Barbara Raué

Grimsby is a town on Lake Ontario in the Niagara Region. It is named after the English fishing town of Grimsby in North East Lincolnshire. The majority of residents reside in the area bounded by Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment. Grimsby has experienced significant growth over the past decade as the midpoint between Hamilton and St. Catharines.

The town of Grimsby was founded in 1790 (originally named Township Number 6 and then ‘The Forty’), after a group of United Empire Loyalists settled at the mouth of 40 Mile Creek in 1787. A Loyalist from the Mohawk Valley, New York, Robert Nelles and his father and brothers were among the first to settle at The Forty following the American Revolution. Robert Nelles was a politician and later lieutenant-colonel in the War of 1812. In 1816 the village became known as Grimsby, the name of the surrounding township.

The town has gone through many changes, from being a small rural village; to a centre for the manufacture of farm machinery, hospital furniture, furnaces and other metal products; and later the hub of the Niagara Peninsula’s fruit-growing industry. Grimsby had a successful fishing industry which lasted until the 1960s. The Town of Grimsby and the Township of North Grimsby were amalgamated in 1970 with the formation of the Regional Municipality of Niagara. With a number of wineries and distilleries, Grimsby now serves as the starting point for touring the Niagara wine region.

Grimsby is the birthplace of Hollywood director, Del Lord who rose to acclaim as the director of most of the Three Stooges short vaudeville comedies. Later, under Columbia Pictures, he directed nearly two hundred feature films.

Grimsby Beach was once a major holiday resort. Grimsby Park started in 1846 as a park for the Hamilton district of the Methodist Church. In 1910, the park’s new owner, Harry Wylie, modernized the park with carousels, a motion picture theatre, and a “Figure 8” roller coaster. Operations continued until 1949, with attractions gradually closing and developers buying land to build houses.

Bisecting the town is the Queen Elizabeth Way. It has three exchanges in the town, with Casablanca Boulevard in the west, a central exchange for three roads (Christie Street, Ontario Street, and Maple Avenue), and Bartlett Avenue in the east.

Township of Brantford

Brantford Township was the largest and most central township of Brant County. The first area settled was along Fairchild’s Creek north west of Cainsville. The township was blessed with many creeks that were developed with mills. The first industrial operation in the township was a mill operated by James Percy in Mount Pleasant. The township also has fertile soil and land was quickly settled and within twenty-five years was well under cultivation and thriving. Within the township are the villages of Mount Pleasant, Burtch, Newport, Cainsville and Langford, as well as the homes of Alexander Graham Bell and George Brown, a father of confederation.

Within decades of its founding in 1799 by the Ellis and Sturgis families, Mount Pleasant was a prosperous and cultured settlement with flourishing farms, inns, mills, schools, a drill hall, and commercial establishments. Today Mount Pleasant’s long and lovely main street retains much of its rural charm and many of its old homes, churches, and farmsteads. Mount Pleasant Road is part of the Long Point Trail, an old Indian trail which went from the Grand River in Brantford south to Lake Erie.

Emily Stowe was the first woman to practice medicine in Canada and also the first woman school principal. After her marriage in 1856 to carriage-maker John Stowe, she taught at the renowned Nelles Academy at 667 Mount Pleasant Road. She studied medicine in the United States because she was refused admission to a Canadian medical school. She did a lot of campaigning for increased education opportunities for women, and her daughter, Augusta Stowe Gullen, born in Mount Pleasant in 1857, became the first woman to graduate in medicine from a Canadian university in 1883.

One of the earliest settlers in the area of Newport was Edee Burtch who purchased land from Joseph Brant around 1796. As more settlers arrived, the area became known as Burtch’s Landing and was later renamed Newport. Newport was laid out for settlement by Thaddeus Smith in l857. Newport was a thriving shipping port offering passenger service to Buffalo on the Red Jacket and Queen paddle wheel steamers that operated on the Grand River. There were also facilities for handling general freight. The village with several hundred people had two wagon and carriage shops, two blacksmith shops, brickyards, several general stores, a post office, two churches, a school, a tavern/ hotel, a sawmill, grain warehouses and a grist mill.

Township of Onondaga

The township was named for the Onondagas, a nation within the Six Nations. They settled on land granted to the Six Nations under the Haldimand Proclamation of 1784. The Grand River, which forms the southern boundary of the county of Brant, was the main artery for transportation, communication, and economic sustenance. Today this river is mainly used for recreation. In the 1830s settlers began moving into this rich agricultural area.

