Edinburgh Square Heritage & Cultural Centre

80 Caithness Street East, Caledonia, ON

The former Caledonia Town Hall, built in 1857, is recommended for designation for architectural and historical reasons.  The building is of Victorian design and has been an integral part of the community – originally serving as a public meeting hall, the public lock-up, with the lower area used for a farmers’ market.  It later became the Town Municipal Offices until the inception of Regional Government in April of 1974.

4104 Highway 3,  Cayuga, ON

This c. 1895 two-storey limestone house is a representative example of a large, late 19th century farmhouse in an Ontario vernacular interpretation of the bracketed or Italianate style.

In addition, a large portion of Donald Campbell’s c.1847 stone cottage, which is illustrated on the border of Tremaine’s 1863 Map of Haldimand County, is incorporated into the walls of the house as it now stands. Donald Campbell, one of the earliest settlers of North Cayuga Township, operated a steam sawmill on the premises c.1861, thus making a major contribution to the early development of the area.

601 Haldimand Rd. 12, Fisherville, ON

The Charles Reicheld House is one of the finest and best-preserved bracketed style farmhouses in Haldimand County. It is an outstanding example of the rich and finely crafted architectural detail created by traditional German carpenters. Therefore, it should be preserved for the enjoyment and inspiration of future generations.

136 Rainham Road, Nanticoke, ON

The first Anglican services were held in John Banfield’s tannery.  In 1848 and 1860 frame churches were built, the latter having a square tower and was consecrated by Bishop Strachan.  In 1886, Mr. Stroud of Lynn Valley built the new brick church.  In 1931 the Parish Hall was added.  The Church of England introduced the Gothic style pointed windows, spires, polychromatic bricks, and other denominations adopted it.  Christ Church today has two aisles, the baptismal font is typically located near the entry and the alter is raised and centrally located below the beautiful three part gothic window.  The memorial windows each depict a full figure in stained glass.

3355 River Road, Caledonia, ON

Built in the 1830’s by Nicholas Cook on land granted him by. Joseph Brant, it is a fine example of the two-storey Georgian style house, which was popular with the early settlers in Upper Canada.

27 Erie St. S., Selkirk, ON

James Cooper first purchased this land in 1847, but did not build this house until 1870.  In 1878, he sold it to George Hoover.  The present owners purchased the house in 1947.

740 Haldimand Road 53, Selkirk, ON.

Built by William Holmes approximately 1860 on the farm originally established by Jakob Huber in the 1790’s. It is one of the few remaining examples of rural mansions of the period. It contains 16 rooms, including five bedrooms, a music room, and a widow’s walk.

915 4^th Line, Caledonia, ON

The house known as the Cranston Post Office was built in two parts.  The older, rear part, is a rare surviving example of an early settler’s three-room plank cottage.  It retains most of its original features including plain board-and-batten siding and plain sash windows and plank doors.  The newer, front part of the house was built in a Victorian gothic style with patterned brickwork, four gables, arched and shuttered windows, elaborate barge board, and ornate front bay window and verandah, both with bracketed cornices.  Both parts of the house are excellent examples of their respective styles and periods, and both are unusually well preserved.

The Cranston Post Office was also an essential link between the backwoods settlers of Oneida and the rest of the world.  This is where they received letters from the old country and gathered to discuss news from near and far.  They also came here to obtain the services of a blacksmith.  At least two of the postmasters were also blacksmiths and their smithy stood next to the post office.  All of the other public and commercial buildings that once stood in the hamlet of Cranston are now gone; the Post Office alone survives to remind us of this once thriving rural hamlet and the 19^th century lives that revolved around it.

3220 River Road, Cayuga, ON.

Built in 1853, it is probably the last remaining building of the early and active settlement of Mount Healy.  It was once the center of social activity of the area.  It is a fine example of a riverside hotel.

5 Mohawk Street East, Cayuga, ON

This house is a replica of a 17^th century New England Garrison Style house.  It was meticulously constructed by Gerrond Somerville and Mary Duff using old building materials and architectural antiques.  The 1851 log house on the property originally stood at the fork on the Kohler Road in Cayuga.  It was originally owned by, the Toohey family.  George and Florence Lint, and their three daughters lived in it until 1949.  Clarence Bacher was bequeathed the Lint farm in 1955 and sold the log house to Mr. and Mrs. Duff in 1964.  The Duff’s had the log house dismantled and reconstructed at its present location.

