A Semi-Historical walk down the Main Street of Pain Court 

(also known as the Winter Line) 

by Valerie Butterfield

I gathered this information as part of an oral history project in 1978. The information is as accurate as the information given to me by the senior people I spoke with at the time.

West side of the street travelling North to South

1. DOVER HOTEL: The first owner was CALIXTE BÉCHARD son of Calixte. He was also a miller. His wife was ÉMILIE RÉAUME and she was a teacher. In March 1900, he sold the hotel to PETE TOULOUSE (I also have the name of D.D. GAGNER SR. here) and bought the Aberdeen Hotel in Chatham instead.

The hotel was a frame building at first. MR. GAGNER covered it with bricks and built an addition at the back. MR. GAGNER’S daughter MARIE-ANNE and her husband VICTOR TRAHAN took over after his death in 1934. They were the owners until 1951. 

During prohibition time (1916-1934) about 1920, two rooms were used for the Canadian Bank of Commerce. The manager was LÉON CHARLEBOIS who was transferred from Chatham because he was bilingual. It has since changed ownership many times.

2. MR. FRANCIS GOUDREAU: Also known as COMET, he was the original owner. MRS. NAPOLÉON CARON then bought the house which was sold to NORMAN GOUDREAU in May 1976 by RÉAL CARON who had inherited the house.

3. MR. GÉRARD CARON: He bought his lot from ZÉPHYR THIBODEAU in 1944 and built the house in 1945. For many years, MR. CARON operated a successful general insurance business from his home.

4. ORLEY CADOTTE: He bought the house from JOHN LACHAPELLE in August 1970 who had bought it from GORDON WATSON on Keil Drive where RADIO SHACK now stands. They moved it to the lot which was bought from Mrs. SOLOMON CARON. JOHNNY and his wife ANGÉLINE moved from there into MRS. OVILA BÉCHARD’S house (her mother) across the street in August 1970.

5. The present garage was once a restaurant and garage belonging to JIM BELLAMY.  When JOHN LACHAPELLE bought it, the post office was located at the front from 1948 to 1970. MAURICE, their son, operated the garage from 1962-1970.

6. MR. ROSZELL OF ROSZELL COLD STORAGE was the original owner. It became KING GRAIN RESEARCH CENTRE. In 1947, it was bought from ZÉPHYR THIBODEAU.

7. CHRYSOLOGUE BENOIT: Owned this home before MR. AND MRS. CYRILLE PRIMEAU. He had bought it from Mr. LOUIS ROCK in 1871. MR. BENOIT sold a part of lot 12 to CYRILLE PRIMEAU on March 9, 1907. ZEPHYR THIBODEAU bought it after MRS. C. PRIMEAU’S death in 1938. 

8. DON PEPPER

9. FRANCIS TRUDELL

10. ÉCOLE STE-CATHERINE

11. EGLISE IMMACULÉE-CONCEPTION 

12. PRESBYTÈRE (RECTORY)

13. CONVENT: (Post Office and Caisse Populaire later)

14. MR. JAMES O’ROURKE: The home belonged to MR. TOUSSAINT CAMPBELL. The house was originally located on the next lot South of the present location and was moved. After the CAMPBELL’S death, their daughter JOSEPHINE and her husband HENRI MARTIN moved in. Upon the MARTIN’S death, the property was inherited by SÉVILLE their son. MR. JAMES O’ROURKE bought this home in 1972.

15. BANK OF MONTREAL: It was originally a grocery store owned by EDMOND CHEFF (MR. ZÉPHYR CHEFF’S son) and operated by MR. RICHARD RÉAUME. They lived upstairs which was later renovated into 2 apartments. After the closure of the grocery store, MR. HONORÉ LOZON repaired shoes in that location. His wife was CORDÉLIA BARRETTE. Before the CHEFF’S operated the store, MR. RENÉ LACHARITÉ was probably the original owner.

East side of the street travelling North to South

1. GENERAL STORE: MR. D.D. GAGNER SR. bought the lot from MR. ANDRÉ MAURE. His son, D.D. JR. operated the store until his death. His son RAOUL took it over until 1951 when VICTOR TRAHAN took it over. After VICTOR died in 1975, the store was sold and is today a Chuckwagon restaurant run by MRS. MARTIN.

2. THE IMPERIAL BANK OF COMMERCE was opened in 19–. MR. VICTOR TRAHAN had this building constructed while he operated the store.

3. MR. JOSEPH L. RICHER: The lot belonged to MR. ANDRÉ MAURE. MR. JOS CHARRON bought it and built a home. MR. RÉGINALD CARON bought this home and later sold it to MR. RICHER.

4. MR. GÉRARD COUTURE: The home and lot belonged to MR. MOÏSE ST-PIERRE (Mrs. Hélène St-Pierre’s father-in -law). After his death in 1918, the place was sold to MR. MOÏSE BOURASSA. MR. LÉON CHARLEBOIS lived in this house while he worked at the bank. MRS. ZULMA BOSSY bought this house and lot when her daughter married MR. COUTURE.  

JOSEPH PINSONNEAULT owned all the land from MR. COUTURE’S home to MRS. HENRI MAURE’S lot. He divided his land among his sons ÉMILE, JOSEPHAT, DOMINAT and PHILIPPE, and his daughter ANNA. ÉMILE inherited his father’s home and lot.