This Village of Onondaga was first known as Smith’s Corners for David Smith who operated a grocery store and a saloon. The name was later changed to Onondaga. The village became a thriving community in the mid-19^th century because of the Buffalo, Brantford, and Goderich Railway station located here. Schools, churches, hotels and taverns, grist and sawmills, blacksmith shops, stores and small manufacturing shops developed.

The Grand River Navigation Company played an important role in the establishment of the Village of Middleport. On November 7, 1848 navigation was opened on the Grand River from Brantford to Dunnville through a series of locks and dams. Middleport, founded by John Solomon Hager, was midway between the locks at Brantford and the Village of Caledonia making it an important port.

Burford is in the County of Brant and is located eight kilometers west of the City of Brantford along Highway 53, and seventy kilometers east of London.

 In 1793 Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe granted to Abraham Dayton the entire Township of Burford. Dayton was a native of Milford, Connecticut. The township was to become the “new Jerusalem” for a religious sect with which he was affiliated. Dayton broke his ties with the sect and settled just west of the present village of Burford. He was responsible for bringing several families into the township and by the spring of 1797 the new settlement consisted of twenty-one families. Abraham Dayton died March 1, 1797 after a prolonged illness. Abigail Dayton, Abraham’s widow, later married Colonel Joel Stone and moved to Gananoque where she lived until her death in 1843 at the age of 93.The Dayton’s only child, Abiah, was the wife of Benajah Mallory and she and her husband followed her parents into this township. Benajah Mallory became a man of considerable influence and by 1805 was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada representing Norfolk, Oxford, and Middlesex. In June 1812, war was declared against Upper Canada by the United States. During the course of the war, Mallory accepted a commission in the U.S. forces and was considered a traitor back home. Benajah Mallory became outlawed and his land was forfeited to the Crown.

John Yeigh, his wife Mary and their children Jacob, John Junior, Adam,Henry and Eva arrived in Burford from Pennsylvania by covered wagon in June1800. The family cleared land, farmed and established the first pottery in the Burford area. Jacob and Adam distinguished themselves in the War of 1812 and were also active participants in the 1837 Rebellion.

Mount Vernon was originally named Springfield and subsequently Chequered Sheds because the posts were painted in black and white checkerboard fashion to mark several parking spots for rigs at the hotel across from Kenny’s Store. The present name, according to oral history, was given by a railway company in honor of the home of George Washington, the first president of the United States.

Thomas Perrin laid out the village. He established the first store in 1835, built the first sawmill in 1840 and the first gristmill in 1845.

Bishopsgate is located on Highway 53 between Mount Vernon and Burford.

Langford is located on Highway 2/53 east of Fairchild’s Creek about three kilometers east of Cainsville. The village was named for Jacob Lang, an early settler who came from Pennsylvania to this area bout 1807. United Empire Loyalists settled here in the late 1700s. Several streams flowing south gave power to saw and grist mills in the area. A brickyard and a blacksmith shop were established here. The first post office was called Lang’s Ford as all of the travelers had to ford the swampy stream in the hollow just east of Jacob Lang’s farm. Later the name was changed to Langford.

Burford, Ontario in Colour Photos – My Top 9 Picks

Burford is in the County of Brant and is located eight kilometers west of the City of Brantford along Highway 53, and seventy kilometers east of London.

In 1793 Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe granted to Abraham Dayton the entire Township of Burford. Dayton was a native of Milford, Connecticut. The township was to become the “new Jerusalem” for a religious sect with which he was affiliated. Dayton broke his ties with the sect and settled just west of the present village of Burford. He was responsible for bringing several families into the township and by the spring of 1797 the new settlement consisted of twenty-one families. Abraham Dayton died March 1, 1797 after a prolonged illness. Abigail Dayton, Abraham’s widow, later married Colonel Joel Stone and moved to Gananoque where she lived until her death in 1843 at the age of 93. The Dayton’s only child, Abiah, was the wife of Benajah Mallory and she and her husband followed her parents into this township. Benajah Mallory became a man of considerable influence and by 1805 was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada representing Norfolk, Oxford, and Middlesex. In June 1812, war was declared against Upper Canada by the United States. During the course of the war, Mallory accepted a commission in the U.S. forces and was considered a traitor back home. Benajah Mallory became outlawed and his land was forfeited to the Crown.

