HomeMy WebLinkAbout1390 Whitevale (PLN 10-16)
CULTURAL HERITAGE PROPERTY
EVALUATION REPORT:
1390 Whitevale Road, Pickering, Ontario
SUBMITTED TO:
The City of Pickering
One The Esplanade Pickering, Ontario
L1V 6K7
November 10, 2015
SUBMITTED BY: Laurie Smith Heritage
Consulting
4 Bullock Avenue Ottawa, Ontario
K1S 1G8
613-863-8852 laurie@smithheritage.ca
In partnership with:
Amy Barnes Consulting
and
Chris Uchiyama Heritage
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 1390 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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Table of Contents
1 Introduction to the Site ............................................................................................................................. 1
2 Methodology .............................................................................................................................................. 4
3 Policy Framework ....................................................................................................................................... 5
4 Historical Context ....................................................................................................................................... 7
5 Architecture and Design ........................................................................................................................ 12
5.1 Stone House ......................................................................................................................................... 12
5.1.1 Interior ........................................................................................................................................... 15
5.2 Cultural Landscape ............................................................................................................................ 18
5.3 Archaeological Resources ................................................................................................................ 18
6 Contextual Background ......................................................................................................................... 19
7 Heritage Evaluation ................................................................................................................................. 20
7.1 Design or Physical Value ................................................................................................................... 20
7.2 Historic/Associative Value ................................................................................................................. 21
7.3 Contextual Value ................................................................................................................................ 23
7.4 Statement of Significance ................................................................................................................ 24
7.4.1 Description of Property .............................................................................................................. 24
7.4.2 Statement of Cultural Heritage Value .................................................................................... 24
7.4.3 Heritage Attributes ..................................................................................................................... 25
8 Recommendations .................................................................................................................................. 26
9 Sources ...................................................................................................................................................... 27
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List of Figures
Figure 1: 1390 Whitevale Road, Location and Boundary of Property Parcel (City of Pickering,
2015) .................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Figure 2: 1390 Whitevale Road, Context (Base map source: Google Earth Pro, 2015) ....................... 3
Figure 3: Front elevation of 1390 Whitevale Road, from Whitevale Road facing north (CU, 2015). . 3
Figure 4: 1390 Whitevale Road, Current Conditions. The barn and carriage shed shown here were
demolished after 2013 (Base map source: Google Earth Pro, 2015) ...................................................... 4
Figure 5: 1390 Whitevale Road shown on an excerpt from the 1877 Map of Pickering Township
(Base map source: J.H. Beers & Co., 1877) .................................................................................................. 9
Figure 6: Portrait of Asher Willson. (William McKay, The Pickering Story). ............................................. 10
Figure 7: Portrait of Joseph Wilson (Robert Willson. The Susannah/Asher Willson Saga). .................. 11
Figure 8: 1967 Centennial Souvenir Map showing “D. Procunier” as owner of the 100 acres in the
south half of Lot 22. (Courtesy of Pickering Public Library) ..................................................................... 11
Figure 9: Front façade of 1390 Whitevale Road (CU, 2015). .................................................................. 13
Figure 10: Ashlar stone treatment and stone quoins on façade and eastern elevation (CU, 2015).
............................................................................................................................................................................ 13
Figure 11: Gable roof with wood cornice and cornice returns (CU, 2015). ......................................... 14
Figure 12: Rear elevation, showing window ghosting in the third bay (CU, 2015). ............................ 14
Figure 13: Eastern elevation showing catslide roof (CU, 2015)............................................................... 15
Figure 14: Main level showing kitchen and western entranceway (CU, 2015). .................................. 16
Figure 15: Wooden doors, door casings and baseboards of main floor bedrooms (CU, 2015). ..... 16
Figure 16: New windows, with original casing and sills. (CU, 2105) ........................................................ 17
Figure 17: Wooden plank doors in kitchen with original hardware (CU, 2015). .................................. 17
List of Tables
Table 1: Factors Indicating Archaeological Potential or Lack of Archaeological Potential ........... 18
Table 2 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 1390 Whitevale Road as Per
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 1. i., ii., and iii ................................................................................................................ 20
Table 3 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 1390 Whitevale Road as Per
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 2. i., ii., and iii ................................................................................................................ 22
Table 4 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 1390 Whitevale Road as Per
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 3. i., ii., and iii ................................................................................................................ 23
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 1390 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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1 Introduction to the Site
Laurie Smith Heritage Consulting, in partnership with Amy Barnes Consulting and Chris Uchiyama
Heritage, was retained by the City of Pickering in April, 2015 to undertake a Cultural Heritage
Property Evaluation of the property listed as 1390 Whitevale Road in Pickering, Ontario.
The property, also known as the Joseph Willson1 house, is located east of the hamlet of
Whitevale, on the north side of Whitevale Road. It is a rectangular parcel, 0.27 hectares (.66
acres) in area, comprising part of Lot 22, Concession V, Pickering Township, in the City of
Pickering, Ontario (Figure 1). The property is abutted by agricultural lands to the north and south,
and 19th-century farmsteads to the east (3285 Sideline 20, John Hastings House) and west (1200
Whitevale Road, W. Brignal House) (Figure 2).
