Before Canada became a nation in 1867, Port Hope was already a boom town. Its main streets were thronged with horse-drawn carriages and farmers’ wagons, its plank sidewalks crowded with shoppers and merchandise. Wood-burning locomotives pulled heavily loaded trains through town on their way to a harbor filled with schooners and steamships. Solid brick commercial blocks and houses lined the streets.
The town grew rapidly from four
families of English descent who arrived by boat in 1793 and settled at the
river mouth. Until then the area had been home to aboriginal groups—Huron, then
Iroquois, and finally Mississauga—attracted by the salmon and sturgeon that
swarmed in its river.
The first European settlers came
from the new United States. They had chosen to follow the British crown after
the American Revolution. More families arrived including blacksmiths,
carpenters, bricklayers, and merchants. The mills drew farmers from fifty and
sixty kilometers away. Grain that could not be milled was bought by
distilleries—there were eventually five along the river—that produced a famous
Port Hope whisky. In 1856 the Grand Trunk Railway connected Port Hope to
Toronto and the Atlantic seaboard. Its viaduct over the Ganaraska River was the
second greatest engineering challenge on the route, exceeded only by bridging
the St. Lawrence River at Montreal.
Another railway heading north from Port Hope opened up the vast timberlands and new farms of central Ontario and stretched to Peterborough and Lindsay. Eventually it reached
Georgian Bay, at Midland. Down this line came great loads of timber and grain.
Some went east to England, but most was exported to the USA through Rochester
across the lake.
86 John Street – The Bank of Upper Canada – c. 1857 – The three-story brick structure is almost square and is a good example of Italianate architecture with a flat roof, protruding eaves supported by ornamental molded brackets, tall and round-headed windows and decorative window trim. The exterior walls have recessed panels in the brickwork and the white brick was manufactured in Toronto. A stone band course separates the coursed rubble foundation from the brick structure. On the main facade, there are nine openings, two windows and one entrance way on the first story, and three windows on each of the second and third floors. The first story windows are round-headed and six over three double hung with a round-headed center pane and five surrounding panes over three vertical panes. These windows are surmounted by molded wooden “pedimental” surrounds. Double pilasters on each side are formed out of the brick. The second story windows are flat six over nine double hung sash, surmounted by molded “entablature” surrounds with a central flourish, and bordered by single brick pilasters. The center window has been replaced by French doors, and opens out to the cast iron railed balcony on top of the front porch. The original cast iron balconies of the other second story windows have been replaced by plain modern iron rails. Three projecting rows of brick form the sills on the second story fenestration. The third story windows have segmental molded wood heads, and have brick pilasters at the sides, and wooden lugsills with supporting brackets. The Bank of Upper Canada was established in York (Toronto) in 1822. Until its demise in 1866, the bank was one of British North America’s leading banks. It played a significant role in the financial development of Upper Canada.94 John Street – J.D. Smith House – c. 1835 – symmetrical arrangement of windows around the central front door with pilastered doorcase and transom, two-story gable roof with brick end chimneys, timber frame construction sheathed in clapboard. A one story hipped roof addition is at the side, and if not original is fairly early; it provided a separate entrance to the taproom. The house had its historic beginnings as a local tavern.25 John Street – Meredith House – c. 1853 – This symmetrical design with two-story bay windows flanking the wide double entrance is a good example of late Victorian brick building. Decorative trim appears on the front facade. A flat roof, simple chimney, and two-story verandah are additional features.27 John Street – The Cochrane House – c. 1848 – This two and a half story frame dwelling is an early example of the Greek Revival. It is a square house with a side-hall plan and gable roof. The main facade has three bays and the main entrance to the house is located on the north side of the facade. The entrance is simple, yet gracefully done. The wide, closed transom, with its plain entablature, helps to frame the entrance. On either side of the door are plain, wooden pilasters. The entrance is reached by a wide flight of stairs. All of the windows have the original sashes of six panes over six panes. They all have molded wooden surrounds and flush wooden sills. The Cochrane House is named for James Cochrane, the original owner