Here's an excerpt from the Huron Daily Tribune published 10/1/13
Stories from our history
A group of volunteers also were hard at work rebuilding the 1904 train depot at Port Hope. The depot is scheduled to become a museum when finished.
The depot had been moved this year from its original location in town. It now sits on property that was formally the town’s sugar beet dump.
David Hunter and his older brother, Jim, were raised in the town in the 1940s and 50s. David Hunter
was at the museum site on Saturday. He gave some insights to the depot and the town in its heyday.
He said the beet business was far different than today. Farmers would bring their beets to town in pickup trucks. The truck, the beets, and all the dirt on the beets, would be weighed. The front end of the trucks were then lifted by a sling-like devise, allowing the beets to fall out the rear into a pit.
The beets would travel along a conveyer while the earth from the beets would be shaken off. That dirt
would then be put back into the farmer’s pick-up and weighed by beet personnel. This would give an
accurate weight of the load of beets.
Hunter said there was no such thing as preschool and kindergarten when he was a child. He said his first job was at the train depot when he was 4 or 5 years old. The youngster would go the depot early each morning. He would get a special bucket, carry it to the local coal yard, and fill it with coal for the depot’s pot belly stove.
After the coal was in the stove and a fire was roaring, the station supervisor, Lena Welch, would pay
him 5 cents. David said that nickel was spent wisely. He would often go to the candy store/bakery in
town and spend the entire coin on sweets and other goodies.
Read the complete article here...
The Friends
of the Port Hope Railroad Depot have been both astonished and delighted
by the number of people who have appeared each Tuesday at the building
site. We recognize and value our volunteers as they contribute to
preserving the 1904 Pere Marquette Depot. Most are individuals who are
jacks-of-all-trades who can master any of the tasks that need to be
accomplished for the day.
There
are the groups and teams who have come from out of town to help. One
team consisted of students from Olivet College. A few weeks later the
Harbor Beach Chemical Bank employees assisted in various projects.
Another valued volunteer team is the Depot Ladies Club. These friends
arrive every Tuesday noon with a delightful and hearty lunch for the
day’s volunteers.
