Category Archives: Uncategorized

Fort William Historical Park

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August 10, 2024

The fur trade was using the Kaministiquia River as early as 1681 when the French were trading with the Ojibwe. The river became an important trade route that lasted until the 1820s. In 1776 a group of fur traders from Montreal decided to join together to reduce competition among themselves and in 1779 they formed the North West Company (NWC). They entered into direct competition with the Hudson Bay Company for the North American fur trade with the indigenous peoples. In 1803 they build a trading fort at the mouth of the Kaministiquia River. The fort was named Fort William in 1807 after the Chief Superintendent of the North West Company who was named William McGillivroy.

I had the opportunity to visit the recreated fort while on a business trip to Thunder Bay. The image below shows the trail from the visitor centre to the Fort William Historical Park which is about an 8 minute walk.

The fort became a major transshipment point for the furs that the indigenous people collected and traded with the NWC. There was an annual rendezvous that occurred at the fort in the end of July and start of August. Furs were brought from the interior and traded at the fort. They would be shipped to Montreal and then off to Europe. The NWC needed a central meeting place because there wasn’t enough time for the furs to be taken all the way to Montreal and then make the trip back before the rivers would freeze for the winter. When you visit Fort William Historical Park you will find a small Indigenous camp outside the fort.

The NWC had good relationships with the indigenous peoples and although they chose to camp outside of the fort, there were plenty of opportunities to interact with the traders. The relationships were friendly and many inter-racial marriages took place. The image below shows the entrance to the fort from the river.

An incident on June 19, 1816 near modern day Winnipeg became known as the Seven Oaks Incident. This stemmed from a proclamation of the Hudson Bay Company in January 1814 that prohibited the export of pemmican from the colony for the next year. Pemmican was the main food of the fur traders as it could be transported easily. This proclamation was seen as an attempt to control the fur trade. Tensions rose and by 1816 they were at the breaking point. When things came to a head on June 19th a gun battle occurred that left 21 dead on the side of the Hudson Bay Company and 1 on the North West Company side.

The result was the occupation of Fort William by Lord Selkirk of the Hudson Bay Company for about 10 months between 1816-1817. By 1821 the North West Company was in financial troubles and the two companies agreed to a merger under the name of the Hudson Bay Company.

The fur trade then took on the routes of the Hudson Bay company and Fort William lost its significance. By 1883 it was closed. The image below shows the inside of the fur storage building complete with its 60 pound bundles of furs awaiting shipment to Montreal.

The site of the original fort was ideal for the Canadian Pacific Railway and its grain shipping facilities because it was accessible to the lake. The buildings of the fort were slowly demolished and replaced with railway facilities.

The last building standing was the Stone Stores building which was demolished in 1902. The image below shows the recreated building at the Fort William Historical Park.

In 1971 it was decided that the fort would be reconstructed as an historical and educational site. A location 14 kilometres upstream was chosen and the fort was meticulously rebuilt to match the original as close as possible.

When Lord Selkirk occupied the fort in 1816 he made detailed notes about every aspect of the fort, down to the size and number of windows and floorboards in each building. He measured out the number of steps between each building and what was stored in each one. His notes have survived and the details allowed for a very accurate representation of the original fort. The Naval Shed below is an example of the reconstruction.

The original goal (pronounced jail) is a dark and forbidding place with no windows where one could be put for causing the smallest disturbance.

The reconstruction includes storage buildings, accommodations, a hospital building and a couple of canoe buildings as seen earlier in this post. The image below is of the inside of the trades building where the people who maintained everything lived.

The powder storage building is one of the few stone buildings in the compound. The fort was a bustle of activity during the six weeks of Rendezvous each year but then went back to accommodating a handful of people for the remainder of the year.

Fort William Historical Park used to showcase life in 1816 when the fort was under the control of the Hudson Bay Company but has recently reverted to 1815 when it was independent. There is an entry fee but you can spend many hours here and learn a lot about the fur trade and relations with the indigenous people who made it all work. The staff role play and do an incredible job of pretending that it is 1815.

