The
Canning Industry
In
Brighton & area
by MELBA
POUND
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Today, when we need fruits or vegetables for our table,
it is quite easy for us to drive to the local store or
roadside stand and make a purchase, without much thought as
to the origin of those fruits and vegetables which are
shipped to us from far and wide.
Just a few years ago, tomatoes, corn, peas, pumpkin and
apples were canned right here in our own community of
Brighton.
The canning factories in Brighton included Canadian
Canners, Nesbitts Canners (originally called Brighton
Canning Co.), Quality Canners (Ross), Graham Foods, Canada
Packers, Dyson Pickles, Presqu'ile Canning Company, and
three small home-canning operations -- Noonan, Tweedle and
Branscombe -- and the original one of 1892.
Brighton's connection with the canning industry began in
1892, when A.C. Miller purchased a lot from the Butler
estate and built a factory near the Butler farm home, now
known as the Tobey Farm at 211 Prince Edward Street. The
trademark of this company's products was "Little Chief" and
the wooden Indian adopted as mascot by the Hasty P's
Regiment and taken to England and later to France, was the
original one located on the Miller factory in Picton.
We can only assume that the "Little Chief" brand was
bought by Dominion Canners.
(label courtesy of Melba
Pound)
Vic Chapman, Eunice Shaw's father, was manager of the
Canadian Canners factory from 1927 until he retired in the
early 40's.
Following are some recollections written by Eunice.
In 1898, on Richardson Street, Mr. Sam Nesbitt, Bob's
grandfather, built a factory which later was to beome
Canadian Canners. By the time part of it was consumed by
fire in 1947, it had consisted of a long warehouse adjacent
to a railway siding; huge wooden tanks in which to store
vinegar; six summer cottages along Division Street, south of
Richardson, which housed village employees; behind them, for
drying apples, an evaporator, (the present white stucco
apartment buildings); a large building in which labels were
stored and across the driveway from it, a stuccoed office.
All the buildings were heated with stoves. Steam from the
boiler which was stoked with coke, cooked the produce.
The location was ideal. A boxcar, when ordered, could be
left on the siding and could be emptied or filled in a day.
Apples dried or canned were usually shipped to England. Each
factory had its own unique label for each product and grade.
From stock in the label room at Brighton (present Renegade
Sales), label orders from all the factories in the Eastern
District, would be filled. Eastern District consisted of all
the factories in Prince Edward County, those from Napanee to
Bowmanville and north to Frankford and Foxboro.
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Label storage building and office
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In 1920, Dominion Canners Incorporated. Mr. Nesbitt
joined Dominion Canners, which was an amalgamated group of
small factories, with Head Office in Hamilton. Eventually,
most smaller factories in Southern Ontario who canned small
vegetables, sold to this company. The name was later changed
to Canadian Canners with Head Office remaining in Hamilton.
Mr. Ted Pearce was the Eastern Area Manager with an office
in Picton.
West of the Canadian Canners in Brighton, was a two story
red brick school, not in use.
Old Richardson St. School opened in 1862, used by Nesbitt
canners as a lab.
It was decided that half of this building could be
renovated and used as a lab. Mr. Harry Powell, a chemist
from Hamilton came there to test the canned products from
the Eastern District, so that standards would be kept high.
The best brand was named "Aylmer".
(picture of label courtesy Melba
Pound)
Our family always enjoyed Mr. Powell visiting our home.
He had such a hearty laugh and happy personality. As a
teenager, Bill Pettingill remembers too, working with him
for a week, to learn the proper methods to test canned
produce for proper grading and labelling. On his return to
Wellington factory, Bill was able to put his knowledge to
practice.
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The Brighton Canadian Canners canned blueberries for a
few years. My father, V.C. Chapman, was sent by train to
Montreal to meet a French Canadian agent who spoke English.
Together they travelled from Montreal to Chicoutami, Que. to
buy the berries. My father was carrying a huge roll of money
with which to make purchases. After Mass on Sunday, all the
farmers with berries to sell, gathered on the church steps
and bargained. Later, Mr. Dufour, the agent, travelled to
Brighton to observe the process of canning the berries. Dad
was on the School Board and to make the agent feel more
comfortable, he invited the High School French teacher, Miss
Dorothy Warren (later Mrs. Arthur Dunnett -- Bob Dunnett's
mother) to come to our home to visit with him. However, they
had a difficult time communicating. Years later when my
husband and I were stationed in France, we were told the
purest French spoken is in Southern Belgium.
In my memory, the apples used at the factory were bought
by my Dad. As he walked through the orchards in the summer,
he would offer to buy the entire crop, if the apples were
satisfactory to him. If the farmer was satisfied with the
offer, he would agree to it. It was the responsibility of
the farmer to have them picked and delivered to the factory,
grounders as well. Wooden barrels and wooden crates were
used as containers for transport which was usually by horse
and wagon. From the supply at the factory, wooden crates
could be loaned out to the farmers. However, this supply of
wooden crates and the wooden boxes in which canned produce
was packed, accelerated the fire in 1947.
We all loved to go with Dad on these trips because
travelling wasn't so common then. Besides, we learned to
love Prince Edward County.
reminiscences
of
Eunice Shaw
Eunice's husband Stan also has memories of Canadian
Canners.