The only built resource on the property is a one-and-half-storey house constructed of local
fieldstone with a narrow, three–bay facade, a central door, and an unusual side-gable, cat-slide
roof.2 The stone house was built sometime between 1832 and 1851 by prominent local farmer
and religious leader Asher Willson (1788-1876), or by his son Joseph (1818-1890) who began
farming the property in the 1840s (Figure 3).
The house is surrounded by a grassed lawn, dotted with mature trees, and has open views to the
surrounding agricultural fields and to Whitevale Road. A gravel driveway runs northward from
Whitevale Road along the west side of the house.
The property is currently owned by the Province of Ontario and is managed by Ontario
Infrastructure and Lands Corporation (“OILC”). It is listed in the City of Pickering Municipal
Heritage Register (2008).
1 Written as Wilson in some research and historical documents.
2 A large barn and carriage shed shown in the Google image as late as 2013 has since been
demolished.
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Figure 1: 1390 Whitevale Road, Location and Boundary of Property Parcel (City of Pickering, 2015)
LAURIE SMITH HERITAGE CONSULTING
1390 Whitevale Road
CON 5 N PT LOT 22
NOW RP 40R24269 PART 1
PIN: 26402-0066
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 1390 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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Figure 2: 1390 Whitevale Road, Context (Base map source: Google Earth Pro, 2015)
Figure 3: Front elevation of 1390 Whitevale Road, from Whitevale Road facing north (CU, 2015).
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Figure 4: 1390 Whitevale Road, Current Conditions. The barn and carriage shed shown here were demolished after 2013 (Base map source: Google Earth Pro, 2015)
2 Methodology
This cultural heritage evaluation was conducted using the criteria in O.Reg. 9/06 under the
Ontario Heritage Act. The evaluation was based on information contained in previous reports on
the site, additional historical research, and a site visit of the property. The City of Pickering
excluded public and stakeholder consultation from the consultant contract, except for the
purposes of historical research.
The heritage value of the property has previously been examined in the following reports (listed
chronologically):
• Unterman McPhail Heritage Resource Consultants, The Hamlet of Whitevale Heritage
Conservation District Study: Background Report. Prepared for the Town of Pickering,
August 1989.
• Hough, Stansbury, Woodland, Naylor, Dance Limited – Prime Consultants, D.R. Poulton &
Associates – Archaeological Assessments and Excavations, André Scheinman – Heritage
Preservation Consultant, Seaton Cultural Heritage Resources Assessment: Technical
Appendix. Report prepared for the Seaton Interim Planning Team, Ministry of Municipal
Affairs and Housing, July 1994.
• André Scheinman, Seaton Built Heritage Assessment. Prepared for the North Pickering
Land Exchange Team, Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing, Planning and
Development Division, November 2004.
• Contentworks Inc., Thematic Study and Phase 1 Evaluation of ORC Properties in
Pickering. Prepared for Ontario Realty Corporation, March 2009.
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• Contentworks Inc., Phase II Evaluation of Residences on Whitevale Road, Pickering.
Report prepared for the Ontario Realty Corporation, March 2009.
• Bray Heritage, Seaton Neighbourhood Planning Background Report: Whitevale Road
Heritage Corridor Review. Report prepared for the City of Pickering, May 2010.
Sources for additional historical research are noted in the “Sources” section at the end of this
document. Amy Barnes and Chris Uchiyama conducted an exterior site visit on May 21st, 2015
and an interior site visit on June 16th, 2015. Access was provided by the current tenant with the
permission of OILC.
3 Policy Framework
In Ontario, the Provincial Policy Statement 2014 (“PPS 2014”), issued under s. 3 of the Planning
Act, provides policy direction on matters of provincial interest related to land use planning and
development.3 Land use planning decisions made by municipalities, planning boards, the
Province, or a commission or agency of the government must be consistent with the PPS 2014.4
The PPS 2014 provides that “significant built heritage resources and significant cultural heritage
landscapes shall be conserved” and “development and site alteration shall not be permitted on
lands containing archaeological resources or areas of archaeological potential unless
significant archaeological resources have been conserved”.5 “Significant” means “resources
that have been determined to have cultural heritage value or interest for the important
contribution they make to our understanding of the history of a place, an event, or a people.”6
These resources and landscapes are conserved through their “identification, protection,
management and use…..in a manner that ensures their cultural heritage value or interest is
retained under the Ontario Heritage Act.”7
Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (“OHA”) permits municipalities to designate individual
properties that are of cultural heritage value or interest, based on criteria set out in Ont. Reg.