John Yeigh, his wife Mary and their children Jacob, John Junior, Adam, Henry and Eva arrived in Burford from Pennsylvania by covered wagon in June 1800. The family cleared land, farmed and established the first pottery in the Burford area. Jacob and Adam distinguished themselves in the War of 1812 and were also active participants in the 1837 Rebellion.

306 Highway 53 – Farrington House – 1883 – built by James Farrington – Italianate style with buff brick, decorative red string course and arches over the Roman style windows. The original front and side porches have gingerbread trim. James Farrington traveled to California during the gold rush as was involved in many successful business enterprises including ranching, gold and silver mining and high plains freighting

378 West Quarter Townline Road – Heritage Property – This house has Roman influenced windows with alternating brick to simulate quoining and geometric shapes such as diamonds in the apex of the gable ends. It has three gable ends and both a front and side porch.

110 King Street – Dr. Hervey Ross House – 1851 – It is usually called “The Miller House” and is a rare example of a Regency winged temple building. It is called a “winged plan” because it has a one and a half storey central body with flanking one-storey wings. Decorative features are fancy verge board along the front gable and French casement style windows.

126 King Street – Post Office – A.D. 1914 – Two-storey smooth red brick structure has ashlar stone lintels and string courses at the window liens. It is sometimes called Edwardian in style because it was built during the reign of King Edward VII. The clock tower is a landmark for the business district.

150 King Street – Armoury – 1906 – The central tower has a Roman arched window and Gothic detail as well as battlementing. The double front doors have a stained glass transom. It was used by the 1st Cavalry 2nd 10th Brant Dragoons for training and recreation. It served as a hospital during the flu epidemic of 1918 and a temporary high school in 1921. During the War of 1812, Burford became an important post, being located between Ancaster and Detroit. The military parade ground was located on this property and occupied most of what is now the residential block between William and Jarvis Streets.

155 King Street – Heritage Property – c. 1835 – Sprowl House – Doric columns support a sleeper veranda used on hot summer nights. The six over six windows are original. This is the former home of A.D. Muir who was active in the militia and joined the Burford Troop of Cavalry in 1881. In 1813, following the defeat of the Canadians at the battle of Moraviantown (west of London), General Proctor persuaded a group of nearly 3000 native warriors and their families to retreat with him to a powerful for, which he claimed to be at Burford. Some of this group encamped her (across from the military parade grounds) while the rest of the group was located west of the village by the creek.

158 King Street – dormers, iron cresting around second floor balcony

159 King Street – 1888 – Gothic, iron cresting around second floor balcony, cornice brackets, stenciling and decorative veranda pillars, bay window on end of house

55 Maple Avenue North – Stuart House – 1886 – was built by Elijah Stuart in the Georgian Symmetry style with Italianate features, segmental arched windows, double brackets under the eaves and quoining on the corners. The double-hung front door has a fanlight and the second floor door has a keystone arch linking the same color detail line across the front of the house.

St. George, Ontario – Book 2 in Colour Photos – My Top 15 Picks

The County of Brant is located at the mid-point of the Grand River as it flows south from Luther Marsh to Lake Erie.

In 1852 the City of Brantford, the Village of Paris, and the Townships of Brantford, Oakland, Onondaga, South Dumfries, and Burford became Brant County.

Two hundred years ago, Obed Wilson ventured forth seeking an area in Upper Canada in which to settle. He discovered a place with fertile land, sparkling water and natural beauty which enticed him to stay and build a log cabin. Eventually the vision grew into the Village of St. George.

St. George, located to the north of the City of Brantford, is in the Township of South Dumfries. It was founded in 1814. John and Peter Bauslaugh were early settlers in St. George, and the early name of the village was “Bauslaugh Mills” in honor of John Bauslaugh who owned a sawmill near Highway 99. Main Street began to develop in the 1820s when Henry Moe began selling fish and dry goods from the first log building. By 1832, the village had three churches and several businesses. Today Main Street continues to thrive with many of the original buildings from the 1800s attracting people to the antique shops, cafes and restaurants.

The community around Bethel Road with Rest Acres Road to the east and Bishopsgate Road to the west was settled in the 1830s. The major industry in this area was farming. Some of its first settlers were the Gurneys, McAllisters (wagon maker), Aulsebrooks, Lovetts and Major Arnold Burrowes whose 1,000 acre estate was known as Strathmore. On his estate Major Burrowes constructed a mill dam, stock pens, hop mill, a distillery, a grist mill and a plaster mill.

The Township of Oakland includes the towns of Scotland and Oakland. It has a rich history.