and proprietor of the Queen’s Hotel (81 Walton Street). James Cochrane (1815-1900) was born in County Down, Ireland in 1815. He came to Canada in 1841, and settled in Port Hope. In 1871, he built the Queen’s Hotel.50 John Street – Y.M.C.A. (Young Men’s Christians Association) – c. 1874 – The main floor of the two-story front contains round arched main entrance (asymmetrically placed) and secondary flat-arched entrance at left. Between are brick pilasters enclosing a plain window and transom. The second story has a central projecting panel into which a circular window with quatrefoil glazing is placed. Twinned narrow windows, symmetrically placed, complete the composition. Separating the two storys is a band course. The cornice is molded and at center is an unusual peak with applied ornament. The roof is of the shed type.10-12 Mill Street South – Customs House and Registry Office – c. 1845 – This three-story parapet gabled brick commercial building retains its original features on the upper storys but has been considerably altered on the ground floor level, although the separate three entrances still remain. Five double-hung sash are on the second and third floors. The medium peaked roof is supported by decorative eave brackets on the front facade. A wooden shop front cornice runs along the front facade. T. Ward was the Registrar during that period and by 1853 this building was being used as the Customs House and Registry Office. Port Hope was constituted as a port of entry in 1819, however, it was not until 1829, that a harbor was established. A wharf was constructed on the east side of the river and a pier was established on the west side. By the late 1840s, Port Hope was a bustling port and busy commercial area; modifications and expansions were made to the harbor in the ensuing decades. As a port of entry, a Customs House was required. Additionally, the building served as the Registry Office, a repository of legal land transactions until 1871, when a separate Registry Office was built on the north side of Mill Street (17 Mill Street North).17 Mill Street North – County Registry Office East Durham – c. 1871 – The Land Registry Office is an attractive Neo-Classical brick building, simple in its single story silhouette and gable roof of medium pitch. The gable end, which forms a triangular pediment, faces the street and presents a three-bay facade with projecting vestibule. All the door and window openings are crowned with true semi-circular arches. On the facade these are recessed into arched brick panels and topped with keystones. Band courses in brick and a plinth add decorative emphasis to the masonry. Still visible and of significance is the painted sign over the front door that reads “East Durham 1871. The structure is unique, composed of three brick vaults that run across the width of the building. The building’s prime objective, fireproofing, was essential to its role as a safe depository for all legal documents affecting land ownership. It follows a plan established by the provincial government in the 1870s.37-41 Mill Street North – This is a three story, brick building with gable roof with parapet walls and end chimneys. The windows at street level are conventional sash. At second and third storys, the windows are glazed in original six over six sash. The brick arches are remarkable for the angle of their splay, which creates a decorative pattern unusual in Port Hope. The upper cornice is distinguished by a decorative bracket and molded boards. 41 Mill Street – Crawford Block – c. 1848 – is the north third (left of picture) of a very important terrace. Henry Howard Meredith purchased the Crawford Block in July 1853. Robert Crawford, a saddler and tanner located on Ward Street, had built the block. In 1853, Henry Howard Meredith acquired this block of townhouses. In a rental advertisement of 1860, he described the townhouses as “three comfortable three story Brick Dwelling houses on Mill Street North of the Post Office. These houses are particularly well adapted for persons requiring residences in the business part of Town, or for persons wanting a dwelling house with offices adjoiningâ€.46 Cavan Street – c. 1842 – The Chalk Works is one of the few buildings that remain from Port Hope’s industrial heyday. The brick structure stands three storys high with a gable roof, rounded corner in header bond. Robert Chalk (1820-1890), an English immigrant born in Biddeford, Devonshire, England, settled in Port Hope in 1842 at the age of 22, and established a wagon and carriage-making business. Chalk Carriage Works was located on Cavan Street on the steep hill where South and Cavan Street meet, a hill that was sometimes referred to as Chalk’s Hill. Many of Port Hope’s early industries were located on Cavan Street on the Ganaraska River. The Chalk Carriage Works manufactured lumber wagons, cutters and carriages and provided blacksmithing as well.72 Augusta Street – Smith Cottage – c. 