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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2004-00026"PICKERING TOWNSHIP HISTORICAL SOCIETY PATHMASTER WINTER/SPRING EDITION VOLUME 5 NUMBERS 1&2 WHAT'S INSIDE In this issue we pay tribute to Robert Miller, Brougham's historian and founder of the Pickering Museum Village. Mr. Miller passed away last summer, but he left behind him a great legacy in the preservation of much of our heritage. The hamlet of Brougham is at the geographical centre of Pickering, and, according to Robert Miller, was named for Baron Henry Brougham, a Scottish Peer and Lord Chancellor of England. In the latter half of the nineteenth century a major annual event for the township was the Pickering Fair, which eventually found its home in Brougham. We give two accounts of the 1883 Fair. We include here articles that reminisce about Brougham's past, as well as reports about efforts to restore buildings that are part of Brougham's heritage. Painter/decorator John Livingstone relates in a letter his family's experience in facing expropriation from their land so that progress might ensue. The Pickering Fair In 1883 By Traveller [Ross Johnston] Ross Johnston, travelling salesman for the Whitby Chronicle, visited the Pickering Fair held in Brougham in October 1883. He described his experience in the Chronicle for 19 October 1883, writing under the name ""Traveller."" Illustration: The Brougham Hotel in 1858 Brougham, Oct. 18,1883: I was duly delivered here, per ""Scott's Express,"" Monday noon [8 October], and did ample justice to the substantial dinner provided by mine host Mr. Poucher.1 None of your city wrinkles with half a dozen little relishes surrounding your plate, containing a spoonful each of as many bewilderments, but a good old-fashioned square meal is what Mr. Poucher furnishes, with the help of his better half and kind attendants. Dinner over, I took a general survey of the neighborhood and made various calls on the inhabitants with my portfolio under my arm. I have reason to believe that the Pickering tax collector is a decent sort of a man and rather good-looking, because in six cases out of ten I was taken for his Highness and was never kicked out. Tuesday, made several professional calls, and found my way to the ""Agricultural Hall,"" where all was bustle and excitement in putting things in order for the annual Pickering fair. I noticed that the ""small boy"" of this neighborhood is about as equally vicious and demoralized as his brethren of the Town of Whitby as evidenced by the broken windows, and unsightly attempts at carving and lineal drawing, on the doors and walls of the Hall, and other empty buildings and on the fences. This is a public nuisance almost everywhere, which the authorities (especially the home authorities) should try and put severely down. I entered the Hall and inspected the exhibits." "Illustration: Plan of Brougham from the Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Ontario (Toronto: Beers, 1877) The whole affair was exceedingly creditable. I especially noticed the fine display of Blankets, Sheetings, Yarns, Tweeds, Full-cloths and other goods of Messrs. Waterhouse & Tarlin of the Altona Woolen-mills. The price list will show how successful they have been. I noticed also an exhibit of Boots and Shoes and other articles in that line, made by N.J. Daley of Stouffville who carried off several prizes. Mr. Wm. Fleming of Markham showed an exceedingly fine organ, made by ""the Dominion Organ Co."" which both for appearance of instrument and purity of tone richly merits the prize awarded to it. Our own Mr. A.A. Barret,2 King of Photographers, it is hardly necessary to say, gained the red ticket, and some of our Whitby young ladies did great credit to themselves and the Town by carrying off a number of prizes on quilts and fancy work of various kinds of which there was a fine display. In the ornamental department the entries were numerous and excellent, and well deserved the attention they received. There was a fine variety of canned and preserved fruits, jellies, wines, pickles, honey &c., and some excellent samples of wheat, barley, peas, and other grains, and a fine show of butter. Mr. Musgrove 3 of Brougham showed a novelty in Agricultural Implements consisting of a Turnip-Raiser brought out by Mr. Miller from Scotland, also a set of Turnip Harrows. Mr. Somerville of Brooklin showed two ""Champion"" Seed Drills manufactured by Coulthard & Scott of Oshawa, and Messrs. Fleury & Son of Markham, through Mr. Mathews 4 of Brougham showed a very fine Turnip sheer and a Strawcutter. There were also some Dairy exhibits deserving special attention. I got crowded up by a crowd of ladies seeking shelter from a threatening rain storm, and although in my desperation I opened my bosom and displayed the white badge with the word ""Press"" in plain, distinct letters, the only effect was that they pressed me all the closer, doubtless putting a wrong interpretation on my act of self-defence. So much for Pickering's big Fair. In other letters it will be my pleasure to tell you of other attractive features of this important and thriving township. Traveller. Notes: 1 Although he purchased the Commercial Hotel in 1890, in 1883, Thomas Poucher was proprietor of the Brougham Hotel across the street. Poucher's main occupation was as an auctioneer, and he usually left the running of the hotel to others. 2 Augustus Barrett had a photographic studio in Whitby (see the ad). In 1883, his ads proclaimed him the ""photographer of the County of Ontario."" Not only did he captured the top prize for photography at this fair, but he also collected prizes for watercolour painting (2nd), oil painting (2nd), and velvet painting (2nd) (Pickering News, 19 October 1883, p. 2) 3 William Mosgrove was a blacksmith in Brougham for over 50 years from 1872, having moved to Brougham from Oshawa. He died in 1924. (Miller) 4 Wesley Matthews had a shop where he sold agricultural implements and sewing machines. In the month following this article Matthews' shop burned to the ground in a disastrous fire that also devoured two residences and the Grange Hall (Pickering News, 30 November 1883). 2" "1883 The Pickering Fair: AN IMMENSE SUCCESS Pickering News Friday, October 12th, 1883 The Pickering News covered the 1883 Pickering Fair in its 12 October issue (although the prize lists continued into the following week's issue). It makes an interesting comparison to Johnston's more informal report. The Pickering Township Agricultural Society's Fall Show was held at Brougham on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week, and proved to be a most successful one in every respect. The entries in the various departments were far in excess of last year, the secretary being kept busy from eight o'clock on Tuesday morning up to two o'clock making entries as fast as he could write the names. The different departments in the hall were well represented; indeed it may safely be said that it was the best display ever made at a Township fair.... Re-entering the hall the first exhibit which attracts attention is that of Mr. Fleming, of Markham, who shows a beautiful Bowmanville organ. Alongside him Mr. W. Matthews makes a display of sewing machines in operation. To the right Brownridge & Lee, of the ""House of all Nations,"" Pickering, make an excellent exhibit of their choice teas, in tin caddies and also in packets, with which a nice volume is given. They also show the Bon-ton coffee. The display of boots and shoes, by Mr. Daley, of Stouffville, comes next, and showed to good advantage. The Altona Woollen Mills also make a good show of their products — in yarns, cloths, etc. The Singer Sewing Machine Co. is represented by Mr. Winger, of Markham. Mr. Wm. Taylor's exhibit of red onions in the hall, attracted considerable attention, being the best display in that line we have seen for some time. We understand he has them for sale. Owing to the absence of names on the tickets we are unable to note the exhibits made by different exhibitors. The ladies department was the most complete of any, and certainly reflected great credit. In confectionery the display was particularly line, that of Miss Tamer Barclay, Mrs. J.B. Burk, Mrs. Patterson and Miss E. Smith being very tempting. One of the