Scotland is located on the Burford/Oakland township line. The village was surveyed and laid out by Eliakim Malcolm. The first hotel opened in 1830, the first story in 1837 and the first post office in 1855. Malcolm’s Creek had enough waterpower to sustain several industries such as a woolen mill, gristmill, tannery and foundry. Other early industries were a cooperage, a wagon and carriage works, carriage and buggy works and a starch factory. Two doctors and a lawyer practiced in Scotland in the mid-1800s.

The Village of Oakland is located three kilometers east of Scotland on the Oakland Road. Oakland was named for a ridge of oak trees that ran through it. In 1850, the first municipal office was at the Oakland Post Office. A town hall was built in 1854 and Council met there until the early 1900s. Oakland had a grist mill in 1806, saw mill in 1807, a cheese factory, cider mill, three general stores, a shoemaker, harness maker, and a hotel.

Oakland is the site of the Battle of Malcolm Mills which was the last land battle of the War of 1812 on Canadian soil against an official foreign power. The battle took place at the stream that runs through Lion’s Park. In October 1814, an invading American force of about seven hundred men under Brigadier-General Duncan McArthur advanced rapidly up the Thames Valley. He intended to devastate the Grand River settlements and the region around the head of Lake Ontario, which supplied British forces on the Niagara Frontier. McArthur reached the Grand, and after an unsuccessful attempt to force a crossing, attacked a body of about one hundred and fifty militia at Malcom’s Mills (Oakland) on November 6^th. Canadian forces put up a spirited resistance but were overwhelmed.

356 St. George Road – hipped roof with dormers

125 McLean School Road – Italianate, cornice brackets, two-storey bay window, corner quoins

86 McLean School Road – Smith I. Wait House – circa 1875 – High Victorian and Italianate – three layers of brick for the main part of the house and a two-feet thick stone foundation – cornice brackets, corner quoins, bay window

380 Branchton Road – Mayhill Villa/Lewis C. Cope Residence – circa 1867 – Italianate – half-round windows, two sets of original compound chimneys, hipped roof, paired cornice brackets, corner quoins; etched stained glass in the fanlight and sidelights provide an attractive entry

Glen Morris Road East – cut stone railway bridge constructed in 1854 by the Great Western Railway Company over Glen Morris Road East to link Harrisburg with Galt. It is a beautiful example of masonry work with its double arches with keystones which allow both the road and stream to pass under it.

254 Glen Morris Road East – Italianate – two-storey frontispiece, verge board trim and finial on gable, cornice brackets, corner quoins, dentil molding, fanlight

359 Regional Road 35 (Blue Lake Road) – circa 1830 – Neo-Gothic style farmhouse – Adelaide Hoodless was born here in St. George, the youngest of twelve children. Her father died a few months after her birth. Her mother, Jane Hamilton Hunter, was left to manage the farm and a large household. Perhaps the hard work and isolation of her youth inspired Adelaide to take up the cause of domestic reform years later. After her schooling in a one-room schoolhouse, she stayed with her sister Lizzie while attending ‘Ladies College’ in Brantford, Ontario. While there, she met John Hoodless who was also the close friend of her sister Lizzie’s future husband, Seth Charlton. John Hoodless was the only surviving son of a successful Hamilton furniture manufacturer (Joseph Hoodless). Adelaide married John Hoodless and moved to Hamilton. Adelaide and John had four children: Edna, Muriel, Bernard and John Harold.

Bethel Road – Gothic – verge board trim on gable

Bethel Road – multi-colored stone

308 Robinson Road – Apps Mill – 1846 – The Apps family operated it as a flour mill using Whiteman Creek for power until 1959 when hurricane Hazel flooded the entire bottom floor. It has horizontal wood siding and six over six windows.

154 Oakland Road – Oakland United Church – (Methodist Church – 1886) – Gothic Revival, lancet windows, dichromatic brickwork, buttresses

129 Oakland Road, Oakland – Built by Mordecai Westbrook, a member of one of the original families of Oakland. Georgian style with original double hung six over six windows and shutters. The walls are triple-bricked with bricks said to have been made on site. The widow’s walk and rear stone coach house are both original.

Oakland Road, Oakland, Ontario

Oakland Road, Scotland – dichromatic brickwork

27 Talbot Street – 1890 – is an early Queen Anne style featuring a wraparound veranda with elaborate scroll work, spool work and patterned brick work with a string course at the frieze. Rusticated brick is used to ornament the principal window drip mold. Cornice return around the dormer bulls-eye window.

