Some Old Times In Kettleby Recalled Remember a very wintry morning 'way back in the late '30's when business places in Bradford were noticeably understaffed. A party of Trinity Anglican "Young People" had gone to Kettleby the evening before fro some kind of social evening, the snow descended, and there they had to remain, storm stayed, if recollection is correct, for more than one night and one day. Upon their return, stories were told of the hospitality and good management among residents there, who looked after the welfare of these unexpected guests to their little community so well. Next spring curiosity took us to Kettleby, and in the pale green of spring it was a lovely view, as it is today, though with changes. According to The Aurora Banner the most recent change is the auctioning of the villages' last store, which, though closed during recent months, contained well-stocked shelves, in fact, so well stocked was the store that the sale has to be continued on a second day. The old store has been a part of Kettleby from tis earliest days, when Kettleby Mills was a thriving and important pioneer community. A map of York County in 1860 lists Jacob Walton (original owner) as post master and general merchant, so it is certain that the building is over a hundred years old. Only five people have operated the store since that time. They were J.M. Walton, W.C. Bogart, Levi Watson, E. Blatchford and B. Cherry. The post office has done business from the same building during most of the years. The first post office in Kettleby carried the name Kettleby Mills, Canada West. It was opened in 1854 under the charge of James Tepping. The name of the office was changed to Kettleby in September, 1859. Jacob Walton was the post-master who succeeded Tepping, presumably when the store was built. In the early days, the office was open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. Frank Curtis, of the village can still recall when the mail coach with canopy top and seats on both sides ran from Schomberg to Aurora. The driver blew a bugle which was heard long before the coach appeared. He also remembers a telegraph office which operated in the building. The original letter boxes and furniture and early records have been retained by the Walton family.
