street. Hardware stores were the gasoline service stations of those days and gas sold for 17 cents a gallon. The Melntyre hardware store was qwite similar to the Canadian Tire Stores and beaver lunhber outiets of today. Everything on hand was on display either on crowded counter tops or shelving that ran, almoat to the 15 foot ceiling o! the shop. The McIntyre store did not stock the multitude of knick- knacks that are charac- teristie of moat modemn har- dware stores. Jake stuck atrictly to hardware. hand tools, paint, step ladders, shovels and brooms, pails and brushes. Out back there was everything for Whitby furnaces and stoves. Nails, nuts, boita and screws were kept in bins, facing the customer, under the counter top. Ail was neat and dlean but not necessarily tidy. Jake was a lucky man. He bad three sons and a daughter. Francis, Bill, Lawrence and Gertrude. At one time or another they ail was 40 yeara of age at the time. Both Jake MclntYre and bis eldest son, Francis were faîthfull parishoners of St. John's Church and they were of great assistaflct to 's hardware store Bill didn't seem to fit, the psychiatric hospital on the small town hardware lake, west of WhitbY Har- business. He went away and bour. Buidling materials only came back to Whitby came into town at the CNR late in life. station by the car load, but Lawrence and Gertrude great quantities O! amal helped in the store to the hardware itemns were best of their abilities but needed and Jake was there they helped. As for Jake's in bis Model T with whatever wife, she remained at home as needed on the big Job. He several pastors, Father Ryan, Kickey and Austin, to name just three. Jake knew everybody in Whitby and seemed to be an easy-to-meet, good fellow. He was, bowever, somewbat shy and had few reai frienda.- My grandfather was one of theserfortuantepeople. IMER PlesVop LpU Jacob Mclntyre m