Gord McGlynn Video

Taken on the waterfront, this late 1950's video shared by the Associated Railroaders of Kingston on Facebook shows some harbour hijinks, a sports car, and general views taken from the Brock St pier area. Included are CLC, the freight shed, CP station, view up Brock Street, and the buildings east of there including the feed mill and Fort Frontenac. A couple of screenshots show two stacked-lettering CPR boxcars, what looks like a tank car, and a classic old truck or two near the CP freight shed:

 And another stacked-lettering CPR boxcar behind the 'Firehall Restaurant'.

Exploring the George E.O. Lilley Fonds

During my recent sojourn to the Queen's University Archives, I began exploring the George E.O. Lilley Fonds which were donated to the archives. I perused two boxes. There are fifty-one!

To quote from the fonds description:
George Edwin Osborne Lilley was a photographer born in Kingston in 1918. George served with the Royal Canadian Air Force during World War II. Just prior to the end of the war and after the war, he was employed at the National Film Board of Canada where he produced films for foreign distribution, working under John Grierson.

After joining the militia he was, at the same time, actively involved in the public relations role of the Canadian Armed Forces. He served as Public Information Officer from 1955-1974. He retired from the Armed Forces in 1974. Mr. Lilley joined Transport Canada as Public Affairs Officer. He was stationed with the Canadian Coast Guard in Toronto.

Mr. Lilley had been interested in photography from an early age. For many years he was a freelance photographer in Kingston. His photographic work involved news photography, documentaries, advertising and promotional work. As far as the news side of photographic gathering is concerned, Mr. Lilley was under contract to provide news photographs for the Kingston Whig-Standard, the Toronto Telegram, the Globe and Mail, the Ottawa Journal, the Montreal Star, Montreal Gazette, the Associated Press, the United Press, Time-Life Fortune, and some European newspapers. He passed away on 22 November 2003. 

The fonds consist of approximately 20,000 negatives documenting events and people in Kingston and district from the late 1940's to the early 1960's.

Business card - 1952

Walking the Hanley Spur, August 2019

While downtown on a nice August morning, we decided another walk on the Urban K&P Trail would give us a fresh route. Starting at Doug Fluhrer Park along Wellington Street, the Woolen Mill soon came into view (top photo). Ducks, swans and turtles make this part of the river their home. The clean lines and enduring nature of the woolen mill, its largely non-toxic industrial output and continued use never made it a brownfield and secured its future:

Crossing Montreal & Railway Streets, I took a look at some of the signage on Quattrocchi's:

The spur-side unloading door, windows, change of paint and even a 'vintage' auto completed the scene:                    

Turning toward Railway and Rideau Streets, the Depot School's limestone expanse marked the location of the Grand Trunk Railway's early incursions into Kingston:

George A. Wright's former machine shop location north of Hickson Avenue is a less-historic, industrial-park structure.

The trail gets a bit tricky to follow, now that CP no longer crosses CN. Emerging onto John Counter Boulevard, we need to head west to Division, cross it, then up and over the CN, then down a bit, hang a left through the city's former snow dump and regain the trail where CP used to head toward Dalton Avenue. A small limestone rock cut just north of the CN gives an indication of CP's former presence here. In the meantime, CN No 149 with three locomotives, heads west through Queens East interlocking:

The remainder of our six-mile walk took us almost to Dalton Avenue, through a peaceful paved section removed from train and vehicle traffic. Thistles and goldfinches, hogweed and Monarch butterflies marked our passage with their own, flitting from flower to flower. No sign of CP's former passing track here, which was used to serve the industrial park before returning to Smiths Falls. 

At the site of the former River Street bridge, only a photo markes its location. One's imagination must do the rest. Dyeco, at River and Orchard Streets, continues in business as Sensient. Completing our stroll past the woolen mill and the basking turtles, it was time for a rest. 

ABNA's re-imagining of the Imperial Oil warehouse at North Street is still just that. Stabilized, the structure yawns open toward the sky. Some track star has spray-painted 'Think Again Doornekamp' across this nifty artist's rendition of the multi-unit residence it will become!