Phil Egan
If a picture is worth a thousand words, then Dave Burwell’s collection of old Sarnia postcards speaks volumes.
It’s a collection replete with visual wonders. It takes us back to simpler times, to wooden sidewalks and horses in the road, to stately buildings and shops of 19th century Front Street, and to the waterfront alive with human traffic and boats at the crowded foot of Ferry Dock Hill.
Whatever view of old downtown Sarnia you seeking, Burwell can show it to you.
Born and raised in Sarnia, the 70-year-old attended Confederation Street School and SCITS. After working 30 years for cable companies he turned to collecting. A stamp dealer since 1968, he began collecting post cards in 1989. His Sarnia collection now numbers over 2,500.
Want to know what Centennial Park looked like in the Old Days? The sprawling industrial works of The Sarnia-Cleveland Saw Mill once stood here when Sarnia Bay was filled with thousands of logs waiting to be planed. Later, the Sifto Salt works mined the vast salt caverns beneath the ground.
In winter, Sarnia Bay filled with iceboats, and you can see people and dozens of boats come back to life in one of Dave’s cards.
There are scores of old river vessels, from wooden schooners, tugs and ferry boats to massive iron pig boats and strange-looking steamers, together with the familiar Hiawatha and Tashmoo, for those familiar with our maritime history.
Stroll the downtown streets with Burwell’s post cards, past the Northern Hotel and the old Town Hall, on the east side of Christina Street. Then cross the road, teeming with horse-drawn carriages and vintage motorcars, to drop in at the old post office at Davis Street. A little farther south, you’ll see the rounded dome of the vanished Carnegie Library in Victoria Park, formerly Market Square.
The Sarnia to Port Huron railroad tunnel, once one of the engineering marvels of the age, is included, as are early shots of Imperial Oil, the Goodison Thresher Company, the Polymer building, and the Old Jail at Durand and Christina where miscreant were hung for their crimes.
The grand beach resorts; Grandview, Lake Huron Park with its popular dance pavilion, and Wees Beach are all lovingly captured.
Burwell, a member of the Sarnia Historical Society, wants Sarnians to enjoy this unique stroll through time. You can see his postcards at https://www.flickr.com/photos/sarniahistoricalsociety/albums/72157663444855040
“I’m delighted that these are being displayed by the historical society, so that everyone can enjoy them rather than just having them sit in my basement,” Burwell said.