1610 Concession 13, Townsend, ON.

This lot was part of the holdings of the Canada Company, founded by Scottish novelist John Galt to relocate the poor of Britain and Europe after the Napoleonic War and growing industrialism.  John Edmondson, from Ireland, bought the land in 1867 (he had previously spent some time in Quebec).  Son Andrew farmed here after his father’s death.  In 1909 the property sold to Wm Jeffrey and remained in the family until 1946.  In 1974 the land became part of the Townsend Town Site, but it was not developed as such.

39 Front St., York, ON.

2511 North Shore Drive, Lowbanks, ON

The Furry Tavern is a large structure built in 1821 of sawn lumber before there were local saw mills in the immediate vicinity, at a time when others were assembling log homes personally hewn out of the bush during the earliest settlement of Moulton and Sherbrooke Townships.  It is representative of the homes of the financially secure citizens of colonial Pennsylvania, and strands as a testament to their architectural capabilities.  It still displays some decorative stenciling on the original walls as a sample of early beautification of the home.

4830 Highway 6, Caledonia, ON

Historical – A fine example of a large family farm home built circa 1889. Situated on one of the century farms in Oneida, it was at one time the home of 24 descendants of Mary Sinclair Gibson (including Sir John Gibson). It is a two-storey brick construction of semi-Gothic design with full height bay windows on the front and south sides.

19 Cayuga Street North, Cayuga, ON

Although there is no exact record of when the building was constructed, from records of mortgages, we can limit the time frame from 1868 to 1880.  This building is an integrate part of the commercial section on the west side of Cayuga Street, which still mostly contains the nineteenth century small town architecture and is integral to the vista of Main Street, Cayuga.  It served as a grocery and liquor store; bookstore as well as publishing the Haldimand Advocate.  It was also the Union Bank, telephone central, Baird’s Hardware, Haldimand-Norfolk Health Unit, and Avestal Credit Union.

699 2^nd Line, Hagersville, ON.

The Gore Cemetery is an example of a rural 19^th century cemetery design characterized by a idyllic and attractive landscape.

Aboriginal Lands in Oneida Township were surrendered to the Crown in 1832 to be used for a church, a school and a burial ground. This area, where the 1^st Line joins the 2^nd Line, is known as the “Gore” at Clanbrassil. The Gore Cemetery, Clanbrassil is one of Haldimand County’s earliest cemeteries and is historically associated with the Presbyterian Church of Canada in Oneida (ca. 1868) and the United Church.

Records show the sale of plots began March 26, 1860. The pioneer section is separated from the “new section” by a driveway; the new section was developed in 1994. This cemetery has many of the founding families of the area interred within its boundaries. Surnames noted on the monuments can be associated with the development of the Village of Indiana, for example: Cranston, McConachie, Nelles, Stark and Smith.

The first death documented on a tombstone is June 11, 1843 for Margaret Elder, age 17 months, daughter of Peter & Jane Elder and, while there are several markers indicating deaths before 1860, it is believed that these burials were initially made near family homes and bodies later exhumed for re-internment to the Gore Cemetery.

The Gore Cemetery contains the graves of many of Haldimand’s founding families and their descendants. It’s design value is derived from the collection of monuments dating from 1843 to present day, and range from modest grave markers to more elaborate monuments with intricate shapes and decorative carvings.

In 1929, The Gore Cemetery Commission was established by the plot holders to own and manage the cemetery.

In 1949, an iron gate and two stone pillars were erected. In 1992, a plaque was placed at the east driveway; the inscription reads “Gore Cemetery. Est. 1843. This cemetery honours the pioneers of Oneida and their descendants.”

The Gore Cemetery remains active and has approximately 800 interments (as of 2015). Grave markers are made of soft granite, marble and limestone and display carved motifs and epitaphs to the more modern design.

1956 Haldimand Road 17, Cayuga, ON

This small brick schoolhouse was built circa 1874. It is one of two remaining buildings of the Gypsum Mines hamlet, which was a thriving, busy community when gypsum was mined locally from 1842 to 1910.