5. GEORGE DEVOS

6. MR. MICHAUD
7. MRS. DÉLIA BENOIT

8. MRS. ALPHONSE PINSONNEAULT (MR. PHILIPPE’S home built in 1955.)

9. MRS. BLANCHE FOY

10. MR. WILFRED PINSONNEAULT (MR. DOMINAT’S son.)

11. MR. LIONEL ROY (MR. DOMINAT’S home.)

12. MR. JOHNNY LACHAPELLE

13. MR. RAYMOND THIBODEAU (Mr. Josephat’s home)

14. MR. RÉGNIER (the homestead which ÉMILE inherited.)

15. MR. RÉGINALD MARTIN (MR. JOSEPH PINSONNEAULT’S daughter ANNA lived there with her husband HENRI ROY.)

16. MRS. HENRI MAURE: Her home used to be a Catholic school. MR. ÉMILE GOURE bought it and converted it into a home where he raised his family. He was a blacksmith and his shop was across the present church. MR. JOS. MAURE lived there with his family. MR. HENRI MAURE moved in 1950.

17. BENOIT RESTAURANT: The restaurant used to be a Public school. MRS. HÉLÈNE ST- PIERRE attended this school. She was born in 1875.

18. MR. VICTOR TRAHAN: His father DELPHIS bought the lot from MR. PIERRE ROBERT. After his father’s death he remained there until his own death in 1975. His wife (MR. D.D. GAGNER SR.’S daughter MARIE-ANNE) still lives there.
19. MR. RAOUL MARTIN: The home was built by MRS. BENJAMIN PRIMEAU and daughter LUCY. After Miss LUCY’S death, the house was sold to REV. OSCAR MARTIN. After his death it was sold to his brother RAOUL.

20. MR. THOMAS BÉCHARD

21. Rented to MRS. LOUISE BÉCHARD. MR. FRANK PRIMEAU, LUCY’S brother built this home.

22. This old home was owned by MR. FRANÇOIS PRIMEAU who lived there with his son who worked at the store with MR. BOURDEAU.

23. AMÉDÉE EMERY: The lot belonged to MR. ALPHY CHEFF.  MRS. MARIE EMERY (AMÉDÉE’S mother) inherited the lot in 1940. In 1948, she had the home built in which she lived until her death in 1971.

24. STORE: Belonged to AMÉDÉE’S grandfather.

25. CENTRAL HOTEL:  Belonged to MR. CHEFF’S grandfather, Pain Court Creek.

26. GÉRALD CARON: Probable site of St-Joseph chapel.

27. ORVILLE ROY: MR. WILLIAM PRIMEAU lived here. He was a blacksmith apprenticed to MR. GOURE who had the shop across from the church. He built his own shop behind the house which was still there in 1933. 

28. MR. PAIEMENT: The home of MR. JULES PERROT who had the store which was bought by MRS. JULIENNE BENOIT. IRÈNE PERROT, an author, is his daughter.

29. MR. HERVÉ AND MR. ADELARD BÉCHARD
30. MR. NORMAND LACHAPELLE: CHARLES BUCK built and lived in this house until he moved to Thamesview Lodge where he died. He built it himself at the cost of $1000.00 (approximately 1938).

31. EUGÈNE BÉCHARD: (Antique Shop) It was previously the dance hall above the garage next to the Dover Hotel (GAGNER’S DANCE HALL).

This concludes our walk down this memory lane.

NOTES of interest:

1. ALEXIS BÉCHARD made caskets. He made the casket for FATHER DUPRAT.  MR. STANISLAS GERVAIS transported FATHER DUPRAT’S body from the church to the cemetery with a team of horses and wagon.

1. CALIXTE THIBODEAU’S mother, FATHER DUPRAT’S niece, had cement put on the grave.

CALIXTE was named after FATHER DUPRAT.

PAIN COURT CATHOLIC CEMETERY FOR IMMACULÉE CONCEPTION PARISH

LOCATION: 10 kilometers NW of Chatham. 

HISTORY: This cemetery is still in use.

The following was recorded in the church register by REV. JEAN THOMAS RAYNEL missionary priest of Pain Court in 1854: “On August 30, 1854 in accordance with a special authorization from MGR ARMAND FRANÇOIS MARIE DE CHARBONNEL, Bishop of Toronto, permission was granted for the construction of a church dedicated to l’Immaculée Conception de la Sainte Vierge.” FATHER PIERRE POINT, Vicar-General of the diocese blessed the foundation of the said church in place of Monsignor the Bishop who was unable to attend. 

In accordance with the same authorization from the Bishop of Toronto, JEAN-THOMAS RAYNEL, parish priest, set the limits of a cemetery near the said church. This first church was built on the same lot as that of the cemetery and blessed April 29, 1855. Prior to this there existed only a chapel dedicated to St. Joseph across the road. At some time, this church was damaged by fire and repaired then demolished

in 1911, the new church was built at its present site.

LÉOPOLD AND BLANCHE ST. PIERRE: This home was the old rectory of the church which was at that time part of the cemetery. MR. ALFRED BÉCHARD had bought it. His daughter MRS. DUVAL sold it to the St. Pierre’s after the death of her father in 1943.

1. DAN DULONG: This lot was also part of the rectory lot.

MRS. JULIENNE BENOIT: She owned the lot next to MR. DULONG which had been part of a farm. They bought the store from MR. JULES PERROT.