DRESDEN BAKERY: A FAMILY AFFAIR

One of the most exciting aspects of my DRESDEN LIFE REMEMBERED book signing on Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009, was the fact that it was held at Burns Family Restaurant in Dresden, the location of a bakery operated by my grandfather more than 100 years ago.

Thanks to some kind Dresden contributors, I am in possession of a most remarkable photograph (shown above) of the bakery founded by a Mr. (first name unknown) Baxter in the late 1870s. Elsewhere on this site I have published a photograph of the bakery when it was owned by grandfather Nelson Perry, circa 1907. But this latest photo goes back a good 30 years beyond that and is of remarkable quality and clarity.

The new/old photo clearly shows Mr. Baxter standing outside his bakery with members of his family and two horse-drawn buggies and their drivers who delivered bread throughout the community. Some 60 years later I would accompany Tom Eglin for a few blocks each day as he delivered bread from the same bakery, still by horse and buggy. When his route was completed, Tom's grandson Larry Medd and I would often help feed and water the horse in a barn behind the bakery.

It is interesting to note that in a century and a quarter, only three families were involved in the bakery business at that location -- Baxter, Perry and Burns. The land, just north of the Sydenham River, was purchased by Baxter from The Crown for the purpose of establishing a bakery. Baxter built the bakery and ran the business until 1903 when he sold it to my grandfather who was previously, oddly enough, a Brigden area butcher.

With sons Archie, George and Bill taking an active role in the bakeshop operation, the Perrys built on the solid customer base established during the Baxter years. As was the case with the Baxters, the Perry family lived in an apartment above the bakery. When his sons moved on to other business interests, Nelson opted for retirement and sold the bakery to Peter Burns in 1923.

The eldest Perry daughter, Della, meantime married a young apprentice baker from Oil Springs by the name of Harry Dunlop and together they established Dunlop Bakery which served not only the town of Oil Springs but the neighboring communities of Wyoming, Petrolia and Sarnia as well. Typically, Dunlop sons Mac, Nelson and Stewart took early interests in the business and eventually established associate shops in both Petrolia and Sarnia, specializing in cakes and pastries. My aunt Della ran an ice cream parlor in conjunction with the bakery in Oil Springs.

A major change in Burns Bakery came in 1938 when the old coal-fired ovens were replaced by modern gas ovens that provided necessary even temperatures for hundreds of loaves of bread a day. With sons Ford and Jimmy playing leading roles, Burns Bakery quickly expanded into buns and roles of various types and pies that attracted customers from all over Southwestern Ontario and south of the border.

The only school in Dresden in those days was located across the street from the bakery and at least four generations of students patronized the front shop during recesses and after school for their daily fix of bakery delectibles. My personal favorite was a mouth-watering, finger-licking good sweet bun with vanilla icing that was generally still warm when you bought it for a break-the-bank sum of five cents. The store also carried a wide variety of candy, including addictive licorice pipes and cigars and jaw-breaking black balls that changed colour as you sucked them...Those were the days!

When Ford and Jimmy Burns retired in 1982 they sold the business to Ron Oliver. The bakery was eventually phased out and in recent years the location became a popular family restaurant, retaining the name "Burns" due primarily to its familiarity in the community. Rob and Erin Burnett purchased the business several years ago and have developed a full menu of fine home-cooked style meals.

Now, on with the rest of the story.  Hope you have an hour or two to spare.