95 Concession 4 Road, Fisherville, ON

This is one of the oldest homes in Haldimand.  The family of Daniel Hoover built it, in 1793.  According to the Haldimand Historical Atlas, “The first white inhabitants of Rainham were Jacob Hoover, with his sons Abraham, David, Benjamin and Daniel, who came from Pennsylvania in 1791, and…purchased from the Government about 2500 acres of land.”  The Atlas says they were “Swiss or of Swiss descent.”  It describes them as “a thrifty and industrious family [who] soon effected large clearings, and became wealthy, as they were the first who had any surplus produce to sell to the settlers who took up land a few years after their own farms began to produce.”  The family was Mennonites, and it is believed that because they were neutral during the War of 1812, both American and British soldiers took refuge in the Hoover House.  There is a family tradition that William Lyon Mackenzie stayed at the house while serving as Haldimand’s Member of the Legislative Assembly.  At the time of the Atlas (about 1877), the Hoovers are described as “a numerous and wealthy family, and…among the most respectable and substantial yeomen of Haldimand.”

The larger house, which was damaged beyond restoration by the 1994 fire, was added in the 1820’s.  It was a substantial two-storey house of frame and brick, with clapboard siding.  In 1868 it passed to the Effinger family, and was last lived in by Jesse Burford in the early 1990s.

The Hoover Log House is an artifact of the earliest white settlement in the area.  It is a genuine pioneer log house.  Its early date, and its connection with the Hoover family, qualifies it for a special place among the heritage landmarks of Haldimand County.

1615 Concession 13, Townsend, ON

Exterior Significance

The Jeffrey residence, built in the mid 1870’s, is a polychrome masonry structure with a duel façade.  The one-and-one half storey west portion has elements of the Gothic Revival Style of architecture; and the two-storey end portion exhibits features typical of the Italianate of Bracketed Style of architecture.

The west façade is three bays, a central doorway flanked by two windows.  These are large double-hung segmental arched windows (2/2).  A simply decorated verandah with square posts and delicate brackets run the width of this façade.  A gabled peak containing a round-headed window breaks the roofline above the door.

The façade of the east portion of the building is much more impressive and ornate.  The central doorway contains a four-panel door with sidelights and an etched blue glass transom.  The square porch is very ornate with square twinned post, elaborate panels and brackets and intricate fretwork.  Single round headed double-hung windows (1/1) are on either side of the doorway.  Three identical windows on the second floor correspond to the ground floor openings.  These windows all have brackets to accommodate shutters.  The wide eaves of the hipped roof have ornate wooden brackets.

Interior Significance

Dominating and highlighting the entrance hall is a spiral staircase with marbleized plaster on the circular stairway walls.  The large paneled newel post has circular glass insets.  The east parlor has an elaborately paneled by window reveal, and also an ornate ceiling medallion intricately carved with birds, fruit and foliage.

5915 Rainham Road, South Cayuga, ON

John Fry, a blacksmith and carpenter, was one of the founders of the Plain Folk settlement along the Rainham Road in South Cayuga Township. His house is one of the oldest still standing in South Cayuga. Its three parts (c. 1835, c. 1855, c. 1885) exemplify many of the characteristics of the 19th century Plain Folk architecture.

53 Talbot St. E., Jarvis, ON

The Canada Company held the first patent of this property in 1835.  In 1842 John Jones, from Woodstock, purchased the land.  Jones and his sons donated land and helped build the St. Paul’s Anglican Church, the annual Jarvis Fall Fair, and a community skating rink.  Resident son Edward was postmaster for many years and retired as the oldest postmaster in Canada.

This polychromatic brick house displays Italianate styling as seen in the hip roof, round-headed windows, paired brackets, and window arches.  Decorative brick patterning is found in the entry porch, at the wall corners and cornice, and above and below the windows.  In the entry doorway the arched sidelights flank both the door and transom.  The inner door has a large glass panel, sidelights and transom.  Iron rods pass through the house to help stabilize it.

3062 River Road, Cayuga, ON

James Kirkland, a Scottish immigrant, was an early Haldimand entrepreneur.  His whisky distillery at Indiana provided a major market for local grain.