most attractive features of the show this year was the speeding in the horse ring. Several very fine animals were shown therein. The show of cattle, sheep and pigs was above the average. Considerable dissatisfaction was caused by the way the races in the ring were managed. Sufficient notice was not given parties when the races were called. Miss Leng, of this village, was on the ground all ready to enter the class for lady riders, but received no intimation that the race had been called, and consequently did not compete. Several protests were also lodged against the decision of the Judges in the speeding contests. The hotel-keepers were taxed to their utmost to supply the wants of their numerous patrons, the courteous and obliging proprietor of the Brougham House accommodating an immense number in his usual satisfactory manner. The side-show attractions were not numerous, a ""Punch and Judy"" business being about the only attraction for the youngsters. A couple of perambulating photo-takers also had their portable galleries on the road-side, taking tintypes at four for a quarter. The Whitevale brass band enlivened the proceedings with good music... [Partial] Prize List Machinery and Implements Pump. G. Gerow,____________________ 2 entries, diploma Plough, any kind,___________________1st W. Matthews, diploma Grain drill.________________________A. Summerville, diploma Seeder,___________________________do. Turnip scuffler._____________________W. Matthews, diploma Straw cutter._______________________W Matthews, diploma Buggies, open and top,________________Addison & German Cutter,___________________________Addison & German Sewing machines.___________________W. Matthews, Wheeler & Wilson Turnip sheer,______________________W. Matthews Cabinet organ,_____________________W. Fleming, Dominion organ Horse shoes,_______________________Geo. Graham Fanning mill.______________________W. Matthews Turnip topper and puller,______________Wm. Mosgrove 3 " "Reminiscences of Early Days Of Brougham Isabelle Smith Brown wrote two short histories of Brougham. The first, entitled simply ""Early History of Brougham,"" was written about 1927. and to our knowledge was never published. Two decades later she wrote this second account, which she had published in the Oshawa Times-Gazette (16 December 1949). Mrs. Brown was a prolific writer and wrote columns for both the Toronto Globe and the Oshawa Times-Gazette. In these columns she was known as ""Grannie of Reekey Lum"" As she said herself, she was native-born and ""learned much history by hearsay"" Isabelle Smith married Thomas Clayton Brown, also a native-born resident of Brougham, and with an ancestry that went back deep into Brougham's and Pickering's history. The Browns were grandparents to Fern Miller, to whom we are indebted for this article. For some time I have contemplated putting on paper memories of early days in the village of Brougham, which at one time bid fair to become a place of importance. It was situated in the centre of one of the finest farming townships in the province, but as time went on, and railroads came into operation both to north and south, and it remained isolated, its high hopes were dimmed. Early Settlers My late husband, Thomas C. Brown, son of Robert Brown and Margaret McIntyre, and grandson of Nicholas McIntyre, who settled here in 1828, coming from the Isle Of Mull, and Isabelle Smith Brown, were native born residents of the village, and learned much history by hearsay. Settlers began to arrive in the district in the last years of the 18th century. Stones in old cemeteries testify to this. Before 1850, great progress had been made. The village of Brougham had been established. Pickering township was organized in 1811, although the township hall was not built until 1850. The meetings were held previously in homes or at Andrew Thompson's tavern, a large frame building standing on the corner of the Brock Road at the Fifth Concession. It is reported that John Scott, who sold the land for the hall, was its first caretaker, with an annual salary of $12.00!, and the privilege of using the hall between sessions of the council as a photograph gallery, the first here. Mrs. Bruff later visited the village periodically with a wagon, to take photographs. First Stores In the early days of the village the Bentley families, which came from New York, played a prominent part. William Bentley came in 1829 and James in 1835. They built the first store in 1835. They also built two houses, a large frame one which stood where the church now stands, and the large brick corner house, still the pride of the village and now the property of a granddaughter of the original Bentleys, Mrs. C. Shepherd. In 1832 there arrived from Ireland Henry Howel, who settled at Spring Creek, then called Howel's Hollow, and established quite a business centre there, including a saw mill, distillery and other mercantile products. He was the first postmaster, and named the post office Brougham, which name was adopted by the village when the post office was established in the Bentley store. Farm Conditions and Building It is hard to realize today what farming meant in these early days. Newly cleared land was full of stumps and stones, and grain was sown by hand and cut with a cradle. No other way was possible until the stumps were removed. I remember the first stump-pulling machine in 1878, clearing the 25-acre field north-east of the village, the stumps providing the fence to the east of the field. The farm village houses up to 1850 were of wood clapboard construction, and the interior construction of many followed one pattern, indicating that one set of builders did the work. House and barn carpenters were Ed. Wade, R. Lambert, Hiram Nutt, and Jake Tool. George B. Smith made furniture and did the inside woodwork. Public Buildings By 1859 there were several brick buildings. There was the public school. It was a great contrast to the former 24 by 30 feet frame building, which was bought by the late G. B. Smith and converted into a home where this writer was born. In 1859 also the Christian Church was built, the first church in the village. The congregation was organized in 1824 with seven members, which increased gradually to 62. They met 4" "in homes for fellowship, with no stated pastor, until Elder Tatton, by his energy and popularity, succeeded in having a church erected. It was a real community effort. This church, with its shining steeple and belfry, was a great achievement for that period. Many regretted the necessity of demolishing this attractive church, which seemed an integral part of the community. In the nearby cemetery rest the pioneers of that early church. The Presbyterian body built a stone church on the 7th Concession in 1848, and continued to worship there until, in the pastorate of the Rev. John Cameron the congregation came to the village and worshipped in the Christian Church until Rev. Lewis Perrin, its pastor, inspired the members to build. The corner stone was laid by the late John Miller on June 24,1890 and the church was opened for worship in 1831. The Methodist Church was built in 1869, a frame building, later covered with brick, and sold after Church Union became effective. It was bought and rebuilt into a house and is now the home of the Fallows family. In 1850 the Sons of Temperance came into being, and became a great power for good in this district. At first the members were all men, mainly heads of families, but later women and teen-agers were admitted, in some cases whole families. These young people grew up as total abstainers, and had a great influence on public thought. When the township had a plebiscite on local option, the Sons of Temperance, with time and money, persevered through tedious litigation until a favorable verdict was obtained, a signal honor was once conferred on two of its members, G. B. Smith and Sylvanus Sharrard, when they were elected to office in the National Division of North America. Hotels in the Village At one time three hotels flourished in the village. The old Central Hotel was built and operated by Powel Woodruff. The Commercial was built by Charles Matthews, and Sampson Webb built a front to his residence as a hotel. The old Central is now Mrs. Woodward's store. The Commercial houses the council chambers, and the Webb