The railway provided transportation of finished goods processed from the farms of the County. The map shows the eleven commercial enterprises along the tracks and the train station. A few of the buildings remain but at this point in time, none of the businesses are operating.
Luther K. Shourds Evaporator, established 1890
L. K. Shrouds bought the former Friends Meeting House where the Wellington Cemetery is now situated. They moved the building south to the corner of Consecon Street and Second Street alongside the tracks. There, it became an evaporator, a nucleus of a larger complex for drying apples for preservation (before commercial canning had developed).
In 1902, Mr. Shourds became a partner in the Wellington Packing Company with W. P. Niles. In 1909 the business was sold to Canadian Canners as plant #28. It is unknown when the business ceased; homes have been built on the site now. Shourd Street is named after this family.
W.P.Niles Limited, Seedhouse, established 1892
In the seedhouse, peas and beans were cleaned, bathed in insecticide, sorted and packed as quality seeds for sale to planters after being certified by the Dominion Department of Agriculture. Female workers were paid $9.00 per week with one hour for lunch, working 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday to Friday and 7 a.m. to 5:30 pm on Saturday. Off a private siding behind the COR siding, W.P.Niles also operated a feed mill as well as coal sheds and salt storage for customers.
He died in 1916 and in 1918 the firm was sold to Dominion Canners Limited that operated it as Canners Seed. The company closed in 1957 and the property was sold to Arnold Hennessy who built the Moongate Apartments at 64 West Street, right behind the Trail kiosk. Niles Street is named after the W.P. Niles family.
H. and M. McFaul Coal and Wood
The coal and wood business had a scale that was also used to weigh livestock. After the McFauls sold the business to Arthur Thompson, a gristmill was built and the coal and wood business continued. Nothing remains of these buildings.
The Stock Pens
It is not known who owned the stock pens but farmers’ drovers used them, including Clayton Pearsall, Charles Bailey and Harry Pierson, the last two after the Second World War. There were two pens so the cattle were separate from the sheep or hogs and loaded into separate rail cars. There was a truck ramp on the south side to unload the livestock and a larger one on the north side to load them into the train cars.
Fuel Tanks
There were two large tanks that sat on a raised concrete pillar; it is unknown who owned them.
Canadian Canners Limited, established 1906
Established as the “Lakeside Canning Company” by W.W. Fitzgerald and William Cronk, they were joined by David Burlington, Wallace Wilder, Marshall Trumpour, Andrew Dorland, Canniff and William Haight. With a warehouse to hold 25,000 cases, the company canned strawberries, raspberries, beans, tomatoes and apples.
In 1910 it was sold to Dominion Canners to be known as Canadian Canners #45. The warehouse was doubled in size and two pea viners and a cornshed were added. The corn was husked by hand and the workers were paid 3 cents per bushel. The plant was closed in 1959 and had a few tenants since, including a toilet factory; it now stands empty at Maple Street and the Trail.
A.A.Morden and Son
A factory was set up south of the tracks before 1910 to can peas, tomatoes and apples. It changed hands several times before being bought by Alex Lipson in 1936. Morden had built a new plant north of the tracks in 1933 that continued to operate after his death in 1943 until the factory was destroyed by fire in 1947.
Prince Edward Canners Limited, established 1913
It was known as “McMahon’s Factory” with Edward McMahon as President. It was sold to Canadian Canners in 1923 who used it as a repair depot for their trucks operated by their subsidiary, Walmart Transport Company Limited. It was closed in 1958. J.R.Ball Machine Shop operates the premises now at Wharf Lane and the Trail.
Hogg and Lytle, established 1916
From 1916, Hogg and Lytle operated a gristmill in Wellington on Second Street until it was sold to Master Feeds. Improvements were made to the original mill in 1964; then it was sold to Bruce Wallace who continued the business. Because of age and the cost of renovations the mill was finally closed.
The site was sold to several buyers. It is now in the hands of Mark Armstrong who operates a glass-blowing studio. Part of the warehouse is rented to the Rotary Club of Wellington that operates a Bottle Depot to raise funds for the community.
United Canners Limited, established 1936
Alex Lipson bought the factory from the Empire Foods Corporation Limited and canned peas, tomatoes, tomato juice and pumpkin. He employed women and many high school students, which was the key to much of his success. If their cheques were cashed in his store, they got a 10% discount on their purchases.
When Mr. Lipson died in 1978, his son disposed of the assets due to frozen food competition and not wanting to incur costly repairs needed to update the factory. The buildings have largely disappeared; Wiltsie Machine is in part of the old warehouse on Belleville Street.
Wellington Train Station
This Rotary kiosk was the location of the train station. In 2016, it was built in the style of the former train station, at West Street.