St. George, Ontario – Book 1 in Colour Photos – My Top 12 Picks

The County of Brant is located at the mid-point of the Grand River as it flows south from Luther Marsh to Lake Erie. In Brant, the river flows through an area of rich farmland and Carolinian forest. The river was used for water power and transportation. European settlers first arrived in Burford Township in 1793 and began to settle in the rest of the County soon after.

In 1852 the City of Brantford, the Village of Paris, and the Townships of Brantford, Oakland, Onondaga, South Dumfries, and Burford became Brant County.

Two hundred years ago, Obed Wilson ventured forth seeking an area in Upper Canada in which to settle. He discovered a place with fertile land, sparkling water and natural beauty which enticed him to stay and build a log cabin. Eventually the vision grew into the Village of St. George.

St. George, located to the north of the City of Brantford, is in the Township of South Dumfries. It was founded in 1814. John and Peter Bauslaugh were early settlers in St. George, and the early name of the village was “Bauslaugh Mills” in honor of John Bauslaugh who owned a sawmill near Highway 99. Main Street began to develop in the 1820s when Henry Moe began selling fish and dry goods from the first log building. By 1832, the village had three churches and several businesses. Today Main Street continues to thrive with many of the original buildings from the 1800s attracting people to the antique shops, cafes and restaurants.

6 Thompson Street – Two Roses Bed & Breakfast – Italianate – bay window with balcony, corner quoins

21 West Street – Gothic Revival – iron cresting above bay window

Beverly Street West – Gothic – dichromatic brickwork, corner quoins, voussoirs

69 Beverly Street West – 2nd floor balcony

39 Beverly Street West – St. George School – 1893 – It remained in use as a school until another one was built behind it in 1973. Today, a nursery school and day care center operate here.

41 Main Street South – Snowball Grist Mill – 1871 – William Snowball began construction of this cut and dressed stone flour mill in 1869. In the summer of 1885, steam power was added and alterations were made 6that enabled the mill to turn out two hundred barrels of flour per day. It operated as St. George Feed & Seed Mill from 1967 to 1993.

23 Main Street South

34-36 Main Street South – Howell Block – 1891 – Alternating quoins on the corners of the building and ornamental arches with center keystones over the windows are of contrasting color. Since 1924, the stone building has housed the post office, library and space for community groups. Now it is the home of the South Dumfries Historical Society.

13 Main Street South – Sunnyside – c. 1888 – was constructed by Dr. E.E. Kitchen. It was the heartbeat of Main Street. It was the home of the inaugural meeting of the St. George Women’s Institute, January 13, 1903. This Romanesque Revival mansion was built as a residence and doctor’s office. On the third floor there was a ballroom.

High Street – Italianate – two-storey frontispiece, corner quoins, cornice brackets, voussoirs

18 Beverly Street East – Italianate – paired cornice brackets, dentil molding, corner quoins, dichromatic brickwork

19 Beverly Street East – Gothic – paired cornice brackets, corner quoins, bay window

Paris, Ontario – Book 3 in Colour Photos – My Top 13 Picks

Paris, Ontario is located on the Grand River. It was first settled by Hiram Capron a native of Vermont who, in 1822, emigrated to Norfolk County where he helped to establish one of Upper Canada’s earliest iron foundries. He settled here at the Forks of the Grand (where the Grand and Nith Rivers meet) in 1829, divided part of his land into town lots, and in 1830 constructed a grist-mill and named the town after the gypsum deposits that were mined nearby. Gypsum is used to make plaster of Paris.

Records from 1846 indicate that the settlement, in a hilly area called Oak Plains, was divided into the upper town and the lower town. In addition to successful farmers in the area, the community of 1,000 people (Americans, Scottish, English, and Irish) was thriving. Manufacturing had already begun, with industries powered by the river. A great deal of plaster was being exported and there were three mills, a tannery, a woolen factory, a foundry, and many tradesmen. Five churches had been built; and the post office was receiving mail three times a week.

While the telephone was invented at Brantford, Ontario in 1874, Alexander Graham Bell made the first transmission to a distance between Brantford and Paris on August 3, 1876.

The use of cobblestones to construct buildings was introduced to the area by Levi Boughton when he erected St. James Church in 1839; this was the first cobblestone structure in Paris. Two churches and ten homes, all in current use, are made of numerous such stones taken from the rivers. Other architectural styles that are visible in the downtown area include Edwardian, Gothic and Post Modern.