is now the residence of Albert Grey. In early days, a place of accommodation was a real necessity when produce and grain had to be transported from the back townships with horses and wagons to the lake front for shipment. The accommodation was very welcome, but some tragic events in the history of the village were caused by strong drink. Agricultural Fair Another organization that flourished from 1850 to 1889 was Pickering Township Agricultural Fair, with the coming to the county of well-to-do farmers, like the Millers of this district, bringing with them stock imported from the old land, stock breeding grew rapidly in the township. Shows were held in different places, with plowing matches in connection with them. These grew in popularity until 1850 a fall fair was organized. Brougham and Greenwood were both claimants for having the annual fair, but in 1866 four acres of land were bought from James Hubbard for $3 50, and Brougham people helped to raise the money, so that the Pickering Agricultural Fair was established on a permanent basis in 1886 and continued until 1889. The first fairground was on a lot north of the Dean Man's residence, but it is now incorporated in the Mervin Annis farm. The new fair ground was surrounded by a fence too high for boys to climb over, and too low for them to crawl under. Pens were built for animals and a fine hall. It was a most popular fair until in 1887 and 1888 pouring rain made the annual shows impossible, and the fair was discontinued. This co-operative movement was a great benefit to agriculture, the fact of the farmers meeting and working together uniting them in a common bond of fellowship. Brougham has one genuine Scottish shepherd, who 'kent well hoo tae lift the sheep's faces adjust locks for exhibeetion.' The agricultural hall was used for a time as a skating rink, until John Cowan bought it and used the timbers in building the church. The land is now the property of M. Harlock. Public School The public school plays a great part in the history of any community, and Brougham school has a long history. The earliest records of the school are those of 1836. Several of the earliest teachers were women, but the earliest I remember were Alvan Herrick, Amos Ferrier and Hector Baxter. The latter was a young man of little experience but with a forceful character which made itself felt in the community. He was a strong advocate of temperance, and his principles made him enemies of the then three hotels, from which he suffered persecution. He made the school grounds into a show place, with artistically arranged flower beds and planted trees. He inaugurated township school picnics. These picnics remained a happy memory throughout the years, with the women and children all enthused by them. Brougham had its eight horses hitched tandem, with Charles Hubbard at the lines; No. 12 school had a square of horses. There were bands playing and in the contest, Brougham was the banner school and was named 'Maple Lodge School.' Clergymen, politicians and educationists were all proud to be guest speakers and the pupils had contests. One of the prize winners for elocution was Emma Woodruff (the late Mrs. W. Allaway, Pickering), Mr. Baxter also staged grand entertainments, at one of which his presence of mind averted a tragedy, a curtain took fire while the township hall was packed with people who jammed the doors, which opened inwards. For a time panic ensued. But Mr. Baxter crushed the fire with his hands and calmly restored order. For some years male teachers were the rule, and they were almost necessary, as in the winter months the farm boys went back to school, either to finish their education or do a bit of courting. Medical Profession The most important of all professions is that of the M.D., and in this Brougham was well served. In the early days Mr. Tucker of Duffin's Creek served the community, but in 1862 a newly graduated doctor, William Ferrier, took up permanent residence in the village and remained there until 1882, when he went to Claremont. He was followed by Dr. Eugene Freel, a very popular young doctor, who was followed in turn by Dr. Bateson, Dr. Fish and Dr. McKinnon, and since the last named doctor's death Brougham has been served by doctors from other centres. Natives of Brougham who became doctors years ago were Dr. L. Bentley and Dr. Frank Bentley, Dr. L. Woodruff, Dr. G. Lamoreau, Dr. B. Churchill and Dr. F. King. Trades Represented One of my purposes in writing this historical sketch was to show the interdependence of farm and village in earlier days, before the time of the large department stores delivering goods direct to the homes. Formerly, almost every trade was represented in the village. One of the most important to farmers was that of the blacksmith. Among the earliest were two brothers, Sandy and Jake Smith, from Aberdeen, at the old smithy one and a half miles west of the village. They went to the United States and their brother-in-law, Robbie Greig, came in 1852 and took over. In the village Tom Middaugh has the old stone shop just south of the Brown carriage 5" "shop, where Robert Brown also made coffins. In 1870, William Mosgrove bought the Brown shop, and worked there for 50 years until his death in 1924, when the business ceased. A number of Brougham boys learned the trade in Mr. Mosgrove's shop. Another trade of importance was that of harness-making. Among the earliest to engage in it were S. Grosse, George Crowhurst, Van Buren Woodruff, W. Woodruff, M. Morris, in the eighties, Adam McDowell, who employed three men followed by Messrs Hargrave, Coakwell and Jewel until the trade ceased. A tannery was operated on the creek, behind what is now the M. Harlock residence. This tannery was operated by Andrew Patterson and Son and fell a prey to fire in 1878. The house on the lot was burned years later and rebuilt by Mr. Harlock. Industries in Village Several industries used to flourish in the village. A sizable creek used to flow through the flats, and on it in 1859, a saw mill was built. This was burned down in 1867, and rebuilt the same year, with the addition of a tub factory, the proprietor being George B. Stock. My earliest recollection of it was as a basket factory, under the joint management of A. Fennell and W. Wilkinson, employing twelve women and five men. The late William Barnes bought the business in 1874, and transferred it to Green River. The medicine factory was also operating at that time, under the management of N. Woodruff and W Bentley, employing five or six girls and the manager, but it was soon after sold to a Toronto firm, Milburn, Bentley and Pearson. The factory building was sold to the farmers' organization known as ""The Grange' and was used for meetings and as a farmers' cooperative store, until the early eighties, when, with two houses and an implement shop and livery stable on the south side of Main Street, it was destroyed by fire. The Presbyterian, now United Church was built on the corner. Another disastrous fire in the eighties was that at the extensive carriage making shops of Sampson Webb and Sons, which extended from Easton's corner to the then Methodist Church lot. These shops were never rebuilt. The shoemaker trade was represented through the years by Joseph Reeves, Richard Underhill, James Murdock and W. J. Bodell, whose shop was the rendezvous of old retired citizens, who met there and discussed and settled to their own satisfaction all problems political, economic and moral. Possibly the untidy shop was a contrast to too much order at home. W J. Bodell, who lived his life of over eighty years almost entirely in the village, had two wives and a large family which had grown up and scattered. Left alone, he seemed part of the village and he passed away over twenty years ago. In the seventies Thomas Hamilton was the baker employing three men. William Smith was a stone mason, James Thornton, butcher, and James Howitt a weaver of wollen goods in those days when wool was spun at home for home use. Mrs. Brown was a rag carpet-weaver from 1886 to 1914. Tailors were Miller and Pat Doyle. Dressmakers were Mrs. Helen Marr and her daughter, Mrs. E. Thornton Elsie Smith, Almira Wilson and Bell Brown, Jorham Littlepohn was the well digger. Village men and farm boys without trades became farm helpers, but earnings