Yates pens book about the dark corners of Huron County's history

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

One of Huron County’s foremost historians and authors is back on shelves with his most recent, Gothic Huron, which explores the dark corners of the county’s history, telling some of the lesser known stories of the area in the Victorian period.

Gothic Huron: Heroes, Rogues, Murder, Daring, Bawdy Houses and Other Tales is on shelves now (available at The Citizen office in Blyth). He recently took the time to chat about what inspired the book and how much author David Yates enjoyed writing it. Originally, he said on Tuesday morning, he set out to write a different book and, as he conducted research, these stories from the fringes kept popping up, so he shifted his focus.

He said he was naturally drawn to the stories that come from the darker corners of the county and they seemed to be abundant in the 19th century, so, as they kept coming, he decided to put them all together. If he hadn’t already included some similar stories in his previous five books, he said, Gothic Huron likely could have been a multi-volume anthology. Having said that, he does feel like the book begs for a sequel that tells the stories of the 20th century, so that may be a project to keep an eye out for in the future.

He said that, despite his established reputation as a history columnist and author, he was surprised to find out some of the things he discovered while doing his research for the book. For example, he was astounded to read about how popular phrenology was in those days. The practice of feeling the bumps on someone’s skull to learn about them was widespread in the county at the time.

He also said there are a number of tales of murder in the story, as things were a lot different back then, from the nature of work to the lack of widespread, active law enforcement and violence, for many, was a way of life for some and a form of entertainment for others.

While he says there are some very disturbing aspects of the book, which is to be expected from a text that deals with murders and bawdy houses in Huron County (as for bawdy houses, Yates says there was a time in which every community usually had at least one - Goderich had three), there are some fascinating, lighter tales that tell the story of the region during that time just as thoroughly as the more tragic elements of the time period.

Further to the tragic murders detailed in the book, Yates said he also found himself fascinated with the culture’s obsession with death at the time. From deep mourning to regular mourning to keeping a body in a house for up to two weeks (while adorning the house with indicators to communicate that its inhabitant had died), the community marked a death with great vigor. 
For Yates, however, Gothic Huron is simply the latest installment in his work to bring voice to the region and he admits to falling in love with his community more and more with every new book he writes. 

In a way, it’s impossible not to. He researches so thoroughly and with such curiosity that he has a true fascination with the twists and turns in history that Huron County has taken and that, really, is what keeps him coming back. 

That surprise and the fact that even such a seasoned historian as Yates can be surprised at what waits around the corner is the meat and potatoes of the process for him. When he was initially approached about writing a history column for a local newspaper over 15 years ago, he said he would take it on, but wondered (internally, if not publicly) how much material there would be to draw from and how long the column would last. Now, nearly 17 years and six books later, it’s clear that there are so many stories to tell and many more that have still yet to be told.

He said that, because of his love for the area, he’s pleased to have become one of the storytellers for this part of the world, and it’s a responsibility that he doesn’t take lightly. In that time, he has written over 700 stories in one form or another and he knows there are still many left to tell.

Gothic Huron: Heroes, Rogues, Murder, Daring, Bawdy Houses and Other Tales is available for purchase at The Citizen office in Blyth.