Commercial 87

Souris'fi

Photo by Morley S Arum Courtesy Pictures of the Past by lesrds

Souris Beach

The Cox Hotel Bathing House is the white building on the dunes. The Harbourview Hotel is the large building with the verandah.

In the early 1890’s, the Hon. James R. MacLean imported a special grass seed from

the Magdalens and had it planted to hold the shifting sands in place along the quarter mile long sandy beach.

by Mrs. Bell. It was originally Fuller House, managed by Mrs. E.G. Fuller whose husband was a fish dealer and US. Consular Agent. The next proprietor was Mrs. Henrietta Dingwell, who called it Oakley House.

Some of the other hotels and boarding houses included Ocean House—the old Ernest Dingwell house—moved away to make room for Dingwell’s Funeral Home Ltd. It was run by Mrs. Captain Dominic McDonald as a guest home for summer tourists. The home ofWaldron and Jennie Dingwell was formerly the Lincoln House operated by Mrs. P.W. Robertson who catered chiefly to sick mariners. James Moynagh Jr. was proprietor of Colville House.”

Possibly the most interesting place to stay during the late 18005 would be the Liverpool House—Captain A.R. McDonald of the Georgetown Mc- Donalds, proprietor. The Captain, apparently quite wealthy, retired early. He bought the Macgowan house at the foot of Chapel Avenue and proceeded to furnish it quite elaborately, installing the first hot water heating system in Souris. The McDonalds had eight or nine children, including six boys who were all educated for a life at sea.

In the back yard, the Captain erected a mast with spar and lines similar to the deck of a ship. As soon as they could walk, the boys were taught to run up and down it. They “knew the ropes” very, very young. Of the six boys, five were successful sea captains. One sailed a liner out of San Francisco and another was on the Boston to Yarmouth run. The second youngest boy fell