were only $15 to $20 a month for men and $4 to $5 a month for domestic servants, with no stated hours of work. These conditions sent many would-be good citizens to seek homes in the west, where many became well-to-do and occupied important positions in their adopted communities. Stores of the Village The first store, built by the Bentleys in 1835 had as storekeepers the Bentleys, James Smith, James Logie, John Burk and Moses Linton. Mr. Linton was the owner when it was burned in 1878, destroying his store and dwelling, the dressmaking and millinery business of Elsie Smith, Peter Hoyle's tailor shop, the residence of E. Wade, the house and harness shop of M. Morris and the Sons of Temperance Hall. In 1880, a double store brick building was erected on the site and a brick Temperance Hall replaced the old one. The first storekeeper in the new store was J. Douglas, and it was occupied in turn by Messrs Morton, Willis, Gleason, Alger, Phillip, Annis, Gannon and Knox. This store was burned down in 1923 and rebuilt the following year by E. Annis. The stores of these early days were well stocked with everything necessary to supply the needs of a self-sustaining community, the storekeepers often having to exchange goods paid for in cash for unsaleable butter and ancient eggs and smile while they did it. The only store building of the originals is the store and residence of Mrs. Brown, where the public library has been located since 1922. Brougham has now once again entered on a period of expansion. Much building is going on. The Citizens' League and the Women's Institute look after the social life of the community. The United Church is binding the people together in worship. Past history is not so important since World War No. 2, but the staunch and noble characters of the old generations have descended to the youth of today, to fit them to grapple with present day problems. Lend Us Your Photos, Your Letters, Your Diaries The PTHS has received a grant from the Trillium Foundation to enhance our database of Pickering's history. When we were collecting materials for our millennium book Time Present and Time Past: A Pictorial History of Pickering we created a database of about 3000 images. With the help of the Trillium grant we will be able to add another 2000 or more images. To accomplish this, however, we need your help. We need you to lend us for scanning photographs, documents, and artifacts that help to tell the story of Pickering. This is the time to clean your attic, to sort your papers, or to locate your photograph albums. We need not keep any of these items long, but just borrow them for a short time, or, if preferred, we can bring our scanning equipment to your house and do the work there. Whether you have any items of use to us or not, you may know of others—even those now far removed from Pickering—who might be willing to lend us items of their, and Pickering's, heritage. What are we looking for? Almost anything that pertains to Pickering's Past: photographs, letters and post cards, diaries and journals, deeds and other documents, maps, articles of Pickering manufacture, items with Pickering Township names attached, family histories—the sky's the limit. Please help us in this endeavour so that we can have a comprehensive collection. Don't leave your family's history out of the picture. 6" "The Miller Family OF THISTLE HA' FARM By John and Monica Ladell Illustration: The Miller House, c1972 This item was first publishes in 1979 in the Ladell’s book Inheritance: Ontario’s Century Farms Past and Present (Toronto: Macmillian, pp.249-253). Reprinted with permission. Occasionally one comes across a farm whose appearance is strikingly different, as if, by accident or intention, the first owners had recreated their new Canadian homestead in the mould of another country. Thistle Ha' is such a farm. John Miller, a native of Dumfriesshire, Scotland, employing stonemasons originally from Yorkshire, built the big field-stone house, ""remembering the stone cottages and castles of his native land,"" and the result is a farm that would fit comfortably among the hills and dales of the north of England or the Lowlands of Scotland: dry-stone walling, stone fences reminiscent of Westmoreland or of Scottish field dikes, a farm gate that has to be opened to allow vehicles to reach the house, land sloping away to the east in a pattern of fields and trees. Hugh Miller is the present owner of the farm. His grandfather, John Miller, the first owner, was born in 1817 on a croft near Annan in Dumfriesshire in southern Scotland. During the years of hardship following the Napoleonic Wars, the Miller family was so poor that they could only feed one pig a year. They always chose a pig with a large head, it is said, as that was the only part they kept to eat themselves; the rest of the carcase was sold. John Miller left this life of poverty when, at the age of eighteen, he came to Upper Canada in 1835, there to join his uncle, George Miller, on Rigfoot Farm in Markham Township. He worked for his uncle for four years, then drew his accumulated wages, consisting of two cattle and four sheep, and settled in 1839 on a two-hundred-acre lot in Pickering Township. There he continued the back-breaking task of clearing the land, for which he received the deed in 1848. John Miller had only an axe to fell the trees, some of them maple over three feet in diameter, and when the trees were gone, in came the thistles. With wry humour, he named his farm ""Thistle Ha'"" (""Ha""' meaning a ""small hall""). He might equally as well have named it ""Stone Ha'"": the ground was so rocky that one could step from one stone to another. John Miller remarked that ""the Devil must surely have intended the farm to be the foundation of his house, but had made the mistake of putting a little dirt between the stones instead of mortar..."" It was to take the Miller family over a century to rid the land of the worst of the stones, some of which weighed as much as two tons. Hugh Miller describes how it was done: ""It would take two teams of horses to get them out. Dig a hole round them; make a ramp. Roll them up the ramp. When they had the first snow, they'd move them on a stone-boat. Or they'd keep a fire going around them all day, then at night throw on two five-gallon cans of cold water. The stones shatter with a crunch. I've done it myself."" The first crops were barley and peas, sown by hand and reaped by cradle. The fields were ploughed by single-furrow ploughs, harrowed by a tree branch, and levelled by a log dragged over them drawn by a team of oxen. Threshing was by flail in a barn, usually at night, when it was too dark to work outside. Sacks of wheat were carried through the woods to Markham some ten miles away, there to be ground into flour. One spring when me family was almost starving, they turned the cattle out into the woods, watched them to see what plants they ate— then devoured the same plants themselves. Such was their need that season that they were forced to eat the potatoes they had saved for planting. In spite of all these hardships, it took only a few years for John Miller to establish himself. In 1852 he turned his attention to the importation and improvement of livestock, something for which the Miller family would become famous. The first pedigreed cattle were brought to Thistle Ha' from Kentucky. They were Durham or Shorthorn cattle, descended from those raised in England by the noted breeder William Booth of Kirklevington in County Durham. They were big, rough cattle but very good milkers, and they formed the foundation of the Thistle Ha' herd of purebreds that is now the oldest in the world. In the 1860s, John realized that the American mid-west and some areas of Canada were eminently suitable for beef production. So he set about adapting the boom breed to produce a beefier type of animal. To this end, animals were imported directly from Scotland to become the foundation of today's beef industry. One of his great Shorthorn bulls was Vice Consul, bred by Amos Cruikshank of Aberdeenshire, ""a Quaker with an immense genius for improving livestock."" Then there was Young Abbotsford, a beautiful bull, and later two outstanding females, Cherry Bloom and Rose of Strathallan. At the same time as he was importing cattle into Canada, John Miller was bringing in sheep and horses. The first sheep were Cotswolds and one consignment came to grief in a violent storm off the coast of Ireland, as a result of which a number of them died. At the height of the tempest John Miller wrote laconically in his diary: ""I never expect to see land again."" 