The Township of South Dumfries is situated in the north part of the County of Brant. The earliest settlements were in and around the Village of St. George. Two vital factors of the area which caused settlers to locate here were flowing wells and excellent farm land.

The first establishments in the township were a grist mill in 1817, a distillery in 1818, a grocery store in 1820, a log school in 1823, and a post office in 1833. The first church was opened as a Baptist Church in 1824. The Village of Harrisburg was laid out in 1855 at the junction of the Wellington, Grey &* Bruce and Great Western railways. Glen Morris was laid out in 1q848 on the banks of the Grand River twelve miles from Brantford.

Harrisburg

In the mid-1800s, Harrisburg was a stop on the Great Western Railway serving as a shipping point for St. George and area. About 1854, a branch line twelve miles long from Harrisburg to Galt opened and Harrisburg got its first train station. In 1882, the Great Western Railway was absorbed by the Grand Trunk Railway.

Glen Morris

The village of Glen Morris is on both sides of the Grand River with most of the historical buildings on the east side along East River Road. Glen Morris was first known as Dawson’s Bridge as it was John Dawson who built a sawmill and bridge in 1833 across the Grand River. In 1840, the settlement was renamed Middleton. Samuel Latshaw laid out the village in 1848 and in 1851 it was named Glen Morris in honor of their Postmaster.

Baird Street – Gothic style with verge board trim on chipped gables, cobblestone pillars supporting verandah

87 Willow Street – Second Empire style – mansard roof, tall windows, dormers

51 St. Andrew Street – Regency Cottage

33 Oak Avenue – 1854 – built by David Patton and his wife Matilda (Killips) Patton – 1½-storey Gothic Revival style of cobblestone and field stone construction. The main façade fable is decorated with gingerbread and has a set of Gothic windows. Three walls are cobblestone and the rear of the house is of cut stone

963 Keg Lane Road – The Deans family of 6 first lived in a single-storey log cabin on the corner of the property. After 7 more children arrived, construction began on this house. In 1862 construction was completed with cobblestone walls on three sides. The trellised stone verandah closely matches the original one; all the shutters are original

207 West River Road – George Brown residence – Construction began in 1854 and was completed in 1862 – it took years to accumulate all the matching cobblestones. It is reflective of the traditional Ontario Cottage style in the Revival tradition.

100 German School Road, Harrisburg – Gothic Revival, cornice brackets, bay window, corner quoins

96 German School Road, Brant County 33, Harrisburg – hipped roof, dormers, bay window

448 McPherson School Road, Glen Morris – Samuel Latshaw residence – 1860 – The walls are made of rubble stone with cut stone around the windows.

289 Pinehurst Road – This fieldstone house of Provincial Scottish Victorian architecture was built in 1860 for one of the early settlers in this area, John Maus. The stone for this farmer’s residence and carriage house came from local fields.

705 Paris Plains Church Road – Church – 1845 – Gothic Revival – cobblestone construction; lancet windows, cornice return on gable

716 Watts Pond Road, Glen Morris – Italianate, paired cornice brackets, half-round windows, sidelights and transom windows

2½-storey – Italianate – stone, bay windows, cornice brackets

Paris, Ontario – Book 2 in Colour Photos – My Top 13 Picks

Paris, Ontario is located on the Grand River.  It was first settled by Hiram Capron a native of Vermont who, in 1822, emigrated to Norfolk County where he helped to establish one of Upper Canada’s earliest iron foundries.  He settled here at the Forks of the Grand (where the Grand and Nith Rivers meet) in 1829, divided part of his land into town lots, and in 1830 constructed a grist-mill and named the town after the gypsum deposits that were mined nearby. Gypsum is used to make plaster of Paris.

The use of cobblestones to construct buildings was introduced to the area by Levi Boughton when he erected St. James Church in 1839; this was the first cobblestone structure in Paris. Two churches and ten homes, all in current use, are made of numerous such stones taken from the rivers. Other architectural styles that are visible in the downtown area include Edwardian, Gothic and Post Modern.

Dominion Day 1879 began at six a.m. with the ringing of all the town bells. Sports and games were played throughout the day – lacrosse, cricket, boat races, jumping contests, and foot races with prizes for the winners. In the evening there were bonfires and fireworks.

Since its earliest days, Paris was the site of gypsum beds. When ground to a powder in a mill, gypsum, or Plaster of Paris, could be used as a fertilizer, to coat the interior walls of a home, or for casts to set broken bones.

