Cobourg is a town in Southern Ontario ninety-five kilometers (59 miles) east
of Toronto and 62 kilometers (39 miles) east of Oshawa. It is located along
Highway 401. To the south, Cobourg borders Lake Ontario.
James Cockburn, born in England, moved to
Montreal with his family in 1832. In 1845 he came to Cobourg to practice
law and, until 1849, shared a practice with D’Arcy Boulton, another prominent
politician. Married in 1854 to Isabella Susan Patterson, Cockburn began raising
a family and found interest in public affairs. He was elected to the Cobourg
town council in 1856, 1858 and 1859. During this time, when plans for Victoria
Hall floundered due to lack of finances, Cockburn offered the leadership which
saw the project completed in 1860. While serving in local politics Cockburn
acquired a reputation for honesty, fair dealing, integrity and sound logic. He was one of the
Fathers of Confederation.
Cobourg retains its small-town atmosphere,
in part due to the downtown and surrounding residential area’s status as a
Heritage Conservation District.
202 Church Street – 1878 – The Mulholland and McArthur House – Italianate Villa style – built by Robert Mulholland – asymmetrical ‘L’ plan with a short square tower crowned by an iron urn; at the base of the tower is a paneled doorway. The beaded string course, ornate roof cornice, pediments and iron cresting above the bay window, and barge board on the eave emphasize the sense of gaiety. The pale red bricks of the house are complimented by white arched window and door moldings.184 Church Street – 1888 – The Albert House – Victoria Cottage built by William Beer and rented to summer visitors. Two storeys, gable roof, the windows are two-over-two and double hung, aluminum siding. The veranda is the full front of the facade, has a shed roof, with balcony above.356 Walton Street – c. 1876 – ‘Sunny Brae’ was built by Nathaniel Burwash, a teacher at Victoria College who later became its president, in a Vernacular style. The front gable and porch, added circa 1905, gave it more charm. Another teacher, Albert Odell, bought the house in 1900. Albert and his brother John were both teachers who became school inspectors, and both had married sisters, the daughters of a local merchant. When Albert’s wife died in 1904 John and his family moved in with his brother. When war broke out ten years later, John enlisted at the age of 48. He had been the commanding officer of the Cobourg Heavy Battery, a militia regiment, which became part of the 2nd Heavy Battery, Canadian Field Artillery, under Lieutenant-Colonel Odell’s command. This battery arrived in France in September of 1915 and returned home in May of 1919.332 Henry Street – c. 1856 – This well -proportioned Victorian house shows Regency influence in its three-bay facade and hipped roof but also has a Gothic-style gable with an attic window. It was built for Andrew Hewson, an Irish immigrant who operated a successful dry goods and millinery store in town. He and his wife had six children, and their daughter, Charlotte, and her husband, Deputy-Sheriff David McNaughton, lived with them for many years. Their only son, Edmund Hewson McNaughton, was killed at Bully-Grenay, France, while serving with the Cobourg Heavy Battery. On August 9, 1918, an enemy shell hit a storage shed containing 9 artillery shells and 5 tons of cordite. A 9.2 Howitzer gun was destroyed and 26-year old McNaughton and two other Cobourg young men were killed.303 Henry Street – c. 1882 – Vernacular with Gothic elements – verge board trim, bay windows273 College Street – Matthew Hobart, a Cobourg cabinet maker, had this stucco house built about 1858 in the Classic Revival style. Sidelights, double-hung windows two up two down on the gabled facade, cornice return on gable306 College Street – 1857 – The decorative pattern of two-colored brick work is the outstanding feature of this house, built in Georgian Loyalist style for a local merchant, Lazarus Payne. Members of the Payne family lived here for over seventy years.320 College Street – bay window with iron cresting above, sidelights and transom windows394 College Street – oriel window with dormer above314 George Street – The MacNachtan Home – 1876 – red-brick Italianate house with contrasting window and door heads in buff brick, a circular window in the gable, paired cornice brackets, verge board trim on gable474 George Street – built by Thomas Dumble in 1871 – Gothic – elaborate front porch added about 189077 Albert Street – King George Inn34 Buck Street – gambrel-roofed dormer with balcony