7" "Illustrations: - Plaque in recognition of Thistle Ha' Farm, erected by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada - The Miller House, c l984 In 1872 he brought the first Shropshire sheep to Canada. These sheep were the ancestors of what would become a famous flock, and their descendants are still at Thistle Ha'. John Miller's son, another John, became renowned as a judge of sheep throughout North America. There were horses, too. ""Americans used to come here to buy horses when they opened up the prairies,"" Hugh Miller relates. ""At first there was a demand for big, rough horses that could pull stumps, and so we had shire horses here then. But when they stopped sowing grain by hand and used seed drills, they needed a different type of horse— smaller, easier to feed, better legs and feet. When the change came, my grandfather and one of his sons saw what was happening. They bought a stallion in Aberdeenshire, a great horse named Boydson Boy. He was a good walker and he produced colts that could step out well and pull wagons. He lived until he was twenty-five years old and left a tremendous number of colts. There's a picture of him upstairs...."" Thistle Ha' farm still has two horses that are hitched up to the wagon and worked when the hay is being baled and drawn. During the last decades of the nineteenth century, the Miller family, now the firm of John Miller and Sons, emerged as one of the most aggressive and successful promoters, breeders, and sellers of pedigreed livestock in North America. ""They had the confidence and they had the conceit,"" Hugh Miller says. John Miller's son, Robert, Hugh Miller's uncle, helped organize many of the leading livestock associations in North America. His livestock interests took him all over the world, and wherever he went, he displayed the Millers' uncanny knack of being able to apply and profit from their knowledge and experience of breeding animals. He knew, for instance, that breeders of merino sheep in the United States, including the brothers Eugene and John Little, were having trouble with the ticks and fleas that gathered in the folds of skin around the necks of this breed. Near Paris, France, he saw some Spanish merino sheep at Rambouillet, where the noted scientist and explorer Baron von Humboldt bred sheep without the neck folds. He bought five of these sheep — four ewes and a ram— and took them back to the Littles. Hugh Miller remembers as a boy going round the Royal Winter Fair with his uncle Robert. ""He was getting up in years at the time, but he'd been everywhere, done everything, and seen everything. Pigs, cows, sheep, horses — he knew them all. He'd walk around the Fair and wherever he went, he'd have an audience of twenty to thirty people just hoping to hear what he had to say."" When John Miller married Margaret Whiteside in 1847, they lived in a rough log house. In time they were to have eight children and some larger accommodation would be needed. In 1855, work was begun on a new stone house. The stones from the fields were used as building material and lime for mortar was burned on the farm. The masons were Yorkshiremen, the Pearson brothers of Ashburn, who were paid $1.25 a day, no small amount for those days. By the 1870s John Miller had become a noted public figure: councillor, then reeve and afterwards warden of Ontario County. In 1875 an east wing was added to the house containing a ballroom, an ash-pit, and a brick oven large enough to bake twenty-two loaves. Present-day visitors have been known to comment on the skill shown by the architect who must have designed the east wing, but Hugh Miller says that when the foundations were about to be laid his grandfather was going away on a trip and it was his uncle Robert who was instructed to ""pace them out."" It is a beautiful home, substantially unchanged inside and out. Robert Miller, Hugh Miller's brother, wrote in 1973: ""Today this noted rural residence still stands, one of the finest examples of the stonemason's art, with its arched lintels locked with a central keystone and walls two feet thick. The corners are as plumb as the day they were laid. It is one of the few pioneer homes that has not been remodelled; an interesting landmark in an ever-changing rural scene."" Despite its architectural dignity, the Miller house and the family farm itself have been threatened in recent years with total destruction. On January 30, 1973, Thistle Ha' was expropriated by the federal government to make way for the proposed Pickering airport. There followed four years of uncertainty, distress, and frustration amidst a well-publicized controversy. At considerable cost to themselves, the Millers finally won from the Supreme Court of Canada a decision that rescinds the expropriation order. As a gracenote to this story, it is a pleasure to be able to add that because of the distinction of the Miller family's contribution to Canadian agriculture, Thistle Ha' Farm has been identified as a Canadian National Historic Site. ""This farm was acquired in 1848 by John Miller,"" the text for the plaque reads, ""a Scottish immigrant who became a pioneer importer and breeder of pedigreed livestock in Canada.... Miller's example, as well as the animals bred at Thistle Ha', played an important role in improving stock-breeding throughout North and South America in the 19th century. Succeeding generations of Millers have maintained the farm's reputation for raising fine blooded stock."" These words echo the comments of Robert Gibbons, President of the Agricultural and Arts Association, made over a century ago: ""In any history which may hereafter be written of the introduction of the most valuable breeds of livestock into this country, the names of the Millers of Markham and Pickering... must always be honourably mentioned."" 8" "Robert A. Miller In Memoriam by John W. Sabean Illustration: Robert Miller holding a copy of his history of Brougham. In the background is the Bentley-Gibson House. Robert Miller was an Honourary President of the Pickering Township Historical Society. This was most appropriate because he was primarily instrumental in the founding of the first PTHS created some forty years ago. In time that organization faded away — probably when the Millers moved away from Pickering — necessitating a recreation about six years ago. The inspiration for the refounding was Mr. Miller himself. Recently I have been doing some research on some of the buildings in Brougham and vicinity and could not help but reflect upon how difficult my task would have been if it were not for Miller's work in the 1960s and early 1970s culminating in his history of Brougham: The Ontario Village of Brougham: Past! Present! Future? Miller anticipated my every question —about dates, about circumstance, about the people involved. His work was meticulous, thorough, and accurate. Apparently, this was true about everything Miller put his hand to. I had intended to write a personal tribute to Robert Miller, a man I only met on two occasions, but a person whose shadow I am forever in when it comes to recording Pickering's history or attempting to preserve what remains of our heritage. Someone gave me a copy of an Elsa Storry tribute written when Miller's historical work had barely begun. It may not summarize all of his contributions to Pickering's history, but it does say much about the character of the man. We offer it here both as a remembrance for those who knew him well and as an introduction for those who had the misfortune of never meeting him. STORRY STORIES By Second Storry [Elsa Storry] From the Markham Economist and Sun, 19 September 1963 Last Saturday hundreds of people came to our village to see ""History in Action""— the theme of a demonstration of old machinery, of early arts and crafts, and exhibits of pioneer days. A tall, quiet man stood on the museum grounds where the demonstration was held, unnoticed by the crowds who milled around the old steam engines, the gas engines, the threshing machine, the