9/06.8 Designation is done by by-law and includes a description of the property and a statement
explaining the cultural heritage value or interest of the property and a description of the
heritage attributes of the property. Part V of the OHA permits municipalities to designate
heritage conservation districts consisting of multiple properties, and adopt a district plan for
managing change.9 A property that is included in an area designated as a heritage
conservation district may subsequently be individually designated under Part IV.10 Municipalities
must keep a register of property that is of cultural heritage value or interest. In addition to
3 PPS 2014, Part I: Preamble.
4 PPS 2014, Part III: How to Read the Provincial Policy Statement.
5 PPS 2014, s. 2.6.1 and 2.6.2.
6 PPS 2014, s. 6.0, Definitions, at p. 49.
7 PPS 2014, s. 6.0, Definitions, at p. 40.
8 OHA, Part IV, s. 29.
9 OHA, ss. 41 and 41.1.
10 OHA, s. 41(2).
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designated properties, the register may include other property that the municipality believes to
be of cultural heritage value or interest.11 The OHA provides processes for a municipality to
approve proposed alterations, demolition or removal of resources on designated properties or
within a heritage conservation district, and requires notice be given to a municipality for
proposed alterations, demolition or removal of resources on non-designated properties listed on
the register.12
Part IV OHA (individual property designation by municipalities) and Part V OHA (heritage
conservation district designation) do not apply to property that is owned by the provincial
government or by a prescribed public body.13 Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation is a
prescribed public body.14 However, municipalities are not prevented from including properties
owned by the provincial government or a prescribed public body in the municipal register of
non-designated properties.15
Heritage properties owned or occupied by the provincial government or prescribed public
bodies are subject to the Standards & Guidelines for Conservation of Provincial Heritage
Properties (“the provincial S&Gs”), a set of guidelines issued by the Minister of Tourism, Culture
and Sport in 2010.16 The provincial S&Gs require provincial ministries and agencies to establish
and maintain a cultural heritage conservation policy and procedures to identify, manage and
conserve provincial heritage properties.17 Decisions affecting a provincial heritage property
must consider its cultural heritage value and mitigate negative impacts.18 If a provincial heritage
property is to leave government ownership, best efforts should be made to ensure its cultural
heritage value is protected through designation or easement; demolition or removal should be
considered only as a last resort. Ontario Infrastructure and Lands Corporation have followed an
internal heritage management process since 2007. The property at 1390 Whitevale Road was
recommended as an ORC Heritage Property in the 2009 Phase II report prepared by
Contentworks Inc. for ORC.
11 OHA, ss. 27(1.1) and (1.2).
12 OHA, ss. 27 (3), 33, 34 and 42.
13 OHA ss. 25.2 (2), 26.1 (1) and 39.1.1(1).
14 OHA, Ont. Reg. 157/10.
15 OHA, s. 26.1(3).
16 The Provincial S&Gs are available online at http://www.mtc.gov.on.ca/en/publications/Standards_Conservation.pdf
17 S&G, s. A.2, A.2 and A.5.
18 S&G, s. A.3
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4 Historical Context
The Joseph Willson House is located east of the hamlet of Whitevale, on part of Lot 22,
Concession V, Pickering Township.
Pickering Township was first surveyed in 1797 and Crown patents were issued shortly afterwards.
The land around Whitevale was not settled until the early 1820s, when United Empire Loyalist
John Major (1768-1831) built a saw mill on the banks of West Duffins Creek. A small settlement,
known as Major Mills or Majorville, began to take shape along Concession V. Major was an Irish
emigrant who had settled first in Vermont, and then fled with his wife Margaret to Nova Scotia
during the American Revolutionary War, becoming a member of the 84th Regiment of the
Loyalist Corps19. After the War of 1812, he accepted a grant of land in Pickering Township. Major
was a key part of the early community – his home is noted as the location for a meeting of
township officials in 1822.20 The many direct descendants of John Major are credited as being
“among the important constituents of the later population of the township.”21
In 1843, Ira White purchased Major’s sawmill and put his son, Truman P. White, in charge of
operations.22 An ambitious industrialist, T.P. White further leveraged the power of the West Duffins
Creek and developed the milling site to include a flour mill. During the 1850s and 1860s, the
settlement grew into an industrial centre with the addition of: a planing mill (1866); a stave and
heading factory, T.P. White’s wool factory (1867); a sash and door factory; a wagon and steam
carriage factory; and the P.R. Hoover and Co. cheese factory. Commercial enterprises
included: a general store; a butcher shop; Major Hotel; and a tinsmith shop. Anticipating the
growth of the community, T.P. White registered two survey plans, one in 1857 and an amended
plan in 1860. The 1869 Ontario Gazetteer and Directory indicates that hamlet’s population was
approximately 300 that year. John Shier’s 1870 plan of subdivision was the first time that
“Whitevale” was used as the name of the community, in honour of T.P. White; although the mills
continued to be called “Majors Mills.”
The Crown patent for Lot 22, Concession V was issued to Isabella Hill in 1802.23 She sold the 200-
acre parcel to Amos Griswold in June 183124 and Griswold sold the southern 100 acres to his
brother-in-law, Asher Willson, in March 1832.25 Asher transferred the southeast quarter of Lot 22 to
his son Joseph in 1853.26 Joseph died in 1890 and his widow Mary inherited the property. She sold
it to Florence Hubbards in 1896, ending the Willson family’s association with the property.
19 William Wood, Past years in Pickering: Sketches of the History of the Community, (Toronto:
William Briggs, 1911), p. 263.
