Day Trips: London & Middlesex Historical Society does Guelph

Guide Susan Ratcliffe 
with tour attendees.

 On September 28, LMHS held its annual fall bus tour. This   year's excursion was to Guelph, a city I'd only seen a couple   of times while driving through. Now that I've discovered   more of the city, I can confirm what I'd only suspected before,   that it's a city worth seeing if you're a fan of Ontario history   and architecture. (If you aren't, you're reading the wrong   blog.) 

 Guelph is nicknamed the Royal City. What's with that? Well,   city founder John Galt chose the name Guelph, a word that's   derived from the Italian Guelfo, which in turn is derived from   the Bavarian Welf. The reference is to the House of Welf and   was chosen to honour King George IV, reigning monarch at   the time of the city's founding. His Majesty's family, the   Hanoverians, were descended from the Welfs. Hence, the   "Royal City."*

 Leaving London bright and early, nearly thirty of us reached   Guelph at about 10:30, just in time to meet up with Susan   Ratcliffe, our guide for a downtown walking tour. Susan is   president of  ACO Guelph Wellington so she's the perfect   escort for a heritage tour of central Guelph. This is one   knowledgeable lady. She hardly consulted her cue cards as   she led Londoners around the core of the city she knows so   well.

Our tour began on "Catholic Hill," site of the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate and other buildings associated - or formerly associated - with the Roman Catholic Church. This hill, by the way, is the highest point in the city. When he founded Guelph in 1827, Galt set aside the hill for the church's use, as a compliment to his friend Bishop Alexander Macdonell. A local bylaw prevents any buildings from being taller than Catholic Hill, allowing it to remain the city's most outstanding feature. A far cry from London, where the Old Courthouse will be surrounded by skyscrapers in future. 

View of downtown Guelph from Catholic Hill.

The current structure is the third church to overlook the city. The first, a frame structure named St. Patrick's, was built by 1835 but burned down. Those early wooden buildings generally did sooner or later. Next came St. Bartholomew's which lasted a few decades. The current building, Our Lady Immaculate, designed in the Gothic Revival style by architect Joseph Connolly, was begun in 1877 using local limestone. The edifice was complete by 1888, except for the twin towers which weren't added until 1926.

Postcard dated 1907 shows church before towers added. **

The entire building was restored from 2007 to 2014 at a cost of over $12 million. The astronomical sum is worth it; there just has to be an impressive church on Catholic Hill. 

Many smaller churches dot downtown Guelph. Although they're less ornate (and less Catholic), they're still made of local limestone. A couple of them can be seen from Catholic Hill ...

... but there are many more. Not all of them are still churches. For example, Chalmers Presbyterian (later United) Church on Quebec Street is now Royal City Mission, a statement on the times in which we live. Those saddened to see a closed church may take comfort in the building's continued use for outreach to the poor. The former sanctuary is now a dining room.

Back on Catholic Hill, and built of local limestone, is the former Loretto Convent, now Guelph's Civic Museum (note Our Lady in the background). While an excellent example of adaptive reuse, I was reminded of Museum London, in that that the building seemed full of empty space. Humph. 

There's also the former St. Agnes School for girls, first built 1883, with its second floor and tower added 1908. It's been boarded up since 2015 so you can imagine the interior after nearly ten years abandonment. Any future purpose will need to be found quickly, but it's probably already too late to save this stately building.

A statue of Lt.-Col. John McRae is perched above the city nearby. Guelph's most famous son wrote the iconic poem "In Flander's Fields." Here he sits, surrounded by poppies and holding a notebook on which he's jotted the words since recited by millions:

According to a nearby plaque on the Civic Museum, this is the second casting of a famous sculpture by artist Ruth Abernethy, the first casting being in Ottawa. The statue was donated to the city by Citizens of Guelph in 2015 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the poem.

Our tour continued below Catholic Hill. Right at the bottom is the Albion Hotel, an 1856 tavern boasting the second oldest liquor license in Ontario.*** Known as The Albion since 1867, the building is said to be haunted by the ghost of a "white lady. But what old building doesn't have a ghost? Perhaps more surprising are the tales of Al Capone making bootlegging deals here during prohibition. And strangest of all, rumours of tunnels leading up to Our Lady, all closed off and collapsed. The tunnels are said to have been used for bootlegging - if they exist, which isn't proven.