Jim Percival created scale models of the thirteen cobblestone buildings in Paris.

42 Broadway Street East – Gouinlock House – is a one-storey, rubble-stone, building constructed in 1845. The Gouinlock House is associated with John Penman, one of Paris’s leading early industrialists and the co-founder of the Penman Manufacturing Company Limited. Penman rented this home, in the mid-1880s, while his permanent residence, Penmarvian, was under renovation. The Gouinlock House is thought to be the only solid rubble-stone building in Paris. This home features local materials and skilled craftsmanship. The exterior of the home was parging and etched to resemble cut stone blocks or coursed ashlar. The more notable features of this home include the large windows, the chimneys, the etched glass doors and the woodwork. Though both the enclosed verandah and a rear portion of the home were additions, the use of rubble-stone and the sympathetic design maintained the integrity of the home.

165 Grand River Street North was built by Levi Boughton for Norman and Elizabeth Hamilton, Americans who arrived in Paris about 1831. Norman was a wealthy local industrialist, miller and brewer. This three-storey cobblestone building is designed in the Greek Revival style c. 1839-1844 – it appears to be 1½-storeys in height – the second storey windows are set in light-wells in the verandah roof and are concealed from view by the deep architrave of the verandah. The pillars are square. The triple hung windows on the front façade can be opened so that you can walk out onto the verandah. A lower basement walk-out floor exits to the rear yard. The Hamilton’s son-in-law, Paul Wickson, used the belvedere as his art studio; he specialized in painting animals and rural scenes. An addition was added in 1861 to accommodate visiting family members.

165 Grand River Street North – scale model

185 Grand River Street North – Penmarvian Retirement Home was built in 1845 by the founder of Paris, Hiram Capron, as a modest two storey building. In 1887 local industrialist John Penman purchased the home and added the Victorian turrets, towers and arches.

184 Grand River Street North – built in 1886 in the Italianate style for Captain Cox who was Postmaster of Paris – square tower with half-round windows, iron cresting on roof top; dichromatic brickwork – now the William Kipp Funeral Home

199 Grand River Street North – red brick – Edwardian style

William Street – Italianate style – dichromatic brickwork, banding, two-storey bay windows, hipped roof

140 West River Street – 1874 – This was the first of two large textile mills built by Paris industrialist John Penman. Dependent on waterpower in the beginning, a generating plant still stands behind the mill buildings on the bank of the Nith River.

55 Banfield Street – hipped roof, corner quoins

18 Banfield Street – Edwardian style – Palladian window, turret extending through the roof

33 Banfield Street – Italianate with two-storey frontispiece topped by a gable with decorative verge boards and finial

1 Banfield Street – built about 1868 by miller Charles Whitlaw – Gothic Revival – verge board trim on gables, compound chimneys

36 Jane Street – Italianate – hipped roof, cornice brackets, wraparound verandah, bay window

Paris, Ontario – Book 1 in Colour Photos – My Top 13 Picks

Paris, Ontario is located on the Grand River. It was first settled by Hiram Capron a native of Vermont who, in 1822, emigrated to Norfolk County where he helped to establish one of Upper Canada’s earliest iron foundries. He settled here at the Forks of the Grand (where the Grand and Nith Rivers meet) in 1829, divided part of his land into town lots, and in 1830 constructed a grist-mill and named the town after the gypsum deposits that were mined nearby. Gypsum is used to make plaster of Paris. The town of Paris is often referred to as the “cobblestone capital of Canada” because of the many cobblestone buildings that are still standing.

Paris is home to thirteen cobblestone buildings. Mason Levi Boughton inspired Paris’ cobblestone technique in the mid to late 1800s. It is estimated that over 14,000 cobblestones were required to build one traditional farmhouse. Each cobblestone is about the size of a sweet potato. Cobblestone architecture refers to the use of cobblestones embedded in mortar to erect walls of houses and commercial buildings.

Levi Boughton was born in Normandale, New York in 1805. He came to Brantford, Ontario in 1835 and in 1838 he moved to Paris. He brought the cobblestone craft to Paris. The cobbles are fist-sized rocks. Boys were paid ten cents a day to walk beside a sled pulled by oxen and throw cobbles turned up by ploughing into the sled. Mortar is laid in horizontal courses with cobbles framed with mortar joints. Cobblestone walls use lime mortar which is a mixture of lime and sand. Lime mortar sets slower, is more elastic and easier to work with than cement-based mortars. Because lime mortars are porous, relatively soft, and have low tensile strength, corners and wall openings in cobblestone structures are strengthened by rectangular blocks of stone called quoins. Window sills and lentils were also reinforced.