His house built c. 1861, commands a spectacular view of the Grand River and is one of the finest and most substantial Italianate mansions in the town.

57 Erie Street North, Selkirk, ON

This two-storey house is the only known surviving building of Norfolk County constructed on sun-dried mud blocks made from pea straw and clay, trampled by oxen.  Lt. John Dochstader sold this property to the Hoover family in 1800.  In  1817 Elizabeth (Hoover) Knisley received the land and the house remained in this family until 1903.  The Lindsay family took over the house in 1905.

In 1851, weatherboard was added to protect the façade.  The back and sides were plastered over, and in 1930’s weatherboard was added to these elevations.  The house has a center hall plan with a rear kitchen extension.  The doors and windows are deeply set to accommodate the mud blocks.

241 Broad Street West, Dunnville, ON

The original dwelling has remained mostly unaltered for approximately 100 years.  The two-storey porch was closed in for additional rooms in 1918.  In 1981 a committee to save the Lalor Estate was successful in preserving the home from severe alteration and destruction at that time.  Several reports were submitted to council for the use of the estate: a library, professional offices, municipal offices and to be demolished for an apartment complex.  The estate was sold at public auction and used as a retirement home for the next twenty years.

2330 Haldimand Road 3, Nanticoke, ON

This Lot was part of the King’s College Reserves. It sold in 1843 to John Mercer and others, and in 1852 to Col. Nathaniel Low from Toronto, who had an estate in Ireland. On his death in 1875, son Arthur argued over the will and was granted extra compensation. It is suggested that he built the house at this time. He was noted for raising horses. In 1950, James Morrow, a world famous metallurgist became the owner. He worked for Stelco for almost 50 years. In 1968, Ste1co purchased the house for public relations and reception purposes.

This 1 ½ storey polychromatic masonry building has a center hall plan. The central door, with decorative transom and sidelights is flanked by two 15-paned doors with arched transoms and buff hood moulds. Small basement windows above the doors are directly under the eaves. Buff-coloured brick pattern accents the corners of the building and under the roofline. Two large capped chimneys top the slate roof.

156 Caithness Street East, Caledonia, ON

One of the first fine homes built in Caledonia; this brick house was built about 1850 by Neil McKinnon who was raised by Ranald McKinnon, the founder of Caledonia.  Dr. Ranald McKinnon, who became the Medical Superintendent for the Six Nations Indians, was born in this house.  Later it was the home of A.C Buck, the town chemist, and was illustrated on the Tremaine map of 1863.  From 1884 to 1925 it was lived in by Dr. Forbes of prohibition fame.

210 Broad Street West, Dunnville, ON

The House at 210 Broad Street West in Dunnville, owned by the Bartlett Family for many years, is a fine example of the homes built by the successful merchants of the town at the turn of the 20^th century.  It has many decorative architectural features; such as ornate brick fireplaces, multi-paned windows.  A special feature of the home is the 1930’s kitchen with cabinetry styled typically to the period and very well preserved.

266 Irish Line, Cayuga, ON

This one hundred acre farm was bought from Crown Andrew Murray in 1848.  Mr. Murray emigrated from Scotland, settled in 1837, and was in business as a farmer and stockbreeder.  A sketch of the farm and residence appears in the illustrated Historical Atlas by the Counties of Haldimand and Norfolk.

45 Munsee Street North, Cayuga Part, Court House Grounds, Cayuga, ON

Thomas Nicholas, from Fowery, Cornwall, on the banks of the English Channel, built a log cabin ca. 1835 beside the Old Plank Road in the former Oneida Township. As his large family grew, a second story was added to the original one-room structure. In 1961, the cabin and its artifacts were re-erected in Cayuga’s Courthouse Park and made a permanent exhibit as part of the Haldimand County Museum and Archive.

While the Log Cabin provides the perfect setting for interpreting the struggles and rewards of pioneer life, the Museum’s artifacts supplement and enhance that experience. The archives, including a genealogy center, augment understanding of local history in concert with the Log Cabin and the Museum.