20 Scheinman, 2004: 10. Major accepted a grant for Lot 18, Concession 5, Pickering Township.
21 Wood, p. 264.
22 Unterman McPhail, 1989: 2-2.
23 LRO#40, Land Abstracts
24 Scheinman, 2004.
25 LRO#40, Land Abstracts.
26 Asher Willson sold the southwest quarter of Lot 22 to Nathanial Hastings in 1856.
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Asher Willson (1788-1876) was an early settler in Pickering Township who played important roles
in the local agricultural community, township administration, church founding, temperance
movement and 1837 Rebellion. Born in Connecticut, he arrived in Pickering Township with his
wife Susannah in 1815. Asher leased land on Lot 21, Concession V before buying the property on
Lot 22, Concession V in 1832 from his wife’s sister and brother-in-law, the Griswolds.27 By 1821,
Asher had become a Township Officer.28 In 1824, he was one of the founders of a Brougham
congregation of “the Christian Church”, an American denomination of dissident Methodists,
Presbyterians and Baptists. The Brougham congregation was only the second in Canada. Asher
became Moderator of the Church 1828 and remained active as a church leader for the rest of
his life.29 In December 1837, he and his sons Joseph and William were arrested for being
sympathizers of William Lyon Mackenzie and supporters of the 1837 Rebellion.30 His sons were
released within the week but Asher spent the winter in York Gaol before being released in April
1838.31 Asher and his sons Casper, William, and Elijah were founding members of the Canada
West chapter of the Sons of Temperance Lodge, formed in April 1850. Lodge members believed
in abstinence and promoted it for the betterment of society. The temperance movement
played an important part in Pickering Township in the second half of the 19th century and the
Willsons were key players in the local movement.32
Asher and Susannah had eight sons and four daughters: their son Joseph (1818-1890), took over
the property at 1390 Whitevale Road; their son Casper lived in the house at 1505 Whitevale Road
(Designated, Part IV OHA); and their son Edward lived in the house at 1585 Whitevale Road.
The stone house at 1390 Whitevale Road was built sometime between 1832, when Asher Willson
acquired the property, and 1851, when the census records him living there with nine family
members.33 The occupants of the house in 1851 included Asher, his son Joseph, Joseph’s wife
Julia (1824-1882, m.1844), Joseph’s two children and five of Asher’s other children. 34 Asher’s wife
Susannah died in 1851. The agricultural census shows Joseph farming Lot 21 (100 acres) and Lot
22 (50 acres) in 1851. Of the 150 acres, 20 acres were wooded land and 130 acres were under
cultivation (113 for crops, 13 for pasture and 4 for gardens or orchards).35
27 Wood, p. 310.
28 Scheinman, 2004
29 Scheinman, 2004
30 Ministry of Treasury Economics and Intergovernmental Affairs of the North Pickering
Community Development Project, p. 66.
31 Robert Willson, The Susannah/Asher Willson Saga, (self-published, 1997), p. 33..
32 Wood, p.65.
33 The Municipal Heritage Register (2008) gives a date of construction between 1851 and 1861.
Scheinman (2004) suggests that it was built before 1851.33
34 Willson, p. 33. Joseph’s two children were Francis and Levi. Asher’s other children were Elijah, Hiram, Asher Jr., Margaret and Susannah Jr.
35 Year: 1851; Census Place: Pickering, Ontario County, Canada West (Ontario); Schedule: B; Roll:
C_11742; Page: 277; Line: 17
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In 1853, Asher remarried and moved to Whitby. He transferred the southeast quarter of Lot 22,
including the stone house, to his son Joseph.36 Joseph and Julia were still living in the stone house
in 1861, now with eight children.37 The property appears on the 1877 map of Pickering Township
in the historical atlas for Ontario County, with Joseph Willson shown as the owner (Figure 5).38
After Julia’s death in 1882, Joseph married Mary Hicks in 1885. Joseph died in 189039 and his
widow Mary sold the property to Florence Hubbards in 1896. In 1912 Hubbards sold the
southeast quarter, including the stone house, to Oliver H. Pugh (1863-1935) and his wife Ida
(1869-1944, m.1894). The Pugh family had owned the southwest quarter of Lot 22 since the 1870s
and the 1912 purchase meant they owned the entire south half of Lot 22.40 When Oliver died in
1935, his family continued to inhabit the property; the trustee of his estate finally sold the south
half of Lot 22 in 1965 to Dale Procunier and John Littlejohn. The centennial map of 1967 shows
Procunier as owner. The property was expropriated in 1972 and transferred to Crown ownership.
Figure 5: 1390 Whitevale Road shown on an excerpt from the 1877 Map of Pickering Township (Base map source: J.H. Beers & Co., 1877)
36 LRO#40, Land Abstracts.
37 Willson, p. 33. The eight Willson children were: Francis, Levi, Sarah Ann, Helen, Rebecca,
William, Robert and Julia.
38 “Map of Pickering” in J.H. Beers & Co., Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Ontario, Ont.,
(Toronto: 1877),p. 19.
39 Willson, p. 34; Archives of Ontario; Series: MS935; Reel: 58.
40 Wood, p. 285. Oliver was the son of Thomas Pugh (1825-1896) and Anne Evans (1837-1890)
and grandson of Hugh Pugh who settled in the Whitevale area in 1842.
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Figure 6: Portrait of Asher Willson. (William McKay, The Pickering Story).
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Figure 7: Portrait of Joseph Wilson (Robert Willson. The Susannah/Asher Willson Saga).