During World War II help was very scarce because so many
young men were in the services. After coming home from
Trenton Air Base, I would go to the factory where my
brother-in-law Don was now manager, and help in any way I
could for several hours each night. In the evening, several
local businessmen also went to the factories to help.
During the war, special codes were issued to the factory
to use on shipments. These indicated on which vessel goods
would be transported. These codes were handled very secretly
so the enemy would not know of the ship's departure. During
peak times, 1000 crates of apples a day could be processed.
These are a few of my memories.
reminiscences
of
Stan Shaw
My Grandfather, W.E. Rorabeck, affectionately known as
"Bill", was employed by the Canadian Canners for 31 years
and assisted during canning season for several years after
his retirement in 1953.
Since my grandfather was in charge of electrical,
mechanical and building maintenance at the factories in the
Eastern District, plant managers with a problem, especially
during canning season, would phone after hours and sometimes
during the night.
As a small child, on summer holidays in Brighton, how
proud I felt as I listened to his conversations and thought
that he was so clever to be able to suggest a solution to
their problems.
When my grandfather visited the various factories, my
grandmother and I were sometimes allowed to go along. We
would shop in town while my grandfather was at the factory.
It also meant eating out -- a special treat for me. If we
were in Picton, my grandfather would usually eat at the
hotel with Mr. Ted Pearce, the Eastern Area Manager. My
grandmother and I would eat at a different table. That meant
a suggestion for me to be on my "best behaviour" in Mr.
Pearce's presence.
Canning appeared to me, to be a demanding labor for many,
many, women and men working very long hours, sometimes to 11
pm and later during the harvest season.
reminiscences
of
Melba Pound
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In 1900, the Nesbitt's built a fruit house, but by 1926
converted it to a canning factory for canning peas, corn and
tomatoes. Its location was on Richardson Street, just west
of the Canadian Canners which the Nesbitt's once owned. It
too was along the railroad tracks and convenient for
shipping produce as well as receiving supplies, such as tin
cans.
Pea seed was ordered from Alberta and charged to the
farmers who contracted to grow. The farmers were told when
to plant the seed and when to cut the crop. Pea viners on
the Nesbitt property, west of the factory, removed the peas
from the vines. In the factory, women removed any foreign
objects such as pods or thistle balls as the peas passed by
them on a table-like surface. The vines were left in piles
for weeks to rot. A very unpleasant odour resulted. nearby
residents were pleased when the farmers took this pea
ensilage away to feed their cows. The cost of the pea seed
was deducted from the farmer's final cheque after the
harvest.
Corn cobs were taken off the stalks in the field and
transported to the factory in bulk.
Tomatoes in crates, were brought in by the wagon load,
scalded and then peeled by the women.
Whatever the product, it had to be canned, cooked cooled
and packed. Usually during the winter, it was labelled and
shipped according to incoming orders.
The Ross brothers built Quality Canning Factory along
Gross Street and towards Perry Avenue, adjacent to the
tracks of the Old Canadian Northern Railroad and near the
station. The shed closest to the road was called the "corn
shed". This shed was open on the south side to receive the
farmer's pumpkins. Corn was received on the closed-in north
side. Canning was done in the building to the south. After
the railway station was closed, the property was bought by
the Ross brothers to use as a scale house. This factory
where tomatoes, pumpkins and corn were processed was sold to
Bob Nesbitt and was later bought by Bill Omar. All that
remains now is a stone basement filled with rubble.
Ralph Bangay has in his possession a record book from
this factory. It was registered as a corporation "this 25th
day of January, A.D. 1912". Another sentence in the Letters
Patent, signed by the Provincial Secretary (a) "to carry on
business as canners, and (b) to buy, sell and manufacture or
otherwise deal in fruit, meats, vegetables, preserves, dairy
produce, live and dead stock." Later, Canadian Canners used
some of this factory for storage.
Another building, built on Prince Edward Street in 1952,
was originally Dyson's Pickle Factory. People, especially
kids, dislike picking the small gherkin cucumbers for this
industry, but growers received the most money for this size.
In 1929, Bert Maybee formed the West End Canning Company
in the old West End Evaporator where Creekside Banquet Hall
now stands. Crosse & Blackwell acquired it in 1938 to do
speciality foods and sold it to Graham Dried Foods in 1945.
Corn, tomatoes and small potatoes and fruits were processed
there. The building was torn down in 1991.
Located on Union Road South, west of Brighton was Canada
Packers. Carson Hubbs, father of Horace, was the manager and
was succeeded by his step-son, Jack Poole. Here the York
Brand was canned, including strawberries, blueberries,
raspberries, peas, tomatoes, green and yellow beans.
Prior to Canada Packers, Branscombe's had a small
operation in that building.
Branscombe label
Courtesy Ralph Bangay
Ralph also has several labels from Brighton Canning Co.,
Brighton. See label below.
Brighton Canning Co. label
Mrs. Hilda Doonan home canned tomatoes in a small
building near her home, opposite Spring Valley Park. She was
quite well known through her column in the Brighton
Ensign.
Local produce was also canned in a small way by Mr.
Tweedle who lived west of the White House in Brighton.
Today, none of these factories are in existence. Neither
are many of those in other towns. They certainly served
their purpose. Did and do we appreciate the labour of the
farmers, the factory workers and all the others involved in
feeding us every day?
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