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Gravy, George
1856 - 1951
George was Woodstock's most famous, well liked, unofficial town crier. Born into slavery in the Southern US, this well-known figure for a quarter of a century was popular among Woodstock streets. In 1925, he arrived in Woodstock and appointed himself as the "City Crier". The people of Woodstock nicknamed him, George "Washington" Jones, a name he did not care for but one that stuck with him nonetheless. He would be seen dressed with a silk top hat, swallow-tailed top coat, bedecked in various medals, badges and flags, sandwich board and a megaphone. George would parade up and down Dundas Street advertising hockey and baseball games, and local events. Many local merchants hired George to advertise their products and services. Failing eyesight forced him to retire. His megaphone is now an artifact in the Woodstock Museum. George died at the House of Refuge, and his friends arranged a proper funeral. He is buried in the Baptist Cemetery, on Vansittart Street in Woodstock. The late Percy Canfield took up a collection and erected a headstone that read "George Jones, 1856-1951, Town Crier".
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