KINGSMERE -- THE TAYLORS COME TO GRAND BEND

Albert Thomas (AT) Taylor returned to London after the birth of his second child in 1910. He was a fitness instructor at the YMCA and wanted the best environment for his children. Although he and his family made several summer vacations at Port Stanley he decided on Grand Bend where he thought his family would take in the air. They rented a cottage on Main Street across from the Imperial Hotel for two months each summer. Vera [Campbell, who turned 101 in 2008, aunt of Cam Taylor] recalls playing with the children of the owners who seemed to add to their large brood each year. She and the older girls were expected to baby sit, which cramped their style somewhat. She remembers sneaking into the kitchen to eat raw cookie dough. She hated it when the chickens were slaughtered in the yard for the evening restaurant menu. Vera also played with the Brenner children whose parents owned the hotel, now the Colonial.

There was much to do in Grand Bend in those days. There was a carousel, dodgem cars, roller coaster, and the casino/dance hall. Vera remembers that bathing suits were rented at the lower level of the dance hall. They were the long sleeved variety providing lots of coverage but her father remarked that you'd probably drown if you tried to swim in one. There was also relaxing on the beach and swimming in the lake. Vera's mother, Bessie, was a strong rower and would take the children out after dark to fish. My cousin, now 80, recalls swimming across the river and seeing the Indians and the fish nets with the long wooden poles. She felt very brave doing this as she was afraid of the large catfish rumored to be in the river. Both she and her younger brother spent many happy weekends dancing to the tunes of Guy Lombardo and other visiting bands. When they were older, they rented a cottage called Squirrel Haven. This was a very cottagy cottage. The toilet was outside and not very private. The interior walls did not go to the ceiling. These proved to be great fun for the men to peek over at the ladies, causing them to shriek in indignation.

My mother's family also was attracted to Grand Bend and rented the Lawson cottage in Maple Grove. My parents went to London Central Collegiate and were also part of the Squirrel Haven group, as was another Taylor aunt and her beau. Finally my grandfather, AT, had enough of leaky roofs and a lack of creature comforts. He and a group purchased land a mile and a quarter north of Grand Bend and formed the Kingsmere syndicate. This purchase went from the Bluewater Highway to the water's edge and included the land up to Port Blake Conservation area. A.T. built his cottage there in about 1938 and most of his friends thought he had lost his mind, as this remote track of sand dunes and grass had no redeeming features.

This was a family cottage for his children and grandchildren. By all accounts the gatherings there were full of fun and laughter. My cousin Robert remembers coming to the cottage for the summer from Toronto and seeing a large galvanized tub full of ice and beer waiting in the kitchen. My father brought many of his old high school friends for weekends. On one occasion he, and others who were members of London Flying Club, flew into the Grand Bend Airport with the intention of attending a dance at the Lakeview Casino dance hall. My dad and his party were refused admission because the women were in slacks and the men had no ties or suit jackets, quite against the dress code of the Casino. A bit of charm from the women who claimed they could not climb into the aircraft in a dress persuaded the doorman to let them in.

I can remember Mr. Prance coming by once a week with blocks of ice for the ice boxes and another vendor came by with fresh produce. The food shopping was done at Desjardins and Mr. Merner in Dashwood had the best meat.

My father would complain that he had to drive to Thedford for beer as there was not a beer store in Grand Bend. The liquor laws were strange, as the north side of Main Street [Huron County] was 'dry' and the south side [Lambton County] 'wet'. This changed with the war. The army cadets and regulars were brought in by the truck load on Saturday nights.

My first summer job was at Hank's burger joint where the Lakeview is now. I remember this well, as I was a coin collector at the time and came across a rare 1925 nickel.

Grand Bend was, and still is, a place of history and mystery. Less than an hour from London it still seems remote and away from civilization. Our renters seem to feel the same as they arrive loaded with water and food as if they needed to sustain themselves for the next week.