Taylor’s Store – 85 River St
In 1870, Henry Conlon tore down a shed and stable at this site and a general store was built here. About the start of the 1900s, Matthew Taylor opened his general store at the southwest corner of Albert and River Street. This business was passed on to his son Albert Taylor, and finally to his grandson Lauren Taylor and his wife Margaret Doble.
This store offered groceries and dry goods for three generations until the couple retired in 1957. After the Taylors owned the store, it was run by William Snowball according to the 1959 phone directory of Sunderland, the 1910 maps show the home bank adjacent here on the northwest side of the building on River Street. The Home Bank went bankrupt in 1923 as a result of the crash in the real estate market and loans to Sir Henry Pellet who built Casa Loma in Toronto.
At one point there was also a shoe store in the western section of this building. Neddy Thompson worked for many years as a clerk in the store. Fortunately, the store survived the huge fire across the street in 1949 at the McDermott Block. In 1987, Judy Bliers had a bulk food store and sold snacks, candies and baking goods. In later years this building was owned by Peter Laurenson and is the site of an antique store. More recently it is the location of the Greenspoon Law Office and Art Gallery and the Country Kitchen Restaurant.
About 1900 Matthew Taylor opened a general store here and the business was passed on to his son Albert and finally to his grandson Lorne Taylor and his wife Margaret Doble. The store offered dry goods and groceries until 1957. It has been a shoe store, a bulk food store, and an antique store as well. This picture shows the store owned by Peter Lawrenson with a bakery and restaurant in 1989. Now it is Crusty Pizza and the Roadside Country Diner.
The Home Bank
In 1911 there was a branch of the Home Bank in Sunderland, located at the site of the Roadside Country Diner. Later it was moved across the street to the current Home Hardware store. In 1923 the Home Bank went insolvent partly because of a crash in real estate values and loans forfeited by Sir Henry Pellatt, builder of Casa Loma in Toronto, who had declared bankruptcy.
2. Saint Andrews United Church – 10 Church St N
3. Sunderland Town Hall – 120 River St
4. Dr. Joseph Henry Oliver Home – 128 River St
5. St. Mary’s Anglican Church – 134 River St
6. Dr. James McDermott Home – 160 River St
7. The Fogg House – 198 River St
8. The Blacksmith Shop – 135 River St
9. The Nipissing House Hotel – 123 River St
10. Stop 4 Variety – 111 River St
11. The Old Drug Store – 108 River St
12. The Gigantic Hand Saw, Guardian Pharmacy – 103 River St
13. Flindell’s Fresh Mart – 97 River St
14. The Beall Block – 93 River St
15. The Harness Shop – 89 River St
16. Taylor’s Store – 85 River St
17. The William Doble Home – 32 Albert St
18. The Sunderland Presbyterian Church – 5 Albert St
19. Doyle’s General Store – 3 Albert St
20. The McDermott Block – 1 Albert Street S
21. The Sunderland Telephone Company. – 63 River St
22. James Doble Home – 3 Cedar St S
23. William Nassau Doble Home – 12 River St
24. Thomas Welsh Home – 20 River St
25. Robert Doble Home – 48 River St
26. The Bank – River Street (CIBC) – 74 River St
27. The Brock House Hotel – 82 River St
28. The Hardware Store – 92 River St
29. The Early Undertaker – 96 River St
30. The Printing Shop – 98 River St
31. The Magic Door – 100 River St
32. The Sunderland Legion – 104 River St
33. 108 River Street – 108 River Street
34. Freeze Creamery – 5 Church St N
35. The Sunderland Memorial Arena 1948-2009 – 20 Park St