Google Maps Link: Fort William Historical Park

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Spirit Rock Conservation Area

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July 13, 2024

Alexander McNeill was born in The Corran, County Antrim, Ireland on May 10, 1842. When he was 30 he married his second cousin Hester who was recently widowed. That same year of 1872 they emigrated to Canada and settled on his brother-in laws farm in Elderslie Township. Hester and Alexander lived there until 1881 when he bought a 300 acre property just north of Wiarton. Alexander was a member of the Liberal-Conservative party and was elected to the House of Commons for the riding of Bruce North in 1882. He held this seat through the next 4 elections but his victory in the 1900 election was overturned the following year and he was never re-elected. The map below is from the 1882 county atlas and shows the McNeill property just north of Wiarton on Colpoy’s Bay.

In 1882 McNeill commissioned a mansion for himself and Hester which was designed to have 17 rooms. It was the first estate mansion to be built in Bruce County. He called the 300 acre estate and the mansion The Corran after his birthplace in Ireland. It took several years to build and Hester died in 1890 before it was complete. Alexander was left with his 16 year-old son Malcom whom he willed the estate to when he passed away.

There were three acres of gardens which included over 500 rose bushes. Alexander couldn’t maintain it and serve as an Member of Parliament in Ottawa at the same time. So, he asked an old friend Alfred Lewis to move from England with his family and become the estate manager. The historical image below shows the estate in its prime. The front entrance and steps were crossed by many famous politicians and prominent citizens over the years.

The same front steps can be seen in the image below. Lavish parties were hosted in the gardens and amongst the roses and peonies. Over 500 fruit trees were also planted on the grounds. One such party was held on July 1, 1901 when guests enjoyed violin music in the gardens.

Alfred Lewis was killed in 1931 when he was hit by a car. This was the very first hit and run accident causing a fatality to occur in the Bruce Peninsula. Alexander McNeill died on April 18, 1932 and left the property to his son Malcom, who had never married. Malcom was too generous with his newfound fortune and soon it was disappearing on him. He eventually had to sell off 20 acres of the estate to pay back taxes. When Malcom passed away in 1956 he left the house to his longtime housekeeper Sally Simmons. By the time the estate debts were settled, there was little money left and Sally closed up most of the house and lived in the kitchen. She sold the house to a man from Willowdale in 1960. Since he didn’t live in the house it was easy for vandals to access because of its secluded location. By 1964 the house was in bad shape with all the windows broken and most of the interior stripped away. Grey Sauble Conservation bought the property in 1971 but the break-ins continued until 1976 when the house burned down in a final act of vandalism.

Alexander ran a successful cattle breeding farm which raised Durham Shorthorns from England. The cattle barn is gone but the stone foundations remain a short distance from the house.

The estate was built with a beautiful view of Colpoy’s Bay and there are over 5 kilometres of trails that wind through the park, which has become known as Spirit Rock Conservation Area. The Bruce Trail passes through the estate as well as the Spirit Rock Trail. There are several great places to look out over the bay including the Spirit Rock Lookout. Because I was visiting the park for a short time before I had to go to a nearby inspection I didn’t have time to get to the lookout. Instead I headed for the spiral staircase where I was rewarded with the view in the image below.

The Spiral Staircase makes 3 turns and used 30 steps to bring you down the first steep section of the escarpment.

You are left with a mildly challenging section of trail that leads down to the Lake Huron shore. Fortunately, there is a handrail here. The footing was slippery on the morning that I visited and I was glad for the handrail. The mosquitos were famished and I was bitten about 30 times in 30 minutes.

The trail continues along the lakeshore but a lack of time and excess of mosquitos led me to decide to go back to the car. I previously hiked through this section of the Bruce Trail on a short vacation to the Bruce Peninsula in the early 1990s and enjoyed it then.

Spirit Rock Conservation Area has a $10 per day parking fee but the trails and history are well worth exploring.

Google Maps Link: Spirit Rock Conservation Area

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Fort Henry

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July 6, 2024

During the War of 1812 the British built a fort on Point Henry in Kingston with the purpose of defending the naval shipyards located near the mouth of the Cataraqui River. When this war finished in 1814 a period of infrastructure building was undertaken in response to possible future threats. One of these projects was the Rideau Canal. Due to the need to defend the canal, a new fort was built between 1832 and 1837 on the site of the earlier Fort Henry. This new fort was occupied by the British until 1870 when responsibility for self defense was passed on to the newly created Dominion of Canada. The Canadian military garrisoned here until 1891 and then the fort was abandoned for several decades during which time it fell into disrepair. In 1936 it was restored and then opened as a military museum. Fort Henry was the largest fortification west of Quebec city and cost the equivalent of $35 million dollars to complete. The image below shows the main gates, which could be closed with a set of double doors.