149 Forfar Street West, Caledonia, ON

The Caledonia Mill began to process wheat into flour in January 1857.  It is the last mill to be in operation along the Grand River using waterpower.  The Caledonia Mill also has a surviving link with the Grand River Navigation Co. of the past, and is a memento to the many enterprising men of Caledonia and surrounding area, including James Little, J.B. Holden, John Scott, Donald McQuarrie 1832-1887, William Munro 1825-1901, James H. Thorborn 1845-1903, Samuel Scott, William Scott, Hugh Scott, Ob Scott, etc.

243 Haldimand Highway 54, Cayuga, ON.

Ruthven Estate and its immediate demesne are worthy of designation under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act for historical and architectural reasons, for its uniqueness and remarkably high quality of its complement of detail and long association.

Ruthven Estate, the main house and its wing designed by the master building/architect, John Latshaw, is considered his masterpiece in the domestic field and Ontario’s finest house in the Greek Revival style, believed to be without peer in the whole of Canada and vying with the best in the United States of America.

Historically the property is important for its connection with five generations of the Thompson family, entrepreneurs responsible for milling and related enterprises on this section of the Lower Grand River as well as being involved in early improvements to the waterway. Earlier generations of this originally Scots family were much involved in political and military as well as community affairs. Granted some 1200 acres of lands by the Crown in the early 1840’s the estate still has contiguous lands of that or greater area with important natural habitats of woodlands, wetlands as well as agricultural area.

The buildings, particularly the main house and its rear wing, contain many possessions such as decorative fittings, furniture and art, are part of the Thompson family collection, as well as documents pertaining to the estate, local history and military and parliamentary affairs. These, apart from the architectural fittings, do not form part of this designation, but are included under a separate easement.

651 Caithness St. E., Caledonia, ON

The Seneca Bridge is a small steel and concrete bridge crossing the Black Creek on the River Road (Highway 54) between Caledonia and Cayuga in Haldimand County. Following the 1912 Good Road Convention’s guidelines, the bridge handled all the road traffic between the two towns for more than thirty years. It was designated for its historical and architectural value through Haldimand County By-law 443/84.

The Good Road Convention, at Toronto on May 7, 1912, recommended that all new bridges from four to forty feet in length be built with steel beams embedded in concrete for structural stability. Any bridge over forty feet in length should be built solely of steel. The Seneca Bridge, built in 1913 and following these recommendations, has lasted more than 90 years, though it is no longer in use. Constructed by local contractors, the bridge stands as a testament to the area’s economic development. The provincial government took over control of River Road from Cayuga to Caledonia from the Country in or before 1937. At that time, it was renamed Highway 54. The Seneca Bridge handled all traffic between the two towns until 1950 when it was replaced with a larger structure. The bridge still stands today.

431 Queen Street, Dunnville, ON

George Sime emigrated from Scotland to Canada in the late 1840’s and settled in Dunnville. A tanner and courier by trade, he became a respected businessman and prominent landowner who involved himself in local politics and served as the Town’s Reeve in 1866.

Sime built a two-storey brick structure in 1869, Italianate in style, one of the few remaining original large homes in Haldimand County worthy of preservation.

834 North Shore Drive, Dunnville, ON

The property was purchased and owned by the Squire William Anthony, March 5, 1821. Anthony constructed a saw mill, a steam grist mill, and distillery on this lot; in later years (post 1830), a brickyard and hotel were also located on this site known as “Anthony’s Mills”.

This property became one of the original areas of settlement, business, commercial and industrial trade in Haldimand County and led to the growth of Dunnville.

The fabrication date for the log cabin is not known. Historical records and documents reviewed by the Heritage Haldimand Committee indicate the probability that this structure was constructed during the same period as the grist and saw mills (c 1821 – 1829).

34 Main St. W., Selkirk, ON

The three-classroom Union School opened in September 1918.  It sits on Land originally granted to Lt. John Dachstader.  A Mr. Hall was the architect; a Mr. Bennett was the builder.  The first principal was Miss Kelso, assisted by Mrs. Abrahart and Miss Munt.  In 1922, the Continuation School grades 1-12 was formed by turning the two basement rooms into classrooms, and the large front room into a science lab and domestic science room.  Grade 13 was available at Hagersville or Caledonia.  After 1949 students were bussed to Cayuga.  In 1967 the school became a library and community center.

