Port Perry is a community located in Scugog, Ontario. The town is
located northeast of Toronto and just north of Oshawa. The area around Port Perry was first
surveyed as part of Reach Township by Major S. Wilmot in 1809. The first
settler in the area was Reuben Crandell, a United Empire Loyalist who built a
homestead with his wife in May 1821.
Settler Peter Perry laid out village lots on
the shore of Lake Scugog in 1848 on the site of a former native village known
as Scugog Village. The town site was named Port Perry in 1852 and its first
Postmaster was Joseph Bigelow.
The first train on the Port Whitby and Port
Perry Railway reached the terminus in Port Perry in 1872. Cargo from all over
northern Ontario was shipped via the Trent-Severn Waterway to Port Perry via
Lake Scugog, and then via the railway to Whitby, where it could be loaded onto
the Canadian Pacific or Canadian National mainlines running along the shore of
Lake Ontario, or onto ships in Port Whitby.
The village was amalgamated with Cartwright,
Reach and Scugog Townships to form the Township of Scugog in 1974 upon the
creation of the Regional Municipality of Durham.
On July 3, 1884 the entire business section of Port Perry was destroyed
by fire. The wooden buildings exploded when sparks hit them. The Ross & Sons
Grain Elevator on the waterfront, plus two other buildings were the only ones
to survive. Thirty-three commercial buildings housing nearly fifty businesses,
as well as factories, warehouses, stables, six lodges, and a dozen homes were
reduced to rubble in under an hour.
Four months later, the entire commercial sector with seventeen large
brick buildings were built.
53 Perry Street – The Burnham House is a two-story brick house that was built for John W. Burnham in 1878. The house is located on a large lot that overlooks Lake Scugog to the east. Mr. Burnham served as the local postmaster for 45 years.183-189 Queen Street – This impressive red and yellow brick building was constructed in 1885 by Jonathan Blong. He divided the building into a number of units which were leased to local shopkeepers.201-203 Queen Street – William Jones formed a partnership with John McClung when this new building was built after the fire destroyed the earlier building in 1884. Clothes, groceries, crockery, boots and shoes were sold. Charles Jones operated a dry goods store in the eastern part. In 1988 the property was purchased by Wayne and Carolyn Luke who opened the Victorian Card Shop in this section.250 Queen Street – Dr. Orr Graham, a veterinarian, had this house built in 1886. Upon his retirement in 1909, he sold his house and practice to Dr. John T. Elliot. Dr. Coates arrived in 1910. In 2010, Michael and Frank Konopaski purchased the property and operate their business Scugog Financial and Scugog Accounting Professional Corporation.302 Queen Street – Former Port Perry Town Hall – Constructed in 1873, first project of Joseph Bigelow, the first Reeve of Port Perry. Many architectural features of Italianate style, reproduction of the original bell tower.Queen Street – Gothic Revival – verge board trim and finial on gable327 Queen Street – Dr. Richard Jones’ residence – two story, aluminum siding, belvedere on rooftop – c. 1897229 Mary Street – S.E. Allen Residence – 1½ story, brick, Victorian Gothic, symmetrical center hall plan, c. 1870234 Mary Street – The Jackson House – 2 story, brick façade, c. 1880Corner of Water and Queen Streets – In 1840 Peter Perry purchased forty acres in downtown Port Perry and in 1844 he built a frame building which house a store, trading post, and a home for his agent, Chester Draper. Immediately after Perry’s death is 1851, the property was bought by Mason and Phillips who turned it into a hotel. Henry Charles purchased it in 1867. The present yellow building was built after the fire of 1884. The hotel had thirty rooms including a dining room and at the street level were two stores including a sample room where salesmen could display their wares. They named it the St. Charles Hotel after Henry Charles.