The upper fort, or advance battery, was initially separate from the main redoubt. It had 32-pounder guns that protected the entrance to the naval dockyards as well as Kingston Harbour. It had two lengthy buildings, one of which can be seen below, which held the Commissariat Stores. These rooms held various functions that were not required to be in the main redoubt. Today they house a restaurant and a few shops including the souvenir stand. Each room has an arched ceiling that was called a casement. These were deigned to protect the occupants from the effects of explosive cannonballs.

A dry ditch surrounds the entire fort and separated the upper and lower parts. It was designed to be difficult to cross. It was 12 metres wide and 9 metres deep with the facing made of cut stone blocks. If attackers got into the ditch they would face rifle fire from the little loopholes that lined the walls.

The main redoubt, or lower fort has only one entrance from the upper fort. It is protected by a drawbridge that could be closed if the upper fort was compromised. A date stone above the door reads “Fort Henry 1832”.

The central part of the lower fort was known as the parade square. This is where the infantry soldiers drilled and also where special events took place. The upward firing mortars were located here as well. Under the parade square were five large cisterns which held the forts water supply. This water served all the needs of the fort including a supply that was held behind a sluice gate. Occasionally the gate would be opened and water would rush through the men’s and women’s privies. This would flush the waste through a tunnel and into the Navy Bay.

There are a series of tunnels through the walls which connect the guns on the roof to the soldiers quarters which were located on the second floor. They also connected the reverse fire chambers to the rest of the fort. The lower floor of the main building contained things like the officer’s quarters, cookhouse, schoolroom and bakery.

Hidden inside the north-west and north-east walls were reverse fire chambers. Each side had three gun ports that faced the redoubt’s walls. This meant that any attacker who tried to cross the dry ditch or scale the walls would face fire from 18-pounder cannonades.

The cookhouse, along with the bakery, was set up to ensure that the soldiers could continue to be fed in the case of a siege. Each solder had a daily ration of about 1.5 pounds of bread, 1 pound of potatoes and 3/4 pound of meat. They also got rations of coffee, tea, sugar and beer or wine. A beef stew was the main meal that was prepared and unmarried soldiers took turns being the company’s cook. They took on a week’s duty but were often lacking in cooking skills and didn’t prepare the best of meals.

The balcony rooms on the second floor of the north wall originally housed the soldiers quarters but have been converted to display museum exhibits. These detail various parts of Fort Henry’s history including weapons that were typical of the British military of the period.

The Commandant’s quarters have been furnished to illustrate how the Captain who was responsible for running the daily operations of the fort lived. Their quarters also served as their office and a lot of paperwork was required. Important documents were tied in “red tape” and sent by military courier to headquarters in Quebec or on to England.

The museum exhibit that shows the weapons used over the decades is particularly interesting for anyone who is interested in the evolution of the methods of killing opposing soldiers.

There are four sets of garrison cells that were used for punishment of soldiers. The most common offence was drunkenness. Soldiers could be locked up in these tiny cells which barely had enough room for them to lay down. Punishment might simply be confinement with short breaks for fresh air or it might also include hard labour. This would entail extra cleaning duties or possibly breaking rocks.

Fort Henry never saw active fighting during a war but was used as an internment camp during the rebellions of 1837-1838 as well as both World Wars. Shortly after the building was completed rebellions happened in both Upper and Lower Canada. A number of rebels in Upper Canada, including John Montgomery who owned the tavern where they met, were arrested and found guilty of treason. They were sent to Fort Henry to await their sentencing, either death or exile. Montgomery and 14 others were made aware by a sympathizer of the tunnels that led through the walls to the reverse fire chambers. After removing the mortar between some of the stones in a sealed up doorway, the 15 men made their escape on the night of July 29, 1838. In the darkness Montgomery fell into the drop ditch and broke his leg but was able to get away. Two prisoners were recaptured but the other 13 made their way along the river toward Gananoque and stole boats with which they rowed across the river to the United States. When amnesty was declared in 1843 Montgomery and several others returned to Upper Canada. You can read more about the rebellions in our story on William Lyon Mackenzie.

