And it's not going cheap
Kevin Konkle, proprietor of Good Buy Antiques on Highway 20 at Pelham Street, has latched on to a piece of Pelham history.
Obtained from a local collector, he has the original wooden banner that adorned the Fenwick post office back in the 1940s.
“It’s been on my radar for a couple of years,” said Konkle. Through word of mouth, he discovered it was available. “I had to have it,” said the history and antiques buff.
The community of Fenwick was named back in 1853, and the post office was a fixture in town by 1862. Today, Canada Post in Fenwick operates out of the Avondale Store, on Canboro Road. But back in the day, it was a stand-alone office. With a big wooden sign out front.
Konkle said he has a friend in London, Ontario, who sent him a picture of the post office sign that used to hang in the village of Shedden, in Elgin County (“Rhubarb capitol of Ontario”), and the design is identical to the one created for Fenwick. He figures that there must have been a government office that built village signs to the same standard.
If you think that Konkle will part with his treasure for chicken feed, forget it. The price tag is $2200. Asked whether he would consider donating the sign to the Pelham Historical Society, Konkle said, “Sorry, no. I’m sure someone locally will step up and keep it in the community.”
The Society’s Collections Coordinator, Carolyn Botari, told the Voice that she was aware of the sign, but wasn’t sure whether the group would make an offer on it.
“The PHS [membership] will have to make any decisions on how to proceed.”