Figure 8: 1967 Centennial Souvenir Map showing “D. Procunier” as owner of the 100 acres in the south half of Lot 22. (Courtesy of Pickering Public Library)
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5 Architecture and Design
The only built resource at 1390 Whitevale Road is the one-and-a-half-storey, stone house built
between 1832 and 1851. The roofed hay barn and carriage shed that were formerly on the
property were demolished between 2013 and 2015.
5.1 Stone House
The one-and-a-half-storey house is built of local fieldstone with a narrow, three-bay façade. The
gable roof extends to the rear in a long, sloping catslide roof. The front façade is built of large
granite fieldstones in a variety of colours that have been squared and laid in regular courses. By
contrast, the side and rear elevations are built of roughly coursed rubble fieldstone. All openings
are topped with stone voussoirs, except those on the rear elevation. It has been suggested that,
given subtle differences in the stonework and roof pitch, the cat-slide and rear section of the
house may have been added later to a rectangular-plan building.
The shingled roof has wide, overhanging eaves and a decorative wood cornice and cornice
returns, the rear return being noticeably larger. There is an interior red-brick chimney on the
western portion of the roof and four air vents towards the rear of the building. The house sits at
grade and there is no visible foundation.
The three-bay façade features a central, single-width door flanked by two windows. The wood
door has a porcelain knob handle. Windows are regularly placed on the side elevations, with
smaller windows in the attic storey.
The house has been altered by the addition of an aluminum screen door, the insertion of vinyl
windows in all window openings, the addition of vinyl covers over lug sills, and the addition of
wooden entrance steps. On the side and rear elevations, one window opening has been filled in
and one converted to a door opening.
Other examples of fieldstone houses of similar age in the immediate area include:
• the stone tail at 615 Whitevale
• 750 Whitevale Road;
• 940 Whitevale Road; and
• 1130 Whitevale Road.
These examples feature regularly coursed, fieldstone facades and stone quoins, in a manner
similar to the building at 1390 Whitevale Road. 1390 Whitevale Road is the only three-bay
example.
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Figure 9: Front façade of 1390 Whitevale Road (CU, 2015).
Figure 10: Ashlar stone treatment and stone quoins on façade and eastern elevation (CU, 2015).
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Figure 11: Gable roof with wood cornice and cornice returns (CU, 2015).
Figure 12: Rear elevation, showing window ghosting in the third bay (CU, 2015).
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 1390 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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Figure 13: Eastern elevation showing catslide roof (CU, 2015).
5.1.1 Interior The interior retains many early wood finishes and trim, including: baseboards, deep window sills,
door casings and stair trim. The floor is concealed beneath carpet or linoleum. All window units
have been replaced. The kitchen includes wood wainscot and several wood-plank doors. The
stairs to the second level are accessed from the kitchen and the attic is accessed from the
upper hallway. The ceiling of the upstairs bedroom is curved to follow the angle of the roof.
Cultural Heritage Property Evaluation Report Prepared for The City of Pickering 1390 Whitevale Road, Pickering ON November 10, 2015
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Figure 14: Main level showing kitchen and western entranceway (CU, 2015).
Figure 15: Wooden doors, door casings and baseboards of main floor bedrooms (CU, 2015).
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Figure 16: New windows, with original casing and sills. (CU, 2105)
Figure 17: Wooden plank doors in kitchen with original hardware (CU, 2015).
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5.2 Cultural Landscape
The house is surrounded by a grassed lawn, with a small grove of mature coniferous and
deciduous trees to the south and east, and scattered trees to the north and west. A gravel
laneway runs north from Whitevale Road along the west side of the house, curving behind the
house towards the adjacent agricultural fields (Figure 4). The farmhouse is set back from
Whitevale Road, and shaded by a line of trees, but still highly visible from the road. It has open
views towards the north and west.
5.3 Archaeological Resources
Although the archaeological potential of the general area in and around the property is well
documented41 the archaeological potential of the property, itself, will be addressed in this
section.
Archaeological potential determination is based on a number of factors related to the
attractiveness of a site for either temporary or permanent human occupation. Archaeological
features that are considered when determining potential are generally related to basic
necessities of survival (e.g., proximity to water), access to transportation (e.g., historic
transportation routes, trails, and navigable watercourses), or access to resources (e.g., raw
materials for tool making or construction, or food resources).
The Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport lists in its 2010 Standards and Guidelines for
Consultant Archaeologists42 a series of features that are considered, in Ontario, to be related to
archaeological potential, or removal of archaeological potential as summarised in Table 1.
Table 1: Factors Indicating Archaeological Potential or Lack of Archaeological Potential
Archaeological Feature 1390 Whitevale Rd.
(y/n)
Previously identified archaeological sites Y
Water sources:
Primary water sources (lakes, rivers, streams, creeks) N
Secondary water sources (intermittent streams, creeks,
marshes) Y
Features indicating past water sources (e.g., glacial lake
shorelines, relic river or stream channels) N
Accessible or inaccessible shoreline N
Elevated topography (e.g. eskers, drumlins, plateau) N
Pockets of well-drained sandy soil, especially near areas of heavy soil or rocky ground Not assessed
Distinctive land formations that might have been special or
spiritual places such as waterfalls, rock outcrops, caverns, mounds
and promontories and their bases.
