"The May Rally of the Barrie Presbyterian Women's Missionary Society held at the First Presbyterian Church, Collingwood, was attended by about 179 women. President Mrs. Forrest McKee, Collingwood, led using 'Let Your Light Shine' as her theme. The mediations were given by Mrs. Bernell McKay and Mrs. Mel Strachan of the the Central Oro group. Reports on the Synodical meetingg held at the Kingsway Church in Islington, were given. Mrs. R. H. McKee, Collingwood, gave ideas to everyone on how to create interest in their own congregations during her talk on Christian concerns. The ladies of the hosting church served a salad luncheon. Rev. Douglas Wilson of the First Presbyterian Church, took the afternoon session beginning with a communion service. Mrs.Stanley Bloss, area secretary of the Toronto-Kinston synodical, was the guest speaker. In her address, she pointed out that faith and truth make for a beautiful life; they wipe out all doubts. Tea and fruit breads were served at the close of the meeting."
The building located at 1 Holland St. West was originally built as a hotel (Central Hotel, Uneeda Hotel, H. Hulse Hotel). Tom and Len Saint worked on the construction of the building. George Webb ran the hotel for a while before he moved to Saskatchewan. Tom Bell was the manager for many years until he retired and moved to the east side of Simcoe Street. Around 1917 it became the Imperial Bank of Commerce. A large safe and living quarters for the bank staff were located upstairs. The entrance to the apartment was on the west side of the building. John McDowell and his family lived here in the 1930’s. The bank was robbed by the notorious “Boyd Gang” in the 1940’s. At one time the front offices were used by the police, and the back offices were used by Mr. Scanlon (a lawyer). The bank closed in 1972 and was moved further west on Holland Street. This building then became a real estate office, a convenience store, and as of 2014, the Coffee Culture Café. (1, 2)
The original building located at 4 Holland St. West (on the southwest corner of Holland and Simcoe Streets) was built in the 1840’s and was situated on land originally owned by James Drury. He was one of the early immigrants who reached Upper Canada. Drury rented the corner lot to Thomas Driffill (a blacksmith), who opened a hardware store at that location. The lot was later sold to Robert Cooke, who leased the property to Driffill for another 20 years. Thomas Driffill became the village of Bradford’s first reeve when it was incorporated in 1857. The great fire of 1871 destroyed all but the building’s foundation. It was rebuilt incorporating the intact, old vault and locally-made bricks. Thomas Driffill bought the building in 1885, eventually retired, and left the business to his sons, Joseph and James, who eventually sold it to Andrew Thompson, Driffill's partner. It became Thompson's Hardware. A series of different owners and different types of enterprises followed. William Barron bought the building in 1946 and relocated his hardware business to this site. He made several renovations, including adding a new stone façade, new plate glass windows, and an elevator to facilitate deliveries to the tinsmithing shop upstairs. He retired and left the business to his son Norman. The building later became a motorcycle shop, and eventually, for several years, the Winchester Arms Restaurant. (1, 2, 4, “Four Holland Street West: A Short History” by Lorraine Philip - Bradford West Gwillimbury Public Library, Local History Collection).
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)
"On vacation in Alaska, Mr. and Mrs. Art Wright and their daughter, Susan, of Gilford pose beside a huge glacier. They took the trip on the Strand Cruise vessel, SS Veracruz, and sent the photo along to the Witness."
Construction of the house located mid-block at 123 Barrie St. (and six others) was begun in 1912 by Lieutenant George Stoddart. When Stoddart went overseas during WWI, the project was completed by builder Art Saint. The house was built in the Edwardian Classicism style. Archie and Minnie (Spence) Hammel moved up the street into this house. They ran a grocery store on the south side of Holland St. (in the second building from Drury St.) and they both died in this house. Minnie left a lot of the Spence records in the attic. These records dated back to 1900 when her father ran a lumber company in Bradford. The two-storey structure has a bell-cast, hip roof. A square plan and simple form are highlighted with a large, classically-inspired porch. The hip roof at the entrance porch is supported by painted, wooden columns and simple, rounded bracket supports. Simple, double-hung windows are balanced within the façade. The dormer window mimics the roof line of the main house. Construction is solid, smooth brick with simple details. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is well-maintained. (1, 2, 3)
The mid-block building located at 178 Barrie St. was built pre-1900 in the Ontario Vernacular Cottage style. The one-storey, three-bay structure has a square plan and narrow window openings with low floor to ceiling heights. It also has a shallow-pitched, hip roof, a symmetrical façade, and a centre hall plan. A box hall was typical for this style. The raised entrance may have had a porch originally. The single door has a transom. Double-hung windows (not original) have plain, wood trim and sills. Wood frame construction is clad with vinyl siding. The original siding was probably wood. There is a stone foundation and a single, brick masonry chimney at the side of the house. According to the 2000 inventory, this modest cottage probably had few decorative details originally. It also notes that other than the building’s form, few existing building elements appear to be original. (1, 3)
The house located at 152 Barrie St. (on the southwest corner of Barrie and Queen Streets) was built in the 1890’s in the Gothic Revival style. The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped building is flanked by recent one and two-storey additions. According to the 2000 inventory, these additions are unsympathetic with the original design. The house has medium-pitched, gable roofs and large, ground-floor window openings. There is an oval rose window in the front gable. Some of the original 2/2 wood sash windows with wood lug sills and brick voussoirs still remain. The house has asymmetrical window locations, brick masonry construction, and a stone foundation. (1, 3)
The mid-block building located on the west side at 214 Barrie St. was built around 1880 in the Gothic Revival style. The 1½-storey, rectangular building has a medium-pitched, gable roof. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights and a projecting bay window. Also noteworthy are the large, 4/4 double-hung windows. The house has dichromatic brick quoins, brick lintels and a gable decoration. There is a wide entrance with sidelights and a transom. The building has load-bearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the replacement porch (with a deep support beam, concrete floor slab and stylized bracket decoration) is an unconvincing substitute for the original. It also notes that the property has been maintained well. (1, 3)
The Stoddart House is located at 250 Barrie Street. It was built around 1870 in the Eclectic Neoclassical style. Some of the early settlers in the Bradford area were members of the Stoddard/Stoddart family. John Stoddard settled along the Bond Head Road in 1829. In later times, Major George W. Stoddart was the reeve of Bradford. The two-storey building has a rectangular form and a centre hall plan. There is a symmetry in the large window openings (with high floor to ceiling heights). The double-hung windows with painted-wood lug sills are also neoclassical features. The medium-pitched, hip roof, wrap-around porch (with original turned wood post supports), and remaining wood brackets and decorative trim are Regency Revival features. A projecting, bay window at the ground-floor living (or dining) room is a Gothic Revival feature. The house has solid, brick construction and a stone foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, the metal screen door at the entrance is unsympathetic to the original design. It was also notes that the porch needed repair. (1, 3)