Four Martello Towers were built in Kingston, two of which can be seen from Fort Henry. In addition, two tall, thin towers were built on the ends of the dry ditches. These towers were added between 1842 and 1848. The towers were built within sight of each other so that they could pass signals between them. The pointed roof could be removed quickly providing access to a cannon that could swivel giving it a 360 degree range. The image below shows the dry ditch tower on the Navy Bay side of the fort.

Fort Henry is a National Historic Site and has served as a museum since August 1, 1938. It is well worth a visit if you are in the Kingston area.

Related Stories: Fort York, William Lyon Mackenzie

Google Maps Link: Fort Henry

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Kincardine Lighthouse

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June 29, 2024

It was the spring of 1848 when Captain Alexander M MacGregor took shelter at the mouth of the Penetangor River in his schooner named The Fly. It wasn’t a very sheltered spot but it soon became settled and the population grew. A thriving fishing industry developed and soon local salt was being shipped out of the harbour as well. A pier was built and in 1874 a square lighthouse was constructed on the end of it. The image below is taken from online and shows the original lighthouse on the pier. I spent two nights in Kincardine while doing some work in Tiverton and had the chance to explore the harbour area after enjoying a nice meal at The Bruce.

In 1880 a new lighthouse was built into the embankment a little further inland. A two-storey home was built as a base and this is where the lighthouse keeper lived. The octagonal tower that rose above the base stands 24.4 metres (74 feet) tall.

The job of the lighthouse keeper was to ensure that the lantern was kept lit. He had to climb up the 69 steps carrying kerosene and wind the mechanism to keep it running. In 1910 a twelve sided, Fourth Order Fresnel lense was installed which was visible for 30 kilometres. Then, in 1922 the kerosene lantern and foghorn were replaced with electric power. This made the job of the lighthouse keeper much easier. Finally, it was automated in 1970. Today the lighthouse serves as a marine museum.

The salt industry in Kincardine was a significant in the late 18th century and a driving force for the building of the lighthouse. The image below from the Bruce County Museum shows Rightmeyer’s Salt Block on the left with the lighthouse showing in the background. Levi Rightmeyer built his salt industry in 1871 and it was the third in the community. He evaporated brine to make salt which he sold to pork packing industries in Chicago and Milwaukee. The salt blocks slowly closed with Rightmeyer’s being the last one. It closed around 1900 and the buildings were later destroyed by fire. The site is now home to the tennis courts and children’s playground.

As the fishing and salt industries declined the harbour shifted from industry to recreation and is now used as a marina for personal pleasure craft. There are slips for 150 boats in the marina.

The piers in Kincardine are over 150 years old and have recently undergone restoration. The south pier is used for swimming from with people jumping in the water as I was walking around taking pictures for this post.

Some people will be asking themselves what Kincardine has to do with the GTA. Well, the trail that runs along the shore of Lake Huron is part of the Great Lakes Waterfront Trail and you can walk here from Toronto. The trail is over 3600 kilometres long and runs along four Great Lakes. It connects 170 communities, villages and First Nations and passes through 520 waterfront parks. One of which is in Kincardine. As you can see from the trail map below, it would take quite some time to complete the walk from Toronto to Kincardine.

The trail along the waterfront has been planted with many gardens and flowers. There’s an extensive area of milkweed which was attracting many Monarch Butterflies. They were a little shy and wouldn’t sit still to get their picture taken.

The boardwalk has been engraved with many names, some of whom are listed in memory of those who have passed before us.

There are sandy beaches on both sides of the marina but I was only able to explore the north beach because it rained on the second night of my visit. The south beach has historic plaques and attractions which will have to wait for another visit.

Kincardine has an extensive and growing network of trails. After visiting the lighthouse, marina and northern beach I took the trail that follows the river and ended up at Queens Lookout Park on Queen Street.