1865 – This is a 1½ story brick cottage perched high on a hill with a grand overlook to the south. The porch was restored based on archival photos. The simple center hall plan is punctuated by a protruding center bay entrance.78 Augusta Street – Thomas McCreery House – c. 1875 – This is a late Victorian Italianate design, with the characteristic irregular plan, ell-shape to the front and with the tower crowned by a steeply pitched mansard roof, with a gable and with iron cresting to the small flat deck. The ornamented window heads and door arch with their incised decoration, projecting keystones and scrolls are probably cast stone. Florid Renaissance detail, multi paneled doors and square towers are typical of the Italianate style. Brown and green were popular colors used on details. Thomas McCreery was the proprietor of a billiard saloon on Walton Street during the late 1860s and early 1870s. By the 1880s, he was a grocer on Mill Street, and later sold ale and porter from a shop located in the Robertson Building at the corner of Queen and Walton (35 Walton Street).86 Augusta Street – James Leverich House – c. 1877 – The house is a good example and characteristic of a mid-Victorian villa in the picturesque manner. Two story bay windows and paired brackets to eaves are typical of late Victorian houses. The basement wall material is rubble, and the brickwork is stretcher bond. There is one chimney on the east side of the house and two on the left, or west side, all made of brick. The main door surround is of plain wood. In 1887, James S. Leverich purchased the property. Leverich (1828-1892) was born in Otisco, New York. By 1857, he had established himself as a merchant selling groceries and liquors on Walton Street. By the early 1870s, he established a business as a lumber merchant selling lumber, lath and shingles. The house remained in the Leverich family until 1920.89 Dorset Street West – William Sisson House (Wimbourne) – c. 1853 – The well-balanced square house exhibits features of the Regency style. The roof is a variation of the truncated hipped roof with a medium pitch. On each side there is a center-hipped gable with attractive barge board. William Sisson (1801-1885) born in Rhinebeck, Dutchess County, New York built Wimbourne House. He emigrated to Port Hope in June 1823. His wife, Elisa Ann Walton, was born in Upper Canada in 1805. He manufactured leather. Mr. Sisson, father of four children, was an active member of the Durham Agricultural Society and served as its treasurer for forty years. He was an active promoter of the first Mechanic’s Institute, and raised and commanded a troop of cavalry (attached to the Durham Regiment), which assisted in the suppression of the rebellion of 1837-38.108 Dorset Street West – 2½-storey frontispiece with cornice return on gable and trefoil window115 Dorset Street West – Thomas Clarke House (The Cone) – c. 1858 – The one and a half story grey board and batten house incorporates some elements of the Gothic Revival style. It has steeply pitched gables, the appearance of irregularity because of complex roof patterns, pointed arched openings such as the Gothic window above the doorway, and decorative details including the quatrefoil window tracery in this same window, the barge boards in the gable peaks and the finial. A notable feature of the exterior is, the board and batten, was preferred by Downing for he believed that it was more economical than clapboard, and because it was a bolder method of construction, it better expressed the picturesque beauty essentially belonging to wooden houses. The main facade has three pairs of four over four double-hung sashes, a bay projection containing three casement windows, and five six over six double-hung sashes. The central double doors each have twelve windowpanes. The original owner, Thomas Curtis Clarke (1827-1901) was associate engineer and secretary of the Port Hope, Lindsay and Beaverton Railway, and later advisor for the Harbour Board at the reconstruction of the harbor in the 1850’s. His wife Susan Harriet Smith (1837-1909) was a daughter of John David Smith (1786-1849) who built the Bluestone (21 Dorset Street East), and granddaughter of Port Hope founder, Elias Smith.175 Dorset Street West – David Smart House (The Hillcrest) – c. 1870 – This house is the only example of “Beaux Arts” architecture in Port Hope. An addition to the house was made around 1900 which consists of the large Jeffersonian portico on the north. This massive two and a half-story structure is held by fluted columns with large Corinthian capitals, the main original portion of the house is hipped roof section with two polygonal wings at each end. This section sports beautiful Palladian dormers, bracketed eaves and a grand verandah. The house was built for David Smart, a barrister and notary public who married Emily A. Worts of Gooderham and Worts Distilleries of Toronto. Smart became a director of that distillery.