N
41 See Hough Stansbury Woodland Naylor Dance Limited et. al., 1994 and Scheinman, 2004 for an overview of archaeological research in the area.
42 Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Standards and Guideline for Consultant Archaeologists.
2011: 17-18.
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Archaeological Feature 1390 Whitevale Rd. (y/n)
Resource areas:
Food or medicinal plants Not assessed
Scarce raw materials N
Early Euro-Canadian industry (e.g., fur trade, logging,
prospecting, mining) N
Areas of early Euro-Canadian settlement Y
Early historical transportation routes Y
Property listed on a municipal register or designated under the
Ontario Heritage Act or that is a federal, provincial or municipal
historic landmark or site
Y
Property that local histories or informants have identified with possible archaeological sites, historical events, activities, or
occupants
N
Archaeological potential can be determined not to be present if
the site has been subject to modern extensive and deep land
alterations such as: quarrying; sewage and infrastructure development; building footprints; or major landscaping involving
grading.
N
Based on a review of these factors, the property at 1390 Whitevale Road exhibits archaeological
potential.
6 Contextual Background
The property is located east of the hamlet of Whitevale, on the north side of Whitevale Road. It is
surrounded by agricultural lands to the north and south, and 19th century farmsteads to the east
(3285 Sideline 20, John Hastings House) and west (1200 Whitevale Road, W. Brignal House). The
house is elevated slightly and is visible from Whitevale Road.
Although it is outside the boundaries of the nearby Whitevale Heritage Conservation District
(HCD), the property reinforces the rural character the HCD, described as follows:
The rural character of Whitevale, with its narrow tree-lined streets, scenic
views over the surrounding agricultural lands and the West Duffinss Creek and
its steep river valley, provides a distinctive context and setting for its buildings.
The community has a rich and diverse character within a relatively small
area. Archaeological remains located in and around Whitevale attest to its
enduring attractiveness as a settlement area.43
More specifically, the property reinforces the rural nature of the Whitevale Road corridor, both
within and without the HCD.
43 City of Pickering. Whitevale Heritage Conservation District Guide, 2013: 5.
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7 Heritage Evaluation
The property and associated resources have been evaluated for Cultural Heritage Value or
Interest (CHVI) under Ontario Regulation 9/06 Criteria for Determining Cultural Heritage Value or
Interest under the Ontario Heritage Act. A summary of the evaluation based on the criteria is
presented in Tables 2, 3 and 4 below.
7.1 Design or Physical Value
The one-and-a-half-storey, stone house is notable for its catslide roof, an unusual feature in a
stone house of this type and age. Other features, such as the symmetrical, three-bay façade,
the regularly placed openings on side elevations, the pitch and placement of the side-gable
roof, and the returned eaves, are consistent with the Georgian or Loyalist style favoured by
settlers along the north shore of Lake Ontario during the 1830s and 1840s. The house provides a
good illustration of local construction materials and techniaues during the 1830s and 1840s,
including the use of local fieldstone in a variety of colours, the coursed, ashlar treatment on the
facade, the quoins at corners and rough voussoirs over openings and the roughly coursed
rubble stone at the rear and side elevations. Other examples of this type of construction are
evident in the immediate area, including structures at 615 Whitevale, 750 Whitevale, 940
Whitevale and 1130 Whitevale. The house at 1390 Whitevale Road is the only one of these with a
three-bay façade.
Table 2 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 1390 Whitevale Road as Per O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 1. i., ii., and iii
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria Criteria Met (y/n) Justification
1. The property has design
value or physical value because it,
i. is a rare, unique, representative or early
example of a style,
type, expression,
material, or construction method,
Y
The house is a rare example of a catslide roof in a mid-19th century stone house.
The house is a representative example of the
Georgian or Loyalist style favoured by settlers
along the north shore of Lake Ontario during the 1830s and 1840s.
The house provides a representative example
of local construction materials and techniques
during the 1830s and 1840s, including the use of local fieldstone in a variety of colours, the
coursed ashlar treatment of the façade, the
quoins at corners and rough voussoirs over
openings and the roughly coursed rubble stone at the rear.
ii. displays a high degree of craftsmanship or
artistic merit, or
N The building does not display a high degree of
craftsmanship or artistic merit.
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O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria Criteria Met (y/n) Justification
iii. demonstrates a high
degree of technical or scientific achievement. N The building does not demonstrate a high
degree of technical or scientific achievement.
The property at 1390 Whitevale Road meets the criteria for design or physical value under
O.Reg. 9/06.
7.2 Historic/Associative Value
The property at 1390 Whitevale Road is directly associated with the theme of the early
settlement of the Whitevale area and the development of local agriculture in the early- to mid-
19th century. The stone house was built between 1832 and 1851 and the property was actively
farmed from the 1840s onwards.
The property is directly associated with Asher Willson (1788-1876) and his son Joseph (1818-1890),
who built the stone house and farmed the property. They and their descendants lived and
worked there for 50 to 60 years, until 1895.