For those wishing to explore Kincardine there are many historic buildings and museums to visit. There is also a set of trail maps that can be found at www.kincardinetrails.net

Google Maps link: Kincardine Lighthouse

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Toogood Pond Park

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May 4, 2024

When millwright Ira White arrived at the north end of what would become Unionville in 1839 he recognized the east half of lot 13 in the 5th concession to be an ideal site to harness the water power of Bruce Creek.  He built a sawmill first and then set about cutting the wood for the grist mill he built where the creek crosses Main Street in Unionville. He built a dam across the creek to create a mill pond to provide consistent water flow to power the wheels that operated his grist and saw mills. Originally it was known as The Pond and later as Willow Lake. The mill continued to operate under water power from the pond until the dam was washed away in a flood in 1930. The mill stood for another four years until it was destroyed by a fire in 1934. The image below shows Willow Lake as it appeared in the 1877 County Atlas.

The mill was never rebuilt and the property that the mill pond stood on was sold in 1939 to a family named Toogood who had just moved from Alberta. The pond was used as a swimming hole for the local children and in 1953 the Unionville Swimming Club was established to provide supervised swimming for the children to increase safety. The Red Cross also started to provide swimming lessons. Today, you can no longer swim in the pond.

The 33.3 hectare site was acquired by the City of Markham in 1980 and became known as Toogood Park. The park is a common place to go fishing in the hopes of catching largemouth bass, carp, pumpkinseed, brown, black or yellow bullhead and creek chub.

Water flows over the spillway on the dam as well as through a small channel on the side which acts as a fish ladder allowing fish to navigate around the dam. The image below shows Bruce Creek as it flows away from the dam and into the former village of Unionville.

For many years it was common practice to go skating on the pond in the winter. In 2015 the city banned this for safety reasons. By November of 2016 it was announced that users could skate on the pond at their own risk.

A boardwalk carries the trail along the northern end of the pond through a wetland of bullrushes.

Bruce’s Creek flows south from Bruce’s Mill and makes its way towards Unionville. This image shows the watercourse on the south side of the boardwalk as it makes its way into Toogood Pond.

Looking upstream from the boardwalk the scenery is very beautiful on this sunny spring afternoon with the leaves really starting to come out.

The trail around Toogood Pond is less that 1.5 kilometers and can be done in under half an hour at a leisurely pace. If you’re lucky you might spot some turtles sunning themselves on partially submerged logs in the pond.

Toogood Pond Park is a great place to for a walk, try you luck at fishing or just to relax and unwind. Free parking can be found off main street in Unionville at Toogood Pond Park road and also on Carlton Road at Pomander Road.


Associated Blogs: Unionville, Bruce’s Mill

Google Maps link: Toogood Pond

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Our Favourite Hikes

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April 27, 2024

We started our blog with our initial post on April 27, 2014, Since then we’ve done a few “greatest hits” type posts where we featured the stories that have had the most reads. To celebrate our tenth anniversary we’re looking at some of the hikes that were the most fun for us. The places that were the most enjoyable and had the most interesting artifacts or histories. With over 600 posts its hard to choose the most enjoyable ones but the fifteen listed below represent some of our most loved ones. These are presented in no particular order. Click on the title of the article in each box and it will take you to the story. Links to the locations will be at the end of each story.

Riverwood

This large park in Mississauga had so much history from the estate and farms that we ended up splitting it into three posts.

Riverwood Part 1 – The Bird Property (Mississauga)
Riverwood Part 2 – Riverwood Estate (Mississauga)
Riverwood Part 3 – Zaichuk Property (Mississauga)

The Bell Fountain – Belfountain

The park in Belfountain was created as one man’s dream and has a man made waterfall, swing bridge and many other interesting artifacts to explore.

The Bell Fountain – Belfountain

The Caledon Aerial Tramway – Cox Property

This exploration was based on looking for evidence of an aerial tramway that used to carry quarried rock across the ravine.

The Caledon Aerial Tramway – The Cox Property

Kelso’s Kilns

While looking for two old lime kilns near Kelso we also found the remains of another kiln location.

Kelso’s Kilns

UTM Nature Trail

This nature trail explores the old estate that now forms the campus for the University of Toronto Mississauga Campus and includes a man made pond and stone bridge.

UTM Nature Trail

Milton Mill Pond

There’s lots of interesting things to find as you loop around the old mill pond in Milton.