Another building in nicely restored condition is the Petrie Building, the last remaining example in Canada of a pre-1890 machine-stamped metal-clad building. This downtown Guelph landmark, designed by architect John Day for pharmacist A. B. Petrie, opened in 1882. The facade was made by the Ohio firm of Bakewell and Mullins, which ran a mail order business allowing customers to create the exterior best suited to their business. Note the mortar and pestle, commonly in use by druggists, up on top. This building is gorgeous. And, gosh, the Second Empire Kelly Building next door looks pretty good too.

A 1911 postcard shows the Petrie and Kelly buildings at right.

Another early postcard shows Guelph's C.N.R. station: 

The station is still in use today:

Next stop: Old Guelph City Hall. Below is a postcard published by A. B. Petrie of Petrie building fame. Built in 1856, City Hall was designed in the Renaissance Revival style by architect William Thomas who also designed the Don Jail. Note the gigantic bell tower on top, that rang four times a day, at 7 am, 12 pm, 1 pm, and 6 pm, as well as for funerals and community events. Unfortunately, the bell tower was removed in the 1960s. A new City Hall was built 2006 and the old building became the Provincial Offences Court. For more details see this timeline. A photo of Guelph's new abomination City Hall is here. 

To the right in the postcard is the Ontario Winter Fair building constructed 1900. The last fair was held in 1938 and the building was renovated into Guelph Memorial Gardens in 1948. In 2006 work crews took down Memorial Gardens but preserved the historic Winter Fair wall. 

A highlight of the Old City Hall is the three carved keystones Thomas added to its front facade:

Over the front door is Zeus:

A river god, in honour of the nearby River Speed, is at the east end:

A bull's head is at the west end, indicting the entrance to what was once Guelph's market:

Nearby is a 1979 bronze bust of city founder John Galt. That year was not only the bicentennial of Galt's birth in Scotland but the 100th anniversary of Guelph's rise to city status. As superintendent of the Canada Company, it was Galt's job to create towns to service the agricultural settlement of the area.  The bust is placed a short distance from Macdonell and Wellington, where in 1827 Galt began cutting down the first tree on Guelph's town site. 

It may look like Galt's lower half is hiding in a box, but this bust by sculptor
John Miecznikowski actually sits on a tall black granite pillar.  

 

Another Galt tribute is this sign on a railroad bridge not far from the train station. It's looking a bit crumbly and in need of replacement.

After lunch at another restored building, Einstein's Cafe, we visited the McCrae House, a limestone building which was the birthplace of John McCrae (1872-1918). 

The exterior looks like this is one of those house museums decorated in antique furnishings. In fact, the interior is quite museum-like. I think I was initially disappointed but soon realized the importance of displays and artifacts highlighting the importance of McCrae and the First World War. 

A grave marker from Flanders Fields that once identified the burial site of an unknown Canadian soldier. It was brought to Canada by the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII) in 1919.
An enlarged copy of McCrae's "In Flander's Fields" is displayed nearby.

While I've always known McCrae wrote "In Flander's Fields" I wasn't aware of everything else he did. Graduating from Guelph Collegiate at 16, he won a scholarship to the University of Toronto where he studied medicine on a scholarship. He worked at Toronto General and Johns Hopkins. Eventually he became a professor of pathology at the University of Vermont and later was resident pathologist at Montreal General. He coauthored a pathology textbook in 1912.

Like many boys, McCrae served in the militia. He joined the Canadian Field Artillery during the Boer War and won a medal. In 1914, when the First World War began, he volunteered for service at age 41. He was appointed Medical Officer and Major of the 1st Brigade, Canadian Field Artillery, and treated the wounded in a bunker at the Second Battle of Ypres, 1915. 

When his friend Lt. Alexis Helmer was killed in battle, McCrae was inspired to write his famous poem. "In Flanders Fields" first appeared anonymously in Punch magazine on December 8, 1915. In the index for that year his name was misspelled McCree. But despite the error, McCrae soon became a household name all over the world, his poem one of the best-known of World War I, perhaps of all time. On January 28, 1918, while commanding No. 3 Canadian General Hospital at Boulogne, McCrae died of pneumonia. 

An outdoor memorial in a magnificent garden.

* https://vintageguelph.ca/2019/06/05/why-is-guelph-called-the-royal-city/

** All postcards are from the author's collection.

*** According to our guide. But she didn't say who had the first. If you know, do tell. 

Day Trips: Mitchell

Considering Mitchell is less than an hour's drive from London, you'd think I'd get there more often. For some reason I rarely get beyond St. Marys but in the future that will change. Mitchell is an attractive small town with much for history buffs to admire. The adorable cottage at left is only one of many heritage homes.

Even the town's name is interesting. Mitchell is said to have been the surname of a black man who built a cabin on the banks of the Thames in pioneer days.* If so, Mitchell may be the only town in the province named after a black settler. 

