By Brian Goodman
While walking around the neighbourhood, I came across this plaque outside of 69 East Ave. S. I always loved the stained glass transom windows of this house. The plaque reads:
“The Robinson House 1879″
This house was built by Isaac McQuesten of Whitehern, and has been named after William Robinson, the original owner, who lived here for more than 35 years. William Robinson was co-owner and Vice President of the D. Moore Co., a Hamilton stove manu-facturer. This company imported pig iron from Scotland (there were no steel plants in Hamilton then) and fashioned it into intricate stoves for heating and cooking in a foundry on Catherine Street North.
Mr. Robinson travelled by train to promote the sale of their coal and wood stoves. He was very successful and Moore stoves were distributed from coast to coast.