Milton Mill Pond

Scotsdale Farm

This park in Halton includes a Bruce Trail side trail as well as several other trails and historic buildings.

Scotsdale Farm

Elora Gorge

The scenic gorge in Elora is also home to the refurbished Elora Mill and makes for a great hike.

Elora Gorge

The Hole In The Wall

Near Limehouse the Bruce Trail passes through this karst formation and makes for an interesting and mildly challenging hike.

Hole In The Wall

Limehouse

The history of the lime industry is on display in the conservation area in Limehouse.

Limehouse

Felker’s Falls

One of several waterfalls that we have explored in the Hamilton Area. They say that Hamilton has 100 waterfalls as all of the rainwater that falls on top of the escarpment makes its way to Lake Ontario.

Felker’s Falls

The Devil’s Punch Bowl

Exploring the upper and lower Punch Bowl Falls makes for an interesting and challenging hike.

The Devil’s Punch Bowl

Albion Falls

This exploration was done when it was still possible to get to the bottom of the falls. It has now been closed to the public due to the large number of rescues that had to be made of people who got injured down there.

Albion Falls

The Barber Dynamo – Georgetown

This is a challenging trail that leads to one of the truly unique places in the GTA where electricity was generated to run the Georgetown Paper Mills.

The Barber Dynamo – Georgetown

Abandoned Passmore Avenue

Passmore Avenue runs just south of Steeles Avenue through Scarborough and has several sections that have been closed to traffic.

Abandoned Passmore Avenue

There are many other places that we thoroughly enjoyed exploring but there’s no room to list them all. By going to our main page at http://www.hikingthegta.com you can use the search feature to look for specific topics such as waterfalls, the Bruce Trail or ghost towns. You can also look for places in a specific town or area near you. Enjoy, and thanks for this first decade of reading our posts.

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Enoch Turner Schoolhouse

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April 6, 2024

The oldest standing schoolhouse in Toronto was built in 1848 just five years after York changed its name to Toronto and became a city. The population of the city stood at about 25,000 and some of the poorest people lived in the St. Lawrence Ward which is seen in the map below. This image is taken from the 1884 Goads Fire Insurance Map of Toronto. Trinity School, as it was then known, is circled in green. Also featured in this story are the East Toronto Brewery (blue) and Little Trinity Church (orange).

Enoch Turner was born in Stafforshire, UK in 1792 and came to York early in the 19th century. He established a brewery in the area of Parliament and Front streets which is shown as the East Toronto Brewery in the map above. There were a lot of Irish immigrants in the area that came from County Cork in Ireland and this is the basis for the name Corktown as this neighbourhood became known. In 1846 Canada passed the “Act for the better establishment and maintenance of Common Schools in Upper Canada”. Toronto was unwilling to introduce a tax to support schools and so all schools that benefitted from public support were closed for a year following this. These were hard times for the poor in Toronto and Enoch Turner had a heart to educate the children in the area surrounding his brewery. He provided funding to build a school on land provided by Little Trinity Church.

It is thought that the school was designed in the Gothic Style at the same time as Little Trinity Church by local architect Henry Bowyer Lane. This architect also designed City Hall and St. Lawrence Market. When the school opened in 1849 there were 240 students and Enoch paid all expenses to operate it for 3 years. At the time it was known as Ward Street School. Thus it became the first free school in Toronto and spurred the development of a free school system in the province. When it was taken over by the Toronto Board of Education in 1851 it was renamed Trinity Street School.

The school only operated until 1859 when students were moved to the Palace Street School which we described in our post Canary Restaurant. The building was then turned over to Little Trinity Church who used it as a Sunday School and Parish Hall.

The side door features four highly ornate hinges, knocker and latch.

The addition on the west end of the building was completed in 1869. A second addition on the south side of the building was made in 1910. The building was used as a recruitment centre in 1899 for the Boer War. A soup kitchen was operated out of the structure during the Great Depression in the 1930s where meals were served to 1500 people each week. It was also used as a base for servicemen during both World Wars.

A fire broke out in Little Trinity Church in 1961 and the church was used as a meeting hall while repairs were made. Following this, the building fell into disrepair and was threatened with demolition.