This massive two-storey, red brick building is accented by grey cement bands, window moulds and door surrounds.  The basement extends well above the ground level.  The roof is very steeply pitched with various planes, dormers and belfry.  Two large doorways with pediments and 8 transoms flank a large central projection containing many windows.

3038 Haldimand Road 9, York, ON

S.S. #9 Seneca, Empire School was originally built in 1850 as a log schoolhouse on the north side of Regional Road 9.  In 1856, because of a large student population, a frame schoolhouse was built across the road on the present site.  In 1885, the present brick schoolhouse was constructed.  The school was closed in 1957, when the new Seneca Central School was opened.  The school reopened briefly in 1959, when the Seneca Unity School was under construction.  At the present time this schoolhouse is a private residence, which has been refurbished by the previous owners Collis and Beverly Watson.

3 Front Street, York, ON

St. John’s Parish Hall, on Front Street in York, Ontario, was the first Anglican church in Haldimand County. It is a two-storey gabled roof, plank structure built in typical nineteenth century Regency Gothic style. It was designated by Haldimand County for historical and architectural reasons with By-law 398/83.

St. John’s Parish Hall was built ca. 1845-46 by George Hacon and was the first Anglican church in the area. It was moved in 1895 from its original site – the present graveyard – to its current site, and became the parish hall five years later on completion of a new church. It was sold to the Golden Horseshoe Antique Society in 1974.

86 Sutherland Street East, Caledonia, ON

This two-story frame house was built circa 1860 as the manse for the Sutherland Street Presbyterian Church.  This was the first Presbyterian Manse in Caledonia and is the oldest existing manse or parsonage in the town.

4 Argyle Street North, Caledonia, ON

The Toll House was built in 1875 as a residence for the toll-keeper who collected tolls from those crossing the bridge over the Grand River.  The building is a good example of the Victorian Architecture of the period.

863 Keith Richardson Pkwy. Townsend, ON.

George Upper came to Norfolk County in 1837.  He farmed and operated a sawmill.    He purchased all of Lot 24, Concession 13, where a schoolhouse came to be located, which doubled as a church on Sunday, and the half-acre cemetery.  These gravestones represent a particular type of Ontario funerary art, roughly spanning 1790-1900, where tombstones were individually crafted objects of pleasing form and decoration.  The stones are soft, granite marble bearing carved motifs and touching epitaphs.  The oldest surviving stone is January 9, 1845.  Gereetia, wife of Joel Davis.  The most recent stone is that of Ann Eliza Wilkin, June 4, 1873.

4163 Highway 3, Cayuga, ON

This house is an excellent example of a large patterned brick Italianate or bracketed type of Ontario farmhouse. It was built in 1890 by Clark and Mary (nee Grant) Vanderburgh shortly after they inherited the farm from Andrew Vanderburgh, an early settler in North Cayuga Township.

Furthermore, the house is located on Highway 3, a provincially designated Heritage Highway, and is a familiar local landmark.

3513 Rainham Road, Selkirk, ON

S.S. #2 Walpole was built in 1872 on land owned by James Buckley. This red brick, one room school replaced a square frame structure. The original single door entry was replaced in 1957 by the present frame one with 2 doors, 2 cloakrooms, and 1 washroom. The gable roof with cornice returns has an open bell tower. The west and east elevations had 3-6 windows each. All elevations are common bond (7 rows stretchers, I-row headers). The north wall is a solid wall. Inside there was a raised platform across the front for the teacher. Centralization closed the school in 1965. In 1967 it became a museum.

The museum is a memorial to Wilson Pugsley MacDonald of Cheapside (1880-1967), who gained renown with his 1926 collection of poems “Out of the Wilderness.” He wrote satirical and religious poetry, as well as lyrical poetry praising the unspoiled beauty of nature.

Haldimand Highway # 54, Seneca River Range Pt. Lot 14 (South of the Village of York)

This section of land beside the Grand River was granted to Adam Young and his family for their loyalty to the Crown during the American Revolution.  Adam and his sons John, Daniel and Henry fought with the Butler’s Rangers and Mohawk Chief Joseph Brant in defending Canada.  Upon this tract of land, eldest son John Young was the first white settler to start a new life post war in 1783.  The family has erected a plaque to commemorate this history and has requested formal designation under the Ontario Heritage Act.