sturdy team of horses, the drag saw, the hewer of logs, the old, cumbersome, incongruous tractors, the buggies, the cutters. He listened with happiness to the toots and whistles, the hisses, rumblings, groans, screeches of engines. He paused to see how the butter making was coming, and had a word with the bonnetted women who turned the thick white cream into butter. He walked through the buildings to see how the quilting bees were progressing, and to watch the men and women and children studying objects in cases, on the walls, and all over the place, that took them back into the pioneer past of early Ontario. He glanced at the weaving, the rug making, the old rope bed; at the baby who perpetually slept in the cradle of the past. This was Robert Miller's dream fulfilled. It was in 1959 that the village school celebrated its 100th birthday. Robert Miller was on the committee to plan the celebration, and it was his will and determination that filled the old school, which was vacated that year for a bigger school, with relics of the past. The success of the occasion led him to work towards the establishment of a museum on the ground. He worked, figured, instituted meetings, telephoned, wheedled, walked, drove, rummaged through barns and attics, put his hand down deep in his pockets. He negotiated, dickered and horse traded. He became someone who was just seen by his wife, Fern, and five children, at meal times and not always then — at the substantial brick house of his ancestors. FEW WORDS, MUCH ACTION He didn't work alone, of course. He had the Historical Society behind him, the Township Council, and a lot of people who said ""No"" but invariably changed it to ""Yes'.' A slow talker, a man of few words, he is. He would come to see you, and after an unbearably long pause, would utter a brief sentence or two, usually asking you to do something — something that was within your scope or talent. Even when you told him you didn't have time, were absolutely too busy, you knew you would do it when you saw his tall, lonely, yet undisturbed form striding out of the driveway. You might even forget, but soon he was back to remind you. And back again — and again. He always remembers to say ""Thank You"" and insists that everyone who helps, even in the littlest things, are paid suitable tribute. Endurance, patience, tenacity, determination, strength, and sheer stubborness are his qualities. Patience to wait, strength to heave and lift and load and push. Endurance to engineer a seemingly impossible feat of bringing to the site a century old log barn, which looked so settled, solid and substantial in its settlement in the forest at least 150 miles away, that it seemed to have deep roots in the soil. It came down in three tractor trailer trips. Much sweat was spilled — and blood, too — many words were used — and eloquent, long hours volunteered, in its transition and reerection. EVEN THE CAT I heard someone say the other day, ""Bob Miller is still the best pitcher around here!' Bob, who is only slightly on this side of the half century mark, pitches in the Softball games. With the same tenacity of the spirit that built the Museum, he was the force behind the establishment of the community park, with lights, and amid many obstacles and setbacks, brought this project to fulfillment— a project which is conspicuous in such a small village as ours. He works six days a week in his ""Mendit Shop"" welding and repairing, cleaning grain, and in between, dickering, pleading for more artifacts for the Museum. He is a mixture of strength and gentleness. You can see him every morning striding along the street towards the shop, with his little dish of food for the cat, not only on the six working days, but on Sundays, too. The cat eats seven days a week. 9" "The Bentley-Gibson House and the GTAA by Ian Nicoll When the last tenant was gone from the federally-owned Bentley-Gibson house, and talks were again resumed regarding the building of an airport in Pickering, the Greater Toronto Airports Authority (GTAA) decided to restore this heritage building to use as their base of operations in Pickering. Ian Nicoll was the architect charged with restoring the landmark structure, which lies at the very centre of the old Pickering Township. We thank Ian for writing this summary of his commission exclusively for us. Illustration: Bentley Gibson House in 1905 When the Greater Toronto Airports Authority was asked to research the ""Business Case"" for an airport on the Pickering lands the immediate decision was to perform the work in Pickering and the only question was where. Many suggestions were considered but none was more appealing than what was once the social centre of the Village of Brougham. This handsome structure had seen better days but there was no hiding the elegant proportions of the home that prosperous businessman William Bentley commissioned in 1853. Close study of the building revealed that having been sadly neglected and somewhat left to the elements as well as the local wildlife, there was much to be done if the house was to breathe life again. The challenge was quite enormous but the basic structure was sound and the GTAA embarked upon the restoration in the full knowledge of the difficulties that lay ahead including a time deadline that was extremely tight for such an undertaking. The building carries a Federal Heritage Registration, which calls for any alterations or improvements to be sensitive to the original character of the house and to gain approval of the work from me Federal Buildings Review Office in Ottawa. Accurate measurements of the existing building were made including inspections of all rafters, beams, joists and the like to establish what there was to work with in the way of floor loadings, bearing walls, etc. Based on these measurements, drawings were prepared from which planning studies ensued to confirm the use and occupancy the building could accommodate without the extension of the exterior walls of the house. While not commodious a working plan was accepted to fulfill the mandate. Decisions were also made that while the context, character and integrity of the building would be preserved, this all had to be accomplished while providing a usable office and information centre which contained the necessary modern conveniences of heating, air conditioning, plumbing and electricity. At the same time meeting the requirements of today's standards for fire-protection and building code compliance. In concert with the preparation of construction documents, historical research was undertaken to establish the authenticity of all the existing parts of the building as well as accounting for the alterations which were performed by the then owner Donald Gibson in the late 1950s. The house has undergone changes in its rich lifetime and some are easily evident such as the addition of the roof belvedere and the front porch, others more subtle in the interior were also traced so that a comprehensive record was made and explanations reasoned for their introduction. Old photographs and drawings were scrutinized to establish the exact pattern of the brick chimneys and the replacement of the roof with cedar shingles and hip boards as would have originally existed. Existing louvres were restored and new louvres made to match where missing. Windows were double glazed but leaving the original in place and venting the interstitial air space. The cellar became the mechanical room and intake and exhaust air is processed through louvres matching the originals of the house. Floors and walls were restored in the interior and what was once the ""Ballroom and Meeting Hall"" of yesteryear is now back in action as the ""Community Boardroom"" Elements such as the access ramp are a contemporary necessity and while it was never the intention to replicate Victorian or earlier woodwork, the detailing has an empathy with former years and is complementary to the character of the whole. Simple landscaping has opened up the vistas and the building now sits well in its place to showoff its colour scheme and hand-washed brickwork. The final product works well as a Site Office and Information Centre for the GTAA and it is most satisfying to be complimented for bringing the Bentley-Gibson House back to life. 10" "Illustrations: - Bentley-Gibson