Asher Willson was an early settler in Pickering Township who played important roles in the local
agricultural community, township administration, church founding, temperance movement and
1837 Rebellion. He arrived in Pickering Township with his wife Susannah in 1815 as a farmer,
became a township officer by 1821, was a founding member of the Brougham congregation of
the Christian Church in 1824 and of the Canada West chapter of the Sons of Temperance Lodge
in 1850, and was jailed for supporting the 1837 Rebellion.
Joseph Willson farmed this property and surrounding land for more than 40 years. He was
arrested with his father and brother for supporting the 1837 Rebellion.
1390 Whitevale Road also exhibits archaeological potential, given its proximity to a number of
archaeological features outlined in the Ontario Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sports Standards
and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists,44 including: a secondary water course, elevated
topography, known pre-contact and Euro-Canadian archaeological sites, an early historical
transportation route, and as a property listed on the Municipal Heritage Register (2008) and
designated under Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act. The property has also not undergone any
recent or extensive ground disturbances which might indicate the removal of archaeological
potential. As a result, the property has the potential to yield information that contributes to an
understanding of a community or culture.
44 Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport. Standards and Guideline for Consultant Archaeologists.
2011: 17-18.
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Table 3 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 1390 Whitevale Road as Per O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 2. i., ii., and iii
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria Criteria Met (y/n) Justification
2. The property has historical
value or associative value
because it,
i. has direct associations with a theme, event, belief, person, activity,
organization or
institution that is significant to a
community,
Y
The property is directly associated with the
theme of the early settlement of the Whitevale area and the development of local agriculture
in the early- to mid-19th century.
The property is directly associated with Asher Willson (1788-1876) and his son Joseph (1818-
1890), both of whom lived in the stone house
and farmed the property. Asher Willson was an
early settler in Pickering Townshp who played important roles in the local agricultural
community, township administration, church
founding, temperance movement and 1837
Rebellion. Joseph Willson was an early farmer in the Whitevale community and participated in
the 1837 Rebellion.
ii. yields, or has the
potential to yield
information that
contributes to an understanding of a
community or culture,
or
Y
Given that the property surrounding the
farmhouse has not been recently and
significantly altered, it has the potential to yield information that contributes to the
understanding of the community or a pre-
contact culture.
iii. demonstrates or
reflects the work or
ideas of an architect, artist, builder, designer
or theorist who is
significant to a community.
N Designer or builder unknown.
The property at 1390 Whitevale Road meets the criteria for historical or associative value under
O.Reg. 9/06.
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7.3 Contextual Value
Although it is outside the boundaries of the nearby Whitevale HCD, the property reinforces the
rural character of the HCD and the rural nature of the Whitevale Road corridor, both within and
without the HCD. The property is surrounded by agricultural lands to the north and south, and
flanked by 19th century farmstead to the east (3285 Sideline 20, John Hastings House) and west
(1200 Whitevale Road, W. Brignal House).
Table 4 - Evaluation of the Cultural Heritage Value or Interest of 1390 Whitevale Road as Per O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria 3. i., ii., and iii
O.Reg. 9/06 Criteria Criteria Met
(y/n)
Justification
3. The property has contextual value because it,
i. is important in
defining, maintaining
or supporting the
character of an area,
Y
Although it is located outside the boundaries of
the Whitevale HCD, the property is important in
defining and maintaining the rural nature of
the Whitevale Road corridor and in supporting the rural character of the Whitevale HCD.
ii. is physically, functionally, visually or
historically linked to its
surroundings, or Y
The Joseph Willson House is visually and historically linked to the surrounding agricultural
fields which were farmed by members of the
Willson family for many decades, and to the
19th-century farmsteads that flank it (3285 Sideline 20, John Hastings House and 1200
Whitevale Road, W. Brignal House).
iii. is a landmark. N 1390 Whitevale Road is not a landmark.
The property at 1390 Whitevale Road meets the criteria for contextual value under O.Reg. 9/06.
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7.4 Statement of Significance
7.4.1 Description of Property
The property known as the Joseph Willson house is located east of the hamlet of Whitevale, on
the north side of Whitevale Road. It is a rectangular parcel, 0.27 hectares (.66 acres) in area,
comprising part of Lot 22, Concession V, Pickering Township, in the City of Pickering, Ontario. The
property is surrounded by agricultural lands and 19th-century farmsteads.
The key resource on the property is a one-and-a-half-storey house built in the Georgian style with
a narrow, three–bay facade, a central door, and a side-gable, catslide roof. The house is built of
local fieldstone, with an ashlar façade and rubble stone side and rear elevations. It was built by
local farmers Asher Willson and his son Joseph sometime between 1832 and 1851.
The house is surrounded by a grassed lawn, dotted with mature trees, and has open views to the
surrounding agricultural fields and to Whitevale Road. A gravel driveway runs from northward
from Whitevale Road along the west side of the house.
The property is owned by the Province of Ontario and managed by Ontario Infrastructure and
Lands Corporation.
7.4.2 Statement of Cultural Heritage Value
The Joseph Willson House is a simple but representative example of the Georgian or Loyalist style
favoured by settlers along the north shore of Lake Ontario during the 1830s and 1840s. Its
symmetrical, three-bay, façade, regularly placed openings on side elevations, the pitch and
placement of the roof, and the returned cornice, are consistent with the style. It is a rare
example of a catslide roof in a stone house from this period.
