Culverhouse Canning Factory

The Port Dover Canning Factory was built in early 1912 and served the community for many years. At one time it was Port Dover's biggest employer with over 250 employees and often employed high school students, especially years that reaped a bigger harvest than usual. An article states 'From June to December the company has almost a continuous pack of peas, potatoes, berries, onions, sweet potatoes, corn, tomatoes, pumpkins and pears. On average a season would yield 50-75 railway cars full of cans produced by the company and an addition 25 transport trucks full. There are also many local stories of people losing fingers or parts of fingers while using the corn husking machine. The factory had a loud steam whistle that would go off to signify lunch time and many of the town locals would take their lunches then as well. My grandfather was the foreman for the building for many years and actually painted the entire building white with a coworker. 

Times changed during the 70's and canning factories were becoming obsolete. My grandfather went door to door in town trying to signify the importance of keeping the factory going, despite this very few people in town wanted anything to do with it and the plant was eventually closed in the late 1970's. The following years the property would be purchased by Gambles Ship Yard Company which was essentially a huge junkyard and eye sore for the town, discarded vehicles, old boats, various items of scrap would adorn the property while the factory itself basically just feel down on it's own over the years of neglected as the new owners actually had no interested in the building itself. The main buildings fell down in the 1990's-2000's and I was obsessed with this place as a child wondering what would be inside this place that I heard so much about. 

Well fast forward to Summer of 2019 I find myself driving by I noticed work being done to the property numerous piles of scrap being removed and the little side entry I had heard about from my grandfather years ago suddenly because visible again after years of trees and junk being piled up around it, I thought to myself this must be the opportunity now thinking because my grandfather has since passed, it was perhaps his way of keeping the story of this place alive for more years to come. I get up to the door it's nailed shut and not only that I get seen by a few works who tell me to ‘get the f#@$ out of there’. Fair enough, I tried to put the thought of exploring this place on the back burner but find out days later it is to be demolished in the fall. This definitely sends me into over drive and I know now that I must get in there some how. 

A few days after monitoring the workers hours, seeing more machinery moved various openings start showing themselves and I set a date to go with my exploring companion, at the time I had several stitches in my knee from a century manor mishap so I knew I needed some there with me just incase. The day came and I walked right up to the building and in I went. For me, it was one of the most special explores in my life my childhood dreams came true to finally see inside this building that is a local legend in a way. Despite the building obviously being used for more scrap, etc there were some small reminders of what this place was an old stove that I had heard about my grandfather having to go down at midnight some nights in the winter to make sure there was enough would to burn until the morning shift came in welcomed me  almost instantly. Many of the original beams had test stencils done on them that would have been used for the old shipping crates, many workers had signed there names and dates on the walls as well which I thought was just too cool! I got a couple good explores in and then caught the demolition as well in September 2019.

Additional History: The building you see in these pictures is actually the wearhouse and was actually built prior to other parts of the factory and served as a storage wearhouse for the vinegar works and distillery that occupied the land before the canning factory was built so this was quite an old building dating back to 1874ish but was slightly renovated in 1912. When the factory closed CN also made the decision to rip up the railway that once served the factory and in 1988 all railway tracks from Port Dover to Simcoe removed because of this. Shortly after Ivey's Greenhouses also closed and was demolished and so Port Dover was left with no industries aside from fishing. Strange how the loss of one building can cause a ripple effect on a small town, the town itself never really recovered and generally is a retirement community now or most residents commute to their jobs in the cities now.

Sorry for the long drawn out sappy back story! Hope you enjoy the explore.