House in 1974 - Bentley Gibson House in 1997 - Bentley-Gibson House in 2002, just after restoration - Detail of restoration Bentley House, Brougham Commentary by Tom Cruikshank From Old Ontario Homes: Traditions in Local Architecture Photographs by John de Visser (Willowdale: Firefly Books, 2000), p. 79. In most old communities, the most prominent building in town is a church or public hall, but in Brougham, a crossroads hamlet that today seems perilously close to the inevitable northeastern expansion of Toronto, the honour goes to the William Bentley House. It stands proudly at the four corners, partially obscured by shrubbery, but its lofty rooftop belvedere never fails to attract the gaze of passersby. Architecturally, the house has even more to offer, with its generous windows and Georgian countenance. The impressive facade is enhanced by a gothicized Palladian window. Bentley could easily have taken his cues from an 1865 edition of The Canada Farmer, which featured plans for a similarly styled ""straightforward square house"", but he is actually thought to have built the house in the mid-1850s. His patent-medicine factory stood across the road. 11" "The Brougham Central Hotel : Conservation Study by Andre Scheinman The Brougham Central Hotel has for some time sat in the middle of the Pickering Museum Village closed to the public. The museum Foundation, however, had a strong desire to restore the building and put it to more useful purposes. To this end the Foundation hired heritage preservation consultant Andre Scheinman to research the structure and make recommendations as to the best use of the building within the museum's context. What follows is the Executive Summary, which prefaces his research document. We publish it here with the cooperation of the Pickering Museum Foundation and its chair, Pat Dunnill. Illustration: The Brougham Central Hotel as it appears in the Pickering Museum Village The main objective of this Study has been to examine and evaluate the historic and architectural data associated with the Brougham Central Hotel and, with fidelity to the results of this process, derive a plan for its future use, restoration, and interpretation. One particular aspect of the research was the search for any possible verifiable links between the building and Peter Matthews, the Mackenzie rebel, hung in retribution for his role in the failed 1837 Rebellion, and whose family had originally owned the land on which the hotel stood and who personally had inherited the adjacent lot. This process has been complicated by the moving of the building three times; the changing of the alignment of Brock Road; the similarity in names and proximity of location between it and the Brougham Hotel (the latter operated by Charles Matthews); the lack of extant records prior to 1851; and the complicated land history of Lot 18 (Peter Matthews' home lot) in the immediate aftermath of the Rebellion. While the primary source research related to the Matthews family was able to fill in much detail about their settlement of Lots 17 and 18, Concession 6, no documented link to a structure which would become the Brougham Inn (later the Brougham Central Hotel) could be found. However the location of the original Matthews family homestead on Lot 17, that it was a log structure which continued to be lived in by David Matthews, his family and his mother, Mary Ruttan Matthews, into the 1860s did come to light. Furthermore a close reading of the land records clearly revealed the concerns of Peter Matthews for his family as rebellion became inevitable. As well the questionable dealings of local authorities with regard to Lot 18 in the decade following the Rebellion became apparent. On the south 60 acres of Lot 19, Concession 6, the site of the hotel structure for over 100 years, it appears that Abraham Losie, who married Peter Matthews' sister Jane, was the first permanent settler, obtaining the parcel from his mother-in-law in 1822. As he is documented as a Pathmaster for the adjacent roadways over the subsequent decade it is likely he resided on that land, at least through that period. In 1837 he sold the property to William Bentley, though Bentley is reputed to have had a store in operation at the Brock Road corner of that property since 1835. In 1851 James Woodruff, a partner of William Bentley in his patent medicine business, is assessed for the property and noted as a ""Tavern Keeper"" in the census for that year. In April of 1851 Woodruff was granted a license to operate a Temperance Hotel and the Sons of Temperance and Literary Gem notes that he has ""turned his tavern, lately one in which spirituous liquors were sold, into a temperance house"" indicating also that Woodruff's Inn was well established as a tavern prior to 1851. Though its period as a Temperance Hotel was short (1851-cl856), it is relatively well documented and seems to have been the prime years for the building. The 1857 Gould Plan for the village of Brougham, which coincides with the purchase of the Inn property by Powell Woodruff, shows the Inn as a well-developed operation with at least four associated structures. It also shows the future location of the Brougham Hotel, which will eventually come to supercede the Brougham Inn. With the rise of the Brougham Hotel, the Brougham Inn changed its name to the Brougham Central Hotel. It continued to operate as such until 1877 when it was converted to a store. It appears that the two sections that comprise the building were each built separately and later joined. The two sections are structurally very different and there is evidence at the junction of the two buildings (such as the captured section of north wing roof which still has the shingle nails in place) of this attempt to mesh two distinct entities. The existing south wing is constructed of plank wall, in which sawn planks of average 3 ½ inches thickness form both the structure and walling of the building. Planks run the full height of the building and are mortised and tenoned into a heavy timber sill and top plate. Floor joists/beams are through 12" "Illustrations: - The Brougham Central Hotel as it appears in the Pickering Museum Village - Hotel sign notched into the planks with wedges used to further secure the joint. The planks are pinned into the gable rafters. In actuality the plank wall section varies at the existing south wall. Pegs, known as shear pins, are used to assist stability particularly during erection. While relatively uncommon across the province plank wall seems to have been more popular in this area. Plank wall was the derivation of earlier methods such as the stockade and the plank infilled timber frame. The noted pioneer of historic building investigation John Rempel examined a very similar plank wall structure during his research, which he dated as cl850. The moulding treatment and detailing of the window and door surrounds and base are late neo-classical in style and finely executed. The carpenter/joiner was clearly familiar with the pattern books that were popular in the United States in that period giving rise to the possibility that William Bentley might have been involved in the construction. The use of cut nails for furring and lathing and at miscellaneous locations (no wrought nails were found) preclude the building being any earlier than 1835 and more likely cl840. Other factors such as the reliance on sawn timber, the nature of the moulding treatment given this hinterland location, the lack of substantial proof of fireplace use and the general dating of plank wall buildings of similar detailing also tend to support this date. The South Wing was clearly built as a private residence and remained, even during the hotel era, the private rooms of the owner or proprietor. It appears that the current north wing (originally west wing) of the building was purpose-built as an Inn placed strategically at the head of the Brock Road where the roadway then jogged significantly to the east. Its having been built with a cellar which contained a well attest to its having been designed for that specific location and purpose. The plan of the building with ""tap room"" at the front and kitchen and storerooms to the rear is consistent with early tavern design. It is a timber-framed structure of sawn posts running full height