The house provides a representative example of local construction materials and techniques
during the 1830s and 1840s, including the use of local fieldstone in a variety of colours, the
coursed ashlar treatment of the façade, the quoins at corners and rough voussoirs over
openings and the roughly coursed rubble stone at the rear and side elevations.
The property is directly associated with the theme of the early settlement of the Whitevale area
and the development of local agriculture in the early to mid-19th century. The stone house was
built between 1832 and 1851 and the property was actively farmed from the 1840s onwards.
The property is directly associated with Asher Willson (1788-1876) and his son Joseph (1818-1890),
who built the stone house and farmed the property. They and their descendants lived and
worked there for 50 to 60 years, until 1895. Asher Willson was an early settler in Pickering Township
who played important roles in the local agricultural community, township administration, church
founding, temperance movement and 1837 Rebellion. He arrived in Pickering township with his
wife Susannah in 1815 as a farmer, became a township officer by 1821, was a founding member
of the Brougham congregation of the Christian Church in 1824 and of the Canada West chapter
of the Sons of Temperance Lodge in 1850, and was jailed for supporting the 1837 Rebellion.
Joseph Willson farmed this property for more than 40 years. He was arrested with his father and
brother for supporting the 1837 Rebellion.
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Given that the property surrounding the farmhouse has not been recently and significantly
altered, it has the potential to yield information that contributes to the understanding of the
community or a pre-contact culture.
Although it is located outside the boundaries of the Whitevale HCD, the property is important in
supporting the rural character of the Whitevale HCD and in defining and maintaining the rural
nature of the Whitevale Road corridor. The Joseph Willson House is visually and historically linked
to the surrounding agricultural fields which were farmed by members of the Willson family for
many decades, and to the 19th-century farmsteads on either side (3285 Sideline 20, John
Hastings House and 1200 Whitevale Road, W. Brignal House).
7.4.3 Heritage Attributes The heritage attribute that is essential to the cultural heritage value of the property is the one-
and-a-half-storey, stone house.
Key elements of the stone house include:
• its Georgian or Loyalist l style, including: the symmetrical, three-bay façade with central
door; the regularly placed openings on side elevations; the pitch and placement of the
side-gable roof; and the wood cornice and returned eaves;
• its form and proportions, including the one-and–a-half-storey height, narrow façade, and
side-gabled, catslide roof;
• the stonework, including: the use of local fieldstone in a variety of colours, the coursed,
ashlar treatment of the façade; the large quoins at corners; the rough voussoirs over
openings; and the roughly coursed, rubble stone at the rear and side elevations;
• views to and from the surrounding agricultural fields; and
• the visibility and legibility of its heritage attributes from Whitevale Road.
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8 Recommendations
As outlined above, the property at 1390 Whitevale Road meets the criteria for determining
cultural heritage value or interest under Ontario Regulation 9/06; specifically criteria 1.i, 2.i, 2.ii,
3.i., and 3.ii. While the property remains in Crown ownership, the municipality should consider
updating the property listing on the Pickering Heritage Registry to include the Statement of
Significance. The results of this evaluation should be shared with the province, along with a
request that the property be managed in compliance with the Standards & Guidelines for
Conservation of Provincial Heritage Properties.
If the property passes out of Crown ownership, the municipality should consider individual
designation of the property under S. 29 OHA.
As outlined in Section 5.3, the property exhibits archaeological potential. Future cultural heritage
policy decisions regarding this property should consider this potential for previously undiscovered
archaeological sites or resources and a Stages 1 and 2 Archaeological Assessment should be
carried out by a licensed professional archaeologist prior to any below-grade construction
activities.
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9 Sources
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Archives of Ontario.
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Archives of Ontario; Series: MS935; Reel: 58
Archives of Ontario; Series: MS932; Reel: 83
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Corridor Review, Report prepared for the City of Pickering, May 2010.
City of Pickering. Whitevale Heritage Conservation District Guide, 2013: 5.
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Hough Stansbury Woodland Naylor Dance Limited (Prime Consultants), D.R. Poulton & Associates
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J.H. Beers & Co., Illustrated Historical Atlas of the County of Ontario, Ont., J.H., Beers & Co.:
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Land Registry Office #40. Whitby. Land Abstracts.
Library and Archives Canada
Year: 1851; Census Place: Pickering, Ontario County, Canada West (Ontario); Schedule:
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---. Standards and Guidelines for Consultant Archaeologists. 2011.
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Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. 1990, c.0.18.
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Pickering-Ajax Digital Archives (PADA). Accessed online at http://www.pada.ca/.
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Willson, Robert. The Susannah/Asher Willson Saga. Self-published, 1994. Accessedonline through
Pickering-Ajax Digital Archive (PADA) at
http://www.pada.ca/books/details/?id=618&keywords=lila
Wood, William. Past years in Pickering: Sketches of the History of the Community. Toronto: William
Briggs, 1911. Accessed online at
http://archive.org/stream/pastyearsinpicke00wooduoft/pastyearsinpicke00wooduoft_djvu.txt.
Zimmerman, Gordon, The Companion. Vol 1 No.1.: The Companion to the Whitevale Road
Timetour. Asher Willson’s Home.