Caption on card: “Hwy 2, one mile west of Cornwall and the Roosevelt International Bridge, 20 units of modern accommodation with hot water heating, private bathrooms with tubs and showers, cross ventilation. Good swimming, fishing & boating. Open the year round. Tel. 1427-J, Owner-Management, Marion and Charles Lawn.”
~ Card published by Sterling Photos, Cornwall Ontario.
Charles Lawn died in July 2009 at age 88. A successful entrepreneur, Charles Lawn also brought the A&W Restaurant and the first Kentucky Fried Chicken franchise to Cornwall.
The Riverdale Motel and Cabins were sold to the MacDonald’s and the address eventually became 1504 Second Street West. The owners lived in a brick house at 1510 Second Street West which still exists today. There were five beautiful large trees on the property which shaded seven cabins. The cabins came down in the late 1970s as did the trees. The motel was demolished in the late 1980s or early 90s. Riverdale was part of Cornwall Township but today it is part of the city.
~ Lily Worrall Collection