Christine Whelan FEO, April 13, 2023, VOL. 4 ISSUE 17
Have you ever wondered about the stories behind some of these old houses in the Greater Fort Erie area? At a glance, they may only appear to be seasoned homes, some weathered, some upgraded. They are mainstays in the local landscape, silently watching the comings and goings of their community.
But if you dig a little you may find a trickle or you may find a flood of information, always historical, most often fascinating, but when it comes to our town, sometimes you will get more than you bargained for. As I’ve written in a past article, the Greater Fort Erie area, partly due to historical value and inclusion, is quite comfortable with sharing attached ghost stories, folklore, and legends to those who are open enough to be entertained. Even if the building holds a business, you will find that sometimes, whispers of paranormal activity are lightheartedly used as part of the attraction.
264 Ridge Road N., downtown Ridgeway falls right in line with this local tradition.
Historical Plaque
These days, in stepping through the front door, you will walk into a new and growing chocolate shop, Molinillo and Cacao. Reaching back as far as 144 years, the walls of this home hold two stories of two families, the Dishers and the Benners.
According to research shared by local, Ada Sherk on a plaque, the house was built circa 1879 for the Disher family. Four generations of the Disher family lived in the house until it was sold to Andrew Benner in 1926, and several generations of Benners lived there until 1983.
R.M. Disher, who wrote a book titled, Robbie, is about Ridgeway life when he was a child in the early 1900s. He writes about his grandmother, Ellen Marilla, and his grandfather, Benjamin Moore Disher, who lived in that house.
In 2004, the house received a historical designation, given by the Town of Fort Erie under the Ontario Heritage Act.
I reached out to long-time Ridgeway resident and local historian, Rick Doan, as I was sure he’d have some insights, connections, or maybe even memories.
Rick shared, “When I was a kid, the house was owned by a Benner, the late Bob Benner’s father, John. Inside, he had a machine shop and could do very fine metal machining. My father would go there and have things built.”
According to Doan, the building along the sidewalk to the left of that house was Benner’s store.
The Dishers
Rick contacted Sharon Dell, another long-time local who shared, taking us further back, “That building was Bob Disher’s grandparent’s house. He talks about it in the book, Robbie: His Village, His Love, His Life. His grandpa ran the store next door, selling tinware, pots, and pans. He also had the printing press in the back corner.”
For any history buffs who like to dig in, Sharon says there was a 1985 interview with Bob Disher done by Shelley Richer for the Fort Erie Public Library that can be found online in the library’s archives. Also, Bob Disher’s book Robbie: His Village, His Love, His Life can be found at the library. “On pages three and four, he tells about his grandfather’s store and there is a bit about the house.”
She then continued with a little twist, “Ghost Hunters” a TV reality show, “were here in Ridgeway and claimed that there is a ghost in that house. They said that there was a woman living there and would watch the comings and goings at the train station.” She was referring to the station that was once where Trailsides’ parking lot is now just two doors down from the Disher house, “There was jealousy over the pretty well-dressed women who would be coming into town. Ghost Hunters also said something about a young boy and the lake.”
The Benners
Rick then contacted Bob Benner’s daughter, Sue, who messaged back, providing insight into the second story — a love story.
“We always heard it was “the Disher house”. We believe our great-grandfather, Andrew Benner, bought it from the Dishers. Andrew lived there with his brother Jess.
“My grandfather, John, met my grandmother, Katherine while working in New York City. They married in 1926 and came back to Ridgeway on their honeymoon.
“Andrew offered that if they stayed and lived in the house with him and his brother and looked after them, they would have the house when he passed on. That’s what they did. They all lived there. Jess moved out later and when Andrew died, John and Katherine continued to live there. They had two boys, Harold and Robert. Harold left town as a young man and never returned to live there. Robert remained.”
Sue added, including her own personal touch, “I thought it was interesting that my grandmother met and married my grandfather in NYC and honeymooned in Ridgeway. She never returned to NYC after the honeymoon. They stayed to look after Andrew and Jess. I know years later, my grandmother visited family in NYC but what a honeymoon that turned out to be!
Rolling With The Story
As I was pulling this information together, I began to think, maybe I should make a final connection. Maybe I need to let Patrick Kelley, the current owner of the building and business, Molinillo and Cacao, to see if he was comfortable with a story about his property that included a little ghost story on the side.
As I mentioned, the Fort Erie area is comfortable with the idea of the paranormal possibility. When I reached out to Patrick, he was not only comfortable with the story, he was already aware of the story, he has embraced the story and is looking into a new ice cream flavour, Haunted House I Scream, chocolate ice cream to die for.
Gotta love Ridgeway!
