March 15, 2000. Mayor and Members of City Council, Corporation of the City of Peterborough, City Hall, 500 George Street North, Peterborough, ON K9H 3R9 Dear Re: Application for Change of Name of the Street Known as Hopkins Avenue to Elm Street from Park Street to Monaghan Road This letter is being sent to you as a request for you to change the name of Hopkins Avenue to Elm Street between Park Street and Monaghan Road. There is absolutely no intention of renaming the street west of Monaghan Road. As you are aware, this is the 150111 Anniversary of the City. History is an important dynamic in this community. In or about 1953 what was always known as Elm Street was changed to Hopkins Avenue. Property to the west of Monaghan Road had been developed over the years and there were several reasons for changing the name to Hopkins Avenue. Elm Street between Park and Monaghan was at the time known as Little Italy. It was an enclave of Italian and Irish families. There was at the time, and since the street was re-named, a lot of regret and feeling by those who lived and grew up on Elm Street between Park and Monaghan as to the change of name. Former residents of Elm Street, Murray Street, McDonnel Street and Weller Street still call it Elm Street despite the name change.
Page 2 The street has an interesting history and a lot of people who lived on the street wish to have the name changed back for a number of reasons. The basic reason is that there has to be some connection to the past in our community. Elm Street was one of the most prolific streets in the City and a lot of very prominent people were born and raised on that Street. Enclosed you will find a list of the current residents on the street whom you will have to consult as to the changing of the name for their input. Your co-operation and assistance in exploring into this matter would be much appreciated. The enclosed material might be helpful. Yours very truly, Douglas Galvin 182 McDonnel Street P.O. Box 1118 Peterborough, ON K9J 7H4 Telephone: 743-7500
(1) Mary and Leonard Campanero resided at 553 Elm Street. They had 12 children C Donato, Philip, William, Angelina, Rose, Carmella, Anthony, Lucy, Mary, Adeline, Amelia and Joseph. The property was on the south side of the street just at the bottom of the hill proceeding up to Monaghan Road. The lot was very deep extending back to Weller Street, as were a number of other lots on that side of the street. The Campaneros had a magnificent vegetable and flower garden that was the envy of the entire area. Everybody shared in those days. When people left their homes, they put a salt shaker in their pocket and were allowed to steal, but were not supposed to trample. (2) Claude Wade resided at 469 Elm Street. He was a music teacher. Claude played the fiddle professionally and entertained in the bars and pubs of Northern Ontario for many, many years. He had two sons, being Claude and Paul. (3) George and Lillian Drury resided at 533 Elm Street. They had five children, being Jim (Tex), Joan, Bob, Gary and Wayne. (4) Alfred and Mary Pepe resided at 519 Elm Street where they operated a grocery store. They had four children, being Michael who became a Mountie, Alfred, Tilley and Mary. (5) Ernie and Theresa Ferren resided at 516 Elm Street. They had 11 children C Jack, Audrey, Ken, Clarke, Joe, Anne, Peter, Bernard, Mary, Elizabeth and Faye. Ken was Registrar of Ottawa University. Peter was Director of Education for Timmins and then Director of Education for Niagara South.
Most of the road hockey games took place in front of the Ferren residence and road apples (frozen horse buns) were in abundance from the milkman and the breadman. Ferg O Connell from, I believe, Frederick Avenue joined in a road hockey game when a frozen road apple cleared out his four upper front buck teeth. He went around and shook hands with everybody on both teams and thanked them because he knew that he would now get new teeth and they would be straight. (6) Austin and Mary Doran resided at 482 Elm Street. They had seven children C Jack, Theresa, Pat, Frank, Gerard, Joe and Elmer (Red). (7) Michael and Angela Basciano resided at 549 Elm Street. They had five children, being Toni, Andy, Ernie, Eric and Mike. Toni served in the Army with the Hasty Ps. He is the barber and has been active in the Legion winning many Civic and Legion awards. Andy was in the Navy and Ernie was in the Army. Mike, you may recall, was the distance runner from Peterborough. I C (8) Laura and Oscar Cromie resided at 492 Elm Street. They had eight children, being Sherman, Jean, Chuck, John, Lorne, Paul, Ben and Eileen. (9) Mike and Anne Cacavella resided at 506 Elm Street. They had 11 children C Joe, Maurice, Anthony (Tic), Freddie, Dennie, Mike, Carmen, Nina, Gracie, Theresa and Anne Marie. (10) Joe and Rita Torpey resided at 585 Elm Street. Mrs. Torpey has resided there since 1930 and still resides in her home. They had six children, being Vincent, Margaret, Lucille, Jean, Joan and Barbara. (11 The Hynes family lived at 501 Elm Street. Ed Hynes became the Deputy Fire Chief of Peterborough.