and tenoned into a heavy timber top plate. Joists are mortised, tenoned and pegged into the posts. The timber frame was apparently filled with a mix of plaster, daub and rubble as a ""pugging"" acting as sound and rodent proofing. The tap room was fully wainscoted with beaded boards and originally the ceiling joists were exposed, being finely planed with chamfered edges. Early paint finishes were found on the beams and vestiges of typical mid-19th century wallpapers evident at the walls (most prominently the beam which formed the rear wall of the tap room). It, too, exhibits construction techniques consistent with a construction date of 1835-1845 (no hand wrought nails). The period l845-1850 would be a reasonable working date span for the joining of the two structures. Given the examination of all the available ""evidence"" it would seem that the most appropriate and responsible approach to the future interpretation of the building would be to focus on the documented hotel aspect of the building's history and/or its many remaining unique construction features. While there are pros and cons to concentrating on either of these aspects to the exclusion of the other it is recommended that the optimum scenario (considering the long-term vitality of the site and general education objectives) would involve both. Furthermore, once considering the interpretation of the building as a hotel it does make sense to focus particularly on the Temperance Hotel period, as a relatively well documented, if short, era in the building's history. It provides a unique interpretive opportunity not only for the presentation of the hotel itself but also for the whole social phenomenon of temperance and its influence and ramifications in the development of Southern Ontario. Any future for the building is going to require the urgent stabilization of the basic structure, followed by a program of thorough exterior and interior conservation and restoration. Most significantly the Hotel is poorly founded and consequently differential settlement is occurring. As well the timber sills of the south wing, plank and posts bases and the timber floor structure generally are seriously decayed increasing the settlement issues and destabilization of the structure. These conditions must be addressed in the short term. The Brougham Central Hotel has the potential to be as important to the heritage village as it once was to the Village of Brougham. For this to occur however will require the continued vision and dedication of the Pickering Museum Foundation and long-term support of the municipality and the people and institutions of Pickering. 13" "Making Our Own History Among the earliest settlers of Pickering Township were members of the Friends Society, otherwise known as Quakers, a religious organization of ""Plain Folk"" founded by George Fox in England in the seventeenth century. Timothy Rogers—an ancestor of Canadian communications magnate Ted Rogers — settled a number of families in the southeast corner of the township in the early part of the nineteenth century. These were later joined by other Quaker families from the British Isles. The history of these peace-loving people in Pickering formed the topic of our December 2001 meeting—""Pickering's Quaker Heritage""—led by Kathleen Hertzberg, one of the founders of the Canadian Friends Historical Association. A lasting legacy of the Friends' sojourn in Pickering Township is Pickering College, a coeducational institution located in Pickering from l877 to 1905. The school has since migrated to Newmarket after the main Pickering facility burned down in 1905. Dorothy Duncan, then Executive Director of the Ontario Historical Society, was our keynote speaker five years ago when our society made its first public appearance. Now retired from the directorship — but still active in OHS affairs, she returned in January 2002 to tell us what it was like ""Growing up in Brougham."" Dorothy was born in Oshawa, but moved to Pickering Township as a small child. She attended, at different times, both the Greenwood and the Brougham public schools. After attending Toronto Teachers' College she returned to the township to teach at the Brock Road Public School. Later Dorothy served as the Curator of Black Creek Pioneer Village and as a museum adviser for the Province of Ontario before taking over the leadership of the OHS. Continuing our tradition of observing Black History Month in February, we invited Peter Meyler co-author with his brother David of A Stolen Life: Searching for Richard Pierpoint, to relate the story of this remarkable early Ontario settler. Only bits and pieces of Pierpoint's life are known, even after intensive research, but the Meylers put these bits together to flesh out a cohesive tide of the former slave who served in the American Revolutionary War, moved to Upper Canada after the war as a United Empire Loyalist, fought in the War of 1812, and owned extensive property in the Niagara Peninsula. We thank Councillor Mark Holland for sponsoring this evening's meeting. Artist, poet, and student of early Ontario architecture, George Duncan was our March speaker. As a founding member of the Canadian Association of Professional Heritage Consultants (CAPHC) and the Heritage Coordinator for the Town of Richmond Hill for the past six years, George was the right person to speak about the advantages of relocating heritage buildings. He entitled his program: ""History Once Removed: Relocation Preservation."" While it formed no part of his address this evening, George has just launched a new book, a technical study of York County Mouldings from Historic Interiors 1820-1920, published by the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario. ""Time Depth Makes the Ontario Landscape"" was the title Thomas McIlwraith chose for his address to us in April, hoping it would be ""a sufficiently beguiling title to attract an audience keen to think about the mystery, possibility and pleasure of experiencing what a cultural landscape such as Ontario's has to offer the receptive explorer."" This topic built upon ideas already expressed in his book Looking for Old Ontario: Two Centuries of Landscape Change (see our review in Pathmaster 1:3, Spring 1998). Many of McIlwraith's slides of the Ontario countryside were ones that our attendees recognized and could relate to in one way or another. McIlwraith is an historical geographer who has taught at the University of Toronto at Mississauga—Erindale College since 1970. For our May meeting we turned to a couple of our members who were keen to tell us about their own historical researches. In ""A Tour of Newfoundland's History,"" Ray Bates took us away from southern Ontario to join him on his trip to Newfoundland where he met the ghosts of early explorers at L'Anse au Meadow and followed in the footsteps of the Grenfell Mission, among other experiences. Henry Gawman took us even further afield—in time as well as place— to sixteenth-century England to explore the life of ""The Virgin Queen,"" as Elizabeth the First was styled. The Tudor monarchs— Henry VII, Henry VIII, Mary, and Elizabeth have all held a fascination for the curious in part because of their contemporary publicists, in part because of the men of letters like Sir Thomas More and William Shakespeare who graced the period, but also in part because of their own colourful lives. Elizabeth's reign was a long one and she was master of her house until the very end. Catherine Thuro wrote the book on nineteenth-century oil lamps. In fact, she has now written three books on the subject, the most recent being Oil Lamps 3: Victorian Kerosene Lighting 1860-1900. This last book became the subject of her address to us at our June meeting. Thuro and her books have been widely accepted as the definitive authorities on the subject of oil lamps. She showed us slides of various types of hall, hanging and bracket lamps, accessories, catalogue illustrations and advertisements, and gave us some of the history of the manufacturers of these very attractive lighting fixtures. We tried out our new loudspeaker system with Catherine and she was a willing participant, and her son Randy was indispensable in getting the system working. 14" EXPROPRIATION Gllohn Li,4q,t Islam. 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