David Alanson Jones The people of Beeton are justly very proud of their park. It is a beautiful property, beautifully kept, and residents of the village take sufficient pride in it to contribute time and energy to maintaining it in fine condition. With so much local interest and effort invested in its maintenance, the possibility of litter and abuse marring its appearance is very unlikely with the result that Beeton park is always a credit to the village. An interest in the Beeton park is the memorial plaque to David Alanson Jones, the man whose life history and business accomplishments read almost as a fairy tale of a century ago. David Alanson Jones, born in Whitchurch Township in 1835, came to the village now called Beeton in 1864 with his brother, where they started a general store at the northwest corner of Main and Centre Streets. Later, the brother moved to Brantford and D.A. Jones continued with the Beeton store, in the village then called Clarkesville, and he soon added to his responsibilities those of bee-keeping. His apiary business expanded very rapidly under the name D.A. Jones Limited, and a factory was built to manufacture various kinds of bee supplies and also sashes and doors. This factory was a year-round operation, giving employment to several men. He located apiaries in the township and by 1885 he harvested 20 tons of honey and had gained for himself the name "Bee King of Canada." And his bee business continued to expand and he travelled to the far east, studying bee cultures and began shipping to many parts of the world, and people came from distant points to study his methods. His great success in the business brought publicity to the village which gained the name of Bee Town, and then Beeton. As if general store and the management of a world famous business were not sufficient for one man, the energetic Mr. Jones joined the publishing business, publishing the Beeton World and two trade journals, The Canadian Bee Journal and The Canadian Poultry Journal. Like many villages of that time, fire played a role in the enterprises of Mr. Jones. He had a vineyard west of the store on Main street, with a close board fence enclosing it, and when his store was destroyed by fire this too went up in flames. Mr. Jones not only rebuilt his store but built stores along Main Street, with dwelling space above. Six stores were built and he completed his improvements int his area by planting the shade trees along Centre Street which today stand as beautiful monument to his memory. Not content with developing Beeton, this amazing man worked for the government and conducted exploring parties into the far north, to Hudson Bay and Baffin Land. A Presbyterian in religion, Mr. Jones contributed much to the building of the Beeton Presbyterian Church, and he gave the land on which he CNR station stands. The settlement was first known as Clarkesville, names for Robert-Clark, the first settler, and then as Tecumseth, but upon reviewing the tremendous contribution of D.A. Jones to the village, the name Beeton appears to be the one which is most becoming.