The town's history appears a bit "whitewashed" on this cairn near the Mitchell dam. The plaque indicates the town was founded by the Hicks family:

But it has to me admitted that no history of Mitchell is complete without the Hicks. The man on the plaque, John Hicks, purchased his first lot in Mitchell in 1836. The family became associated with the hotel trade as proprietors of the Hicks House. The building by that name standing today is the third hotel, the second one having burned down in a devastating fire in 1872. One of the most outstanding structures in town, it has recently had its windows replaced and repair work done. But unlike some renovations, this one has attractively extended the life of the building, which now has stores on the main floor and apartments above. 

The red cherry bar from the Hicks House, complete with arches and carvings, has been relocated down the block into Faust's Home Hardware:

Another building associated with the Hicks family is 88 Blanshard Street, called "Dunelg" (Gaelic for "house on the hill"). It was built by Toronto architect Walter R. Strickland in 1876 for William Hicks, son of the hotel owner. It's hard to see from the front, being hidden by trees, but one does see this gatepost identifying the property. Note the grapes, which symbolize abundance and prosperity.

If one ventures up a side street, one does get a side-view glimpse of this imposing Italianate mansion. Note the terra-cotta lintels with prominent keystones above what look like original windows.

Glimpse of the stable at rear:

There are other imposing homes on Blanshard Street, like the extraordinary Italianate Villa at no. 78. Constructed by builder Thomas McClay, this 1881 mansion was owned by Sam Hewitt and later his son-in-law, Willard Heath, under whom it became a funeral home. Note more terra-cotta lintels and keystones, along with an imposing central tower with slate roof. Apparently a home for the living again.

No. 62 Blanshard, unfortunately, has a sagging porch and is badly in need of paint. Subdivided into apartments, it looks empty and in need of rescue:

There are interesting non-residential buildings in Mitchell. One is the well-preserved West Perth Public Library (formerly the Mitchell Public Library) on St. Andrew Street. It was built in 1910 using a $5,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie's foundation. There's an adorable turret next to the main door. 

I couldn't resist peeking into the turret, now a book nook, while inside:

A postcard from 1915 shows St. Andrews Street with the library (minus later additions) at left:

Author's collection.

I also visited Ketterson Park, site of Mitchell Agricultural Society's fall fair. There I discovered a circular "Crystal Palace" exhibition hall, built in 1917 and still in use. I wonder how many of these buildings are left in Ontario? Not much "crystal" left here, though, since the window and door openings are being covered with black and white fair-themed illustrations. See here for more info.

Other Mitchell buildings of note include the former Royal Hotel, built in 1865 on the northwest corner of St. Andrew Street and Ontario Road:

Once The Plaza movie theatre, this bright building at 36 Ontario Road became the Rose & Crown pub. Now it has another use:

Not every building in Mitchell is being "saved," though. I arrived in time to watch the demolition of the 1924 Mitchell High School, later the West Perth Municipal Building. The municipality has a new headquarters but surely this could have been used for something:

Below is little Trinity Anglican Church at 110 St. Andrew Street. This 1939 building replaced an earlier church that burned that year. This church is now empty, although there are other churches in Mitchell still in use. 

The first Anglican church in town was a now-demolished white-frame structure, built at the site of the Anglican cemetery on Blanshard Street. Which brings me to: 

Tombstone Tourism: Trinity Anglican Cemetery, Mitchell:

I always visit at least one cemetery in every town. I see no reason to ignore the community's earlier inhabitants just because they're dead.

Interesting imagery here: a star in the night sky as seen through a window. 

Many stones are in need of repair. The top part of this marker is sliding off.

But that's better than having a tree growing through it.

Interesting ironwork but no gravemarkers visible inside. 

Stones facing the street, perhaps meant to be read from the sidewalk. Unfortunately overgrown.

Gateway, probably once leading to the street, now leading nowhere. It's tempting to interpret this as a symbol depicting the futility of human life but I'm sure that wasn't intended.

If exploring a small town leaves you exhausted, the downtown Lion's Park, site of the 1963 Mitchell Dam, is a great place to relax.

The original dam, as seen in this 1911 postcard:

Author's collection.

If you're looking for a walking tour of Mitchell, just ask at the library for "Heritage Hike: Central Mitchell Loop" or a pamphlet called "Mitchell Architectural Walking Tour" created by the West Perth Heritage Committee.

*David E. Scott, Ontario Place Names. Allanburg, ON: DESPUB, Sixth edition, 2010. p. 293.