EDITOR’S NOTE: This story has been edited to remove references by a local historian who intentionally provided false information when asked on July 21, 2026 about the history of the building.

The Independent

The home of the first business in Courtright has been torn down.

Demolition of what once was the Cathcart General Store started July 21.

The Moore Museum says the Cathcart General Store was one of the earliest merchants in Courtright, saying it opened in the 1850s.

Evan Abma, who researches the history of buildings in Lambton County says the first record of the Cathcart family owning a store in Courtright is the 1879 census and tax assessment records which lists the family as being merchants.It coincides, he says with the value of the plot of land on Main Street increasing in value.

Until 1879, the Cathcarts were listed as farmers.

It’s not clear how long the Cathcarts owned the store but residents remember the Bonnett family owning a general store in the building as well. The Masons and Order of the Eastern Star used the upstairs for sometime. The second floor was turned into apartments and for several years a gift shop was on the first floor according to current owner Diane Defoe who lives beside the former store.

Defoe and her husband purchased the building about two decades ago with plans to renovate the building, however a family illness scuttled those plans. Defoe says the building has mainly been used for storage for some time.

In April, Defoe says they recognized the building was in disrepair and hired a company to do an environmental assessment of the property so it could be demolished.

In a July 7th letter to St. Clair Township council, Defoe said it will take about two weeks to complete the job.

The building had also been damaged by a recent storm. Bricks on the north wall falling out during the July 18th storm which swept across the St. Clair River causing damage from Corunna to Courtright. Defoe says the demolition of the building had been in planned long before the storm.

The family says once the rubble has been cleaned up by Scholton Excavating, the property will become a yard to her current property and be private property.