Postcard Memories is a series of historic views, stories and photos of Bradford West Gwillimbury, a trip down memory lane on a Saturday morning.
Bradford had a special reason for its popularity in the mid 1930s, 1940s and ‘50s.
While most of the surrounding towns and townships were “dry,” Bradford was “wet” – with a liquor store, beer store, and “beverage rooms” in both the Queen’s Hotel and the Village Inn.
All of Ontario adopted Prohibition during World War One. The Armstrong Hotel at 22 Holland St. West became the Temperance House in the 1920s and early 1930s, but in 1934 new owners renamed the hotel and brought back beer.
“There is no doubt that the availability of beers and spirits brought people to Bradford and created a very busy market town,” wrote George Jackson in Governor Simcoe Slept Here – especially on a Saturday night.
Noted Shirley Bowles, “For those still around, there were interesting sights to see when the hotels closed at midnight and the imbibers staggered out onto the street.”
Of course, the town also had an ice cream parlour, movie theatre and numerous stores where families could do their weekly shopping, which also helped make Bradford a popular stop.
Details from the Archives at the BWG Public Library, and Governor Simcoe Slept Here: The legacy of West Gwillimbury.
