The fire took everything in between and
everything in its path. Lost in the devastation were over twenty buildings
including Jimmy Thompson Bar, a former town landmark was now just a
piece of lost history. Barney Doucette was the official liquor vender
at that time. Prohibition had just been pasted in the U.S. and even
in this land, one needed a doctor's prescription to buy any alcohol.
This continued until the first liquor store opened in 1927. This led
to much frustration; much trickery and many sick men. It is why the
next story in this chapter is told. Barnie's booze dispensing was located
where the school board is today (formally Jardine's Ford Parts and Insurance
and later on an R.C.M.P Barracks). This story we will neither confirm
nor deny. It has been told by many people. We will let you the reader
make the final call. When the fire hit Barney Doucette's building, many
people ran in, helped themselves to the medicine and hid it for later.
Others came in, found the hiding place and hid it in yet another location.
«picture»
This kept up until about noon. By nightfall,
there was not a sober man in town. The women had to man the hand pump
on the old fire truck.
Now to get back to life. The village rebuilt, prospered and became a
town in 1985 on the First day of July.
Let's flashback
to 1906; there were many and varied
services offered in the town of 1,100 people. We'll highlight some of
the more interesting ones.
O. P.(Odopher but nicknamed Odver) Black
built carriages from the wheels up. This building later became the A.E.
Mundle store(there location) and was across from from the old Grammar
School (across in the direction of a 45 degree angle). The old school
became very interesting at recess time. At break, all the kids ran to
Jimmy LeGoff's ( the old boat yard where Elmo Robichaud now lives) to
get a glass of cold water. Nearly every day Jimmy lost a window from
a stray baseball. The kids would collect money for a pane of glass and
putty. Jimmy a kind soul, would just replace the window.
Back to Black - he was also the towns
undertaker. Jack (Bump - nicknamed
after a big bump on the back of his head) McMin ran the town tannery.
His tannery was complete with steam pumps and boiler. McMin operated
from court street opposite what is now the senior citizen's complex.
McMin later moved to the top of W.E. Forbes store on main street and
continued to make boots and shoes. Where McMin now operated from was
the former site of the "Richibucto Commercial Hotel." In those days
there were no shoe tacks. Wooden pegs were used, thus the phrase, "pegging
shoes". McMin was also a photographer and some of his photos are in
this book.