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Contains news clippings and articles on the Scotch Settlement

Contains news clippings and articles on various disastrous events of Bradford West Gwillimbury; includes fires, Hurricane Hazel, drownings, explosion, train wrecks

Contains clippings and photographs of Bradford West Gwillimbury's transportation methods

Files including letters, newspaper clippings (namely birth and death records), photographs, and essays on select families of Bradford West Gwillimbury

The cement brick building (with an arch) that is located at 17 Barrie St. is not the original structure at this site. Originally, there was a large frame building (used to shelter horses, a stage coach, buggies, cutters, etc.) that was part of a livery stable owned by Dave Ogilvie many years ago. It was destroyed by fire shortly after Dave bought it and the building seen in the photo is a smaller replacement. Dave also ran a stage coach line (later a taxi service) to Newmarket to meet the Metropolitan street car. Travelling salesmen would use this stage line to bring their wares and samples to town. They would stay at the Queen’s Hotel, where they would take orders from customers. They then used the stage coach and livery to go to Middletown, Bond Head, Newton Robinson, Beeton, Cookstown, Fennell’s Corner and then back home. Dave also hauled mail from the train station to the local post office, as well as to Bond Head. When automobiles replaced horses, the stables were removed from the building and people rented storage there for their vehicles. In time, Dave added a small office, toilets and gas pumps. After he died, Gordon and Mac ran the business until it was sold to Fred Gregory. Fred ran a car repair shop and employed a mechanic. Fred had a rental apartment built upstairs. It had outside stairs to the laneway. When Fred got sick he rented the building to Ray O’Neil who later bought it. Ray sold the building to the European Bakery in 1994. (1, 2)

This is the front view of the house located mid-block on the east side at 143 Barrie Street. It was the last house built by Art, Tom and Len Saint after WWI. The building was constructed in 1925 in the Arts and Crafts style. It became the home of many people, including Erv Hill and his wife. He worked for Dennis Nolan and was a noted (Ford) mechanic. Harold Seaurow and his wife (who came from Grand Valley) later bought and moved into this house. Harold was a car salesman and a partner with Wink Crake for a while. He then went with Jim (Catania) and Brad Walker.
The 1½-storey ‘bungalow’ has an asymmetrical façade and a rectilinear plan. A broad, medium-pitched, gabled hip roof extends down to reduce the scale of the building. The slightly-raised porch is entered from the front. The roof, horizontal siding, and a wide band of windows across the front of the porch emphasize the horizontal lines and massing of the style. There are wide window openings with low floor to ceiling heights. Multiple, double-hung windows are set into wide segmented, arched openings with 1/1 panes, lug sills of precast concrete, and brick voussoirs at the arches. The smaller, second-storey windows are offset from the ground floor windows. They are set into a gable and dormers and have plain, wood sills and trim. A bay window projects out from the south wall and has no foundation. The house has wood frame construction with masonry cladding, vinyl siding and a painted, concrete foundation. The original siding would have been wood. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in good condition with many original features that have been maintained well. It also notes that the windows, shutters, and porch railing are not original. (1, 2, 3)

The mid-block building located at 31/33 Bingham St. was built around 1880 in the Neoclassical Duplex style. George “Duke” Lowe built and rented the north half (31), and he and his family lived in the south half (33). He was a farmer who raised cows and pastured them on a vacant lot on the south side of Centre Street. He also cut marsh hay, raised pigs, had an ice house, and delivered ice. He started the first garbage pick-up in Bradford. Ted Bulpit and his wife and son (Ted) lived at 31 Bingham St. for many years.
The six-bay structure with one-storey (narrow) rear wings is set close to the street. Unlike most Neoclassical buildings which have two storeys, this is only a single-storey dwelling. It has a shallow-pitched, gable roof and a formal, symmetrical façade. The slightly-raised entrances are paired in the centre of the façade and each one has a parged-stone entrance platform with steps. Both doors (not original) are set into high, segmented arch openings with glass transoms. The original glass has been replaced with a solid panel. This building has small window openings with low floor to ceiling heights. The front windows (with high sills) are set into segmented arch openings with plain, wood frames and sills. A 2/2 window at the far north end is original, but the other windows are more recent replacements. The shutters are not original. This building has brick, masonry construction with stucco cladding and a parged, stone foundation. There is a cellar. The bricks used for the cladding were salvaged from damaged sections of the Town Hall after the severe storm of 1878. According to the 2000 inventory, this building is a modest example of workers’ housing with some original details remaining. (1, 2, 3)

The two-storey building (with a cellar) located at 35 and 37 Bingham St. (on the northeast corner of Bingham and Centre Streets) was built by Sam Bernick many years ago. He bought the small lot from George “Duke” Lowe. (1, 2)

The house located at 45 Bingham St. was considered to be relatively new in 1995. (1, 2)

The mid-block building once located at 49 Drury St. was built in the neoclassical style around 1880. James Currie (a retired farmer, businessman, carpenter and noted gardener) and his wife lived here many years ago. Gilbert Lukes, his wife, and some of his family also lived here at one time.
The two-storey, rectangular building had a symmetrical façade, a centre hall plan, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. It had large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The large, 2/2 double-hung, wood windows had wood lug sills. Aluminum storm windows were modern additions. The house had symmetrically-placed chimneys at both ends of the roof. The metal roof had minimal eaves projection. There were decorative brick dentils at the cornices and stepped brick corbels at the projecting, end gable walls (firewall-type construction). The building had solid, brick construction. At one time the house had a woodshed (with a toilet inside), a chicken run, and a chicken house attached to the barn (with a horse and cow stable), car garage (and loft above) on the laneway. The house was demolished in June, 1997. (1, 2, 3)