Recently, my friend and colleague Kyle Reid sent me two perfect photographs of Dugald McNaughton and his wife Margaret McKerrall McNaughton and I would dearly enjoy telling you about them.

The McNaughtons were the original proprietors of McNaughton’s Tavern which was also known as McNaughton’s Hotel.

Dugald was born in Scotland in 1814 and arrived in Chatham at some point during the latter 1840s.

His tavern, during its first four decades of existence, was (is) located at the northeast corner of The Dover-Chatham Town Line and Head Street. These thoroughfares are now known as St. Clair Street and Grand Avenue East. The hotel fronted on St Clair Street.

The inn had the general appearance of a two- and one-half storey house and was not overly different from any private home in the neighbourhood.

To distinguish it as a commercial enterprise there probably would have been a wooden plaque of some description affixed above or beside the main entry door.

My information on Margaret McNaughton is sketchy; I know that she was born on Feb. 11, 1827, but I am not sure where.

Her father was Donald McKerrall which was a........

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