22 Church Street – Dr. Alfred Bosworth and his wife Sarah built their home in 1845. It is in the Queen Anne Regency style and has cobblestones on the front and south facades and cut fieldstones on the other two sides. In 1870, Reverend and Mrs. Thomas Henderson were living in the house. Originally from Scotland, Rev. Henderson wrote to his friends the Bell family and advised them to come to Canada for a healthier environment for their son Alexander Graham Bell.

31 Church Street

40 Dumfries Street – pre 1841 – Hugh Finlayson was the first mayor of Paris and also the first speaker of the Provincial parliament. He lived in this Georgian red brick house with Neo-Classical features.

17 Dumfries Street – Italianate with two-storey tower-like bay – Beautiful century home within walking distance to downtown

57 Main Street – stone Regency Cottage, dormer in attic

19 Queen Street – Levi Boughton’s house is an Ontario cottage is simple and elegant. It looks small but it has twelve foot ceilings. The exterior has cobblestone walls on three sides. The cobblestones are small and evenly matched in size and color. The Boughtons had sixteen children and three of them became masons and plasterers. Under the low pitched roof is nested the plastered and painted attic with a height of less than five feet at the peak – sleeping quarters for the children.

3 Arnold Street – Ouse Lodge (named after Ouse River – now Grand River) – early 1840s – Italianate cobblestone, two-storey bay window, second floor balcony, corner quoins – built by Levi Boughton as the Anglican Rectory for Rev. William Morse. Morse was also a musician and the house had a pipe organ.

14 Grand River Street South – yellow brick, voussoirs and keystones, two-storey bay window, cornice brackets

52 Grand River Street South – Greek Revival style – house of Asa Wolverton (sawmill owner), 1851 – wood frame construction covered in plaster of Paris

106 Grand River Street North – The Arlington Hotel – c. 1850s, 1888 – 4-storey stucco and yellow brick reminiscent of the Chateau style, Romanesque style arcades supported by red-brown marble columns at the street level, octagonal tower, arched and rectangular windows

16 Broadway Street West – cobblestone masonry in the Greek Revival style was built in 1845. Cast iron grills cover “stomacher” windows beneath the eaves. A well-matched addition in 1885 housed a doctor’s office. Smooth stones lintels and sills; the cobblestones are tilted; Greek symbols on the portico; dormers in attic; iron cresting on roof.

30 Broadway Street West – Italianate, cornice brackets, corner quoins, two-storey bay window

36 Broadway Street West – Italianate, paired cornice brackets, iron cresting on second floor balcony, two-storey bay window

Thunder Bay, Ontario – Part 2 – My Top 19 Picks

Fort William was a city in Northern Ontario located on the Kaministiquia River at its entrance to Lake Superior. It amalgamated with Port Arthur and the townships of Neebing and McIntyre to form the city of Thunder Bay in January 1970. The city’s Latin motto was A posse ad esse (From a Possibility to an Actuality) featured on its coat of arms designed in 1900 by town officials. “On one side of the shield stands an Indian dressed in the paint and feathers of the early days; on the other side is a French voyageur; the center contains an elevator, a steamship and a locomotive, while the beaver surmounts the whole.”

In about 1684, Daniel Greysolon, Sieur du Lhut, established a trading post near the mouth of the Kaministiquia River. French authorities closed this post in 1696 because of a glut on the fur market. In 1717, a new post, Fort Kaministiquia, was established at the river mouth. The post was abandoned in 1758 or 1760 during the British conquest of New France.

In 1803, the Nor ‘Westers established a new fur trading post on the Kaministiquia River and the post was named Fort William in 1807 after William McGillivray, chief director of the North West Company from 1804-1821. After the union of the North West Company with the Hudson’s Bay Company (HBC) in 1821 most trade shifted to York Factory on Hudson Bay. Two townships (Neebing and Paipoonge) and the Fort William Town Plot were surveyed in 1859-60 and opened to settlement.

By 1883-84, the Montreal-based CPR syndicate, in collaboration with the Hudson’s Bay Company, clearly preferred the low-lying lands along the lower Kaministiquia River to the exposed shores of Port Arthur, which required an expensive breakwater if shipping and port facilities were to be protected from the waves. The CPR subsequently consolidated all its operations there, erecting rail yards, coal-handling facilities, grain elevators and a machine shop.