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Welcome to Wheels Gone Bye. I am a retired educator who lives in Perth, Ontario. For most of my life I've been a collector with an interest in everything from old signs to tin toys. These days I collect bits and pieces of what I call “little history” - glimpses of the past discovered in the everyday lives of ordinary people - garage operators, hardware store owners, factory workers and mailmen. It’s not the stuff of which legends are made, but I believe it’s the stuff of which history is made. John McKenty
COMING THIS FALL!
The Life & Times of Joe Perkins
1908 - 1990
From the time he arrived until the day he died, Joe Perkins was a formidable figure in the town of Perth. From an office atop his car dealership, Joe put together a business empire that both amazed and confounded his contemporaries. Part showman. Part salesman. Was Joe Perkins a visionary or an opportunist? The people of Perth could never decide. No matter one's opinion, however, this much was true: in a town where time moves slowly, Joe Perkins was moving far faster than those around him. The fascinating story of one man's attempt to drag his hometown into the 20th century.
"Too often we're mesmerized by the comings and goings of so-called 'celebities.' The genius of John McKenty is to help us see how our local citizens make our lives not just interesting, but more meaningful...." The Probian, October 2012
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Square Deal Garage: Sixty Years of Service to the Motoring Public follows the early days of the motor car in Perth and the stories of those who sold and serviced it. A trip down the streets of Perth's colourful past, one meets a host of characters, including the one-armed mechanic who kept a bear tied up behind his garage. "Readers will find a wealth of information on an era and institution that is all but missing from today's motoring landscape." Ian Gray, Perth Courier 
To many, George and Lawrence James were just smalltown store owners. Few were aware that, from behind their hardware counter, the unassuming brothers ran a mercantile empire that included a machine shop, a foundry, a Chev dealership, a Ford dealership, a couple of repair garages, a fuel oil business, various woodlots, a snow fence factory and a billboard service, not to mention the local arena. Follow the Crowd: The James Boys of Perth is their story.
During the early years of the 20th century, small towns competed to have large factories locate within their boundaries. Perth was no exception. In 1910, it gave the Winn family of Milton, ON, $20,000 to bring their shoe factory to Perth. A year later, when it was found that the Winns were "financially embarrassed" and looking to have taxpayers bail them out, all hell broke loose. The ensuing mayhem forced Perth's leading citizens to step forward and save an industry that was to be an intregal part of the Perth community for years to come.
Theirs was a bond born in nature. United by water, the early inhabitants on the north shore of Christie Lake were drawn into a community that came to transcend politics, religion and sometimes even family. Arden Blackburn’s Mail Route: The Early Days at Christie Lake follows Arden as he uses his mail route to weave a thread through the lake's unlikely mix of permanent residents and summer vacationers. Located 15 kilometres southwest of Perth, ON, Christie Lake is the third largest lake in what is known as the Tay Watershed.
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Books available in Perth at: The Book Worm 76 Foster St.
To order by mail: Send a cheque or money order for the cost of the book(s) + shipping to: John McKenty Shipping Costs: 1 book $8.00 (613) 267-7319 or john.mckenty@sympatico.ca |
