The Heritage Corner, Springhill Record
August 15, 2007
Aug. 15, 2007 – A.J. Mason cont’d
A.J. Mason acted as vice-president for Nova Scotia and member of Executive of Canada Federation of Mayors and Municipalities being elected President in 1952-1953.
In 1949 he again ran for a seat in the Provincial Government and this time was elected for a four year term.
Mr. Mason was always interested in many different things and in 1954 he prospected for gold and other minerals in the Guysboro County area. He and his experience associates came across black sale with about 29% of alumina per ton of ore. They formed and registered a 5,000,000 share company called Canso Mining Corporation and later changed the name to Canada Alumina Corporation. The operation became uneconomical because bauxite shipped from South America contained 50% alumina.
A.J. Mason chaired the Springhill Citizens Industrial Commission which had been formed to bring in industry to take the place of the mines after the 1956 and 1958 mine disasters. He became chairman of the Springhill area Industrial Commission in 1969 and was named Man of the Year by Springhill Lions Club in 1973. There has also been a street named after him – Mason Ave.
Archibald Joseph Mason died October 12, 1974
Mrs. A.J. Mason (the former Ethel Morris) served on a number of charitable and fraternal organizations. She was honored by Queen Elizabeth 11 for dedication in the promotion and successful efforts in the training of local citizens in First Aid and Home Nursing St. John Ambulance Association Brigade of Springhill.
Ethel and A.J. had six children: Morris, Gladys, Lloyd, Evelyn, Archie and Gwendolyn.
Ethel died April 21, 1977 at the age of 87.
Morris lived in Springhill for a time and ran the Strand Theatre. The Strand was owned and operated by John Anderson. It was beside the Round Rink which had a bandstand in the middle and also ran by John Anderson. These two buildings were where Foodland is today. The Strand burned in 1935 and Morris later left Springhill. Morris died November 5, 1948 in Shanghai , China .
Gladys Ruth F. was born about 1913 in Saint John , New Brunswick . She lived in Springhill and married David Brown. They had two children: William and Shirley Ann.
Shirley Ann married Gerald Stone.
Gladys or Girlie as she was often called owned and operated the Girlie’s Shoppe on Main St . This store was in the store first built by Ben Mattinson. It was later purchased by A.B. Wilson and ran by him until his death in 1942. It is unknown who had the store, after A.B. Wilson, and before, Girlies’ Shoppe. Later the store was occupied by Jay’s Ready to Wear and was burned in the fire of 1957.
Lloyd George Mason was born in Saint John , New Brunswick , in 1917. When he finished school in 1933 he went to work with his father as assistant manager and later became manager of the Capital Theatre. He held this position for 40 years.
The Grand Theatre was on Main St. where the Anne Murray is today. It was a small building. The Capital was built on the same site and was at first a dance studio with the best dance floor around. Sumner Cooper and the Redcoats used to play there. The Capital Theatre burned in the 1975 fire.
Lloyd G. Mason was married to Margaret Merry and they had two children: Lloyd George Jr. born Nov. 14, 1947 and died in a car accident July 10, 1965 .
Brenda married Art Noiles Jr.
Later on Lloyd married to Marie Choisnet.
Lloyd George Mason died August 25, 1999 .
Evelyn Winnifred Mason was born about 1915. She married Herbert Rushton and they had two boys Simpson and Gregory.
Archie Mason Jr. married Doris Elaine Cvitkovich in 1947. Doris, the daughter of Millie Cvitkovich and Annie Cvitkovich Lustik, died at the age of 21 from Polio. Archie and Doris had two children: Cynthia Ann and Archibald Joseph 111. Archie later remarried and is now living in New Brunswick .
Gwendolyn (Gwen) Mason continues to live in Springhill and is very active with the All Saints’ Hospital Auxiliary.