(12) The Harrington family that lived on Elm Street included a very generous man by the name of Neil Harrington, who manufactured gallopies ivories and had a reputation that went beyond the Peterborough area. (13) Clayton and Dora Frost resided at 569 Elm Street. They had three children, being Donald, Dianne and Cathy. Donald Frost, the most renowned sculptor from this area, was the one who designed the dancing figures in Peterborough Square. (14) William and Mary Murphy resided at 548 Elm Street. They had six children, being Jim, Walter, Alex, Andy, Ellen and Sam. Walter has been Peterborough Citizen of the Year and Sam Murphy, as you know, was a Provincial Court Judge and is now a Judge of the Superior Court of the Province of Ontario. (15) Rocco and Mary Grace Marrocco resided at 483 Elm Street. They had 11 children, being Andrew, Phillip, Dan, Frank, Dominic, Attilio, Mary, Judy, Anne, Lucy. As you may know, Frank Marrocco became a favourite son of the street as the Roman Catholic Bishop f6r the Diocese at Peterborough. He was responsible for the Greenhill Co-op Housing development, the first Senior Citizens Council and a lot more in this City and in the Ottawa area where he previously served. Dominic has two sons, Paul and Frank, who are now radiologists in the City. (16) Mm and Jack Roach resided at 581 Elm Street. They had six children, being Jack, Jim, Helen, Kathleen and Ted. (17) The Huards lived on the street and one of the Huard girls (the one with all the children) married a Collins. She was Bob Gainey s mother-in-law. (18) Joseph and Mary Anne Minicola resided at 517 Elm Street. Joe was a first class musician and was a Choirmaster at St. Peter s Church and at other churches in the area for about 25 years. He was the first Italian boy born in Peterborough. He played the coronet to perfection and was offered a chair with the John Philip Sousa Band. They had four children, being Jack, Marcelle (you would know
her as Sally Rowatt, the greater golfer), Marie and Paul. Paul was a band leader in Peterborough for 35 years and played the tenor sax and clarinet. He was extremely well known as a musician, as a salesman for Cherneys for many years and subsequently as owner of Mincola s Furniture (talk to Paul) where Kawartha Stereo is located. (19) Joseph and Johanna Vitarelli resided at 541 Elm Street. They had seven children, being Jennie, Ned, Philip, Rose, Anthony, Donato and Louis. Ned is in the Peterborough Sports Hall of Fame for hockey, lacross and softball and Donato (Dootch) is in the Peterborough Hall of Fame for hockey, lacross and golf. Elm Street developed as part of the verandah society where everybody walked up and down the street in the evenings and had conversations with their neighbours for several blocks, who used to sit on the verandah. Everybody knew everybody and their children. It was a different time and a great neighbourhood in which to have your youth. Elm Street contained diverse religions and nationalities. Those differences did not lead to conflict, they led to tolerance and co-operation. Italian mothers who came to Canada often could not read often could not read and would turn to the Irish Protestant mothers to assist in reading important English papers. One, in particular, occurred when an Italian mother received a telegram from the Defence Department. It was an Irish Protestant mother who read to her that her son had been wounded in action. Fortunately the wounds were minor and this son returned to play a significant role in the sports history of Peterborough. Elm Street had the benefit of having empty lots on the north side of Elm Street at its westerly end. The tolerant owner permitted the many children to use those vacant lots as a playing field. The fact that a hill was located on the lots added to the many games that could be played. Baseball games were often played from time to time. The baseball would end up in the basement of the house adjoining the field. That usually did not present a problem. The baseball would be readily returned. An exception would be on a Sunday. The Protestant mother did not approve of playing baseball on
a Sunday; it was not in keeping with the Sabbath, being a day of rest. The baseball wasn t returned until Monday.