On October 8, 1970 the Enoch Turner Schoolhouse Foundation was established to try and save the building. Extensive renovations were completed and in 1972 it was opened as a museum. In 2008 the building was turned over to the Ontario Heritage Trust. Part of the Little Trinity Church can be seen to the left in the picture below. The story of that building can be found in our post Gooderham Architecture.

The building has stood for over 175 years and can be rented for weddings and private events. More importantly it stands as a testament to one man’s vision for free education for the poor children in his community.

Related stories: Gooderham Architecture, One Room Schools, Canary Restaurant

Google Maps Link: Enoch Turner Schoolhouse

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Somerset House Hotel

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February 10, 2024

The Somerset House Hotel was built on the south west corner of Church and Carlton Streets in 1895. It served as a hotel for 35 years until the building was sold. The hotel was renovated in 1930 by the architectural firm of Langley and Howland and was converted into a Bank of Commerce. In 1961 the largest merger in Canadian banking history took place and the Imperial Bank of Canada and the Bank of Commerce joined to become the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce. The CIBC branch at 436 Church Street lasted until a few years ago when it was closed and the structure’s future was in question. The building now houses a Pi Co pizza restaurant and bar. On March 15, 1974 the building was listed on the City of Toronto’s register of historic buildings.

The building was designed by Frederick Henry Herbert who lived from 1866 to 1914. He was born in Bath, England and landed in Toronto in 1887. He first apprenticed with Richard Ough but in January 1889 he set up his own firm. Herbert was responsible for many of the homes of the wealthy in Toronto over the next two decades. He made extensive use of the Queen Anne architectural style as well as the Richardsonian Romanesque. Herbert is credited with designing over 75 houses, 19 commercial buildings, 6 institutional buildings including the 3 story addition to Osgood Hall, and 24 industrial buildings during his career.

The Richardsonian Romanesque style models itself on ancient Roman architecture and Medieval structures. It makes use of solid masonry stonework and bricks. Windows and doors are wide round arches which are semi-circular and standing on columns. Windows are usually recessed into the masonry. The doorways are arched and set on the top of small columns. The Somerset House Hotel has a detailed doorway with carvings above and the name set into the lintel of the second story window.

There are many other Richardsonian Romanesque buildings remaining in the city and one of our favourites is close by at 504 Jarvis Street. That mansion can be seen in our post The Mansions of Jarvis Street. It was built in 1889 for George H. Gooderham of Gooderham and Worts whose family built The Distillery District.

The image below shows the view looking north up Church Street past the Somerset House Hotel to the former Maple Leaf Gardens.

The former Sumerset House Hotel stands across the street from Maple Leaf Gardens and the roof can be seen from the upper floor of the Gardens. I remember seeing the building many times as I went to Maple Leaf Gardens to see various concerts over the years. Rush, Triumph, Alice Cooper, Jethro Tull, Coney Hatch, Motorhead, Judas Priest, Red Rider, Payolas and Tragically Hip are just a few of the acts that brought me into the area and past the old Somerset House Hotel.

This building has so far escaped the ongoing redevelopment of the downtown core and hopefully will remain for generations to come.

Related stories: The Mansions of Jarvis Street, The Distillery District

Google Maps Link: Somerset House Hotel

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Cornwall Jail

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January 13, 2024

The old jail in Cornwall is one of the oldest surviving public buildings in the province. I had the opportunity to visit it on the same business trip that resulted in our past two stories Prescott Waterfront and Lost Villages of the St Lawrence River. This completes a trilogy of Eastern Ontario posts. 

Indigenous People had lived along the St. Lawrence River for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans. The first formally documented settlement of Europeans in the area occurred in 1784 when United Empire Loyalist moved north from Johnstown, New York following the end of the American Revolution. They founded New Johnstown which was later renamed Cornwall. The Eastern District known as Lunenburgh was established in 1788 and six years later an Act of the Legislature of Upper Canada authorized the erection of a court-house and gaol at Cornwall. That legislature was located in Newark (Niagara-On-The-Lake) beginning in 1792. A two-storey frame structure was built in 1802 and served until 1826 when it was destroyed by a fire.

It was replaced in 1833 with the central block of the structure that still stands on the site. The United Counties of Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry were established in 1850 and the building served as the court-house and gaol (jail). The jail opened in 1833 and just two years later the first escape was made. Four prisoners got out and were never found. The jail was expanded in 1869 by adding two new cell blocks. They were nicknamed “Windowless” and “Hell’s Angels Wing”. Clark Brown was incarcerated there for murdering his father and sister in their home in Winchester and he was executed at the jail in 1879. Other executions at the jail were James Slavin in 1892, John Vergryniuk in 1919, Thomas Collison in 1925 and in 1954 Peter Balcombe. Also in 1954 Henry Seguin was to be executed but committed suicide first.

The jail was modernized in 1971 with security cameras, showers, toilets and electronic locks. In 1985 a general population cell block and a female section was added. A final escape was made in 1995 but the convict was caught in less than an hour as he went to visit his dying grandfather. The jail was decommissioned in 2002 and the inmates transferred to Ottawa.

The aerial view below was taken from the information board at the jail and shows the outdoor exercise yards.

Like many jails, the Cornwall jail had its share of deaths over the decades. People died from suicide, illness, torture and violence as well as the five executions by hanging. There are still many unclaimed bodies which are buried beneath the former exercise yard. They were also buried under what is now the parking lot. During the 1985 expansion of the jail, several bodies were dug up including those of Henry Seguin and Peter Balcombe. It is estimated that there is around 100 bodies buried on the site. This has led to many claims of paranormal activity in the old building and many “ghost hunters” have come to seek evidence.

Tours of the jail are conducted during the summer months, usually between May and August. Check their website at www.historicsdgjail.com for more details and see for yourself if you feel any spirits during your visit.

Related Stories: Prescott Waterfront, Lost Villages of the St Lawrence River

Google Maps link: Cornwall Jail

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Prescott Waterfront

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December 23, 2023

A recent trip to Eastern Ontario gave me the opportunity to visit Prescott to find some lunch and take a break from driving for a hour or so. I used my time to wander along the Heritage River Trail and see some of the local history of the waterfront. Prescott was named after General Robert Prescott who was the Governor of Canada from 1796 to 1799. Col. Edward Jessup had received a large land grant for his loyalty and service during the American Revolutionary War and in 1810 laid out the streets for a new town on the side of the St. Lawrence River. Within a decade the town had grown to about 50 houses and had several businesses including stores and taverns.

Just two years later the War of 1812 broke out and part of the town was reclaimed by the Government to build Fort Wellington. It was commissioned in 1813 to guard the Galop Rapids in the St. Lawrence. Following the war it was abandoned by the British but officially remained the property of the British Board of Ordinance. It was used by the Canadian Militia until 1923 when it was handed over to the Dominion Parks Commission, which was later renamed Parks Canada. It has been a National Historic Site since 1920. This fort will be an interesting place to explore on a future visit to the area.

The population of Prescott had grown to about 1700 by 1834 and it became the site of the Battle of the Windmill during the Rebellion of 1837.

A railway was established from Prescott to Ottawa in 1854 and soon the waterfront was a hub of railway activity. A roundhouse, railway station and ferry terminal were added soon afterwards. The town became the centre of a major ferry link to the United States. The Canadian Pacific Railway continued operations at Prescott until the 1970s when things were shut down. The piers from the railway terminal are still located in the water and can be seen below and in the cover photo,

A building made of red bricks was built in 1900 by the Imperial Starch Company and it served as a lighthouse. Between 1903 and 1985 it was known as The Dominion Lighthouse Company. The building was used for the production of war materials during the Second World War and then occupied by the Coast Guard from 1962 until 1985. After the Coast Guard moved out, the building was demolished in 1986. The large lantern room housed a Fresnel Lens and the room and lens were saved from demolition. A Fresnel Lens is compact compared to a conventional lens and reduces the amount of materials used by having a series of concentric surfaces. The lens had been used to train lighthouse keepers and it was installed on top of a new tower that the Rotary Club built in 1989.

The Great Lakes Waterfront Trail runs along the St. Lawrence River as part of its 3600 kilometer span but the section through Prescott is also known as the Heritage River Trail due to all the history that is located along the route through town.

Prescott has many historic building as well as Fort Wellington and I look forward to checking out more of them during a future work trip to the area.

Google Maps Link: Prescott

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