Ae box for an instrument, a Keuffel & Esser level.
Part of a collection of Professor William H. Day's work equipment, donated by Joe Saint. Both the case and level were originally owned by Professor William H. Day, who was integral to the Holland Marsh Drainage Scheme's beginnings. The equipment was traded to Len Saint in the 1930s for a truck. The survey of the marsh determined the elevation of the muck soil and the bordering "highland" soils, providing the information the planners would need to determine the grades, estimate the materials to be moved and to determine the alignment of the canal.
A Keuffel & Esser level that was used for activities such as surveying. It was originally owned by Professor William H. Day, who was integral to the Holland Marsh Drainage Scheme's beginnings. The survey of the marsh determined the elevation of the muck soil and the bordering "highland" soils, providing the information the planners would need to determine the grades, estimate the materials to be moved and to determine the alignment of the canal.
The drainage scheme report came out in 1924 and work began in the mid-1920s. The work involved intercepting part of the Holland River and the diversion of water around the perimeter of the area using drainage canals. Canal excavation materials were used to create dykes on the to-be reclaimed (marshland) side of the canals. The re-claimed land was used for farming and roads were constructed on top of the dykes to allow for transportation.
The two-storey, frame house located at 89 Holland St. East was the home of Tom and Mary (Harman) Saint for many years. The structure was moved across the river to this site from the Thompson Smith Saw Mill (at Amsterdam) after it closed. A crawl space under the back kitchen was replaced in 1936 by a cellar under the front part of the house. It was dug by Jim (Dummy) Peters, Donald Campbell, and Joe Saint using pick-shovels. They then poured an 8” concrete wall. An oil furnace was installed after the front cellar was completed. It replaced the wood-fueled cooking stove previously used as a heat source for the house. Tom owned the property from Holland St. through to John Street. There was a lane behind the house that led to a woodshed. At the bottom of the lot there was a shed for a wagon, buggy, implements, etc. Upstairs was a loft for hay and on the east side there was a horse stable. Tom was a stone mason, brick layer, plasterer, and cement layer. He used a horse to haul his materials. Six children (William, John, Sadie, Leonard, May and Jane) were raised in this house. Sadie married Walter Reeves, a lacrosse player and a one man/one dog police force. Sadie lived at home and Dorothy married Harvey Marks and stayed in the family till 1989. A front porch and a car port at the back were eventually added. The lot at the back was sold to William Smith. (1, 2)
The two-storey house located at 78 Simcoe Road was once the home of Bob Root, his wife Sarah, and children (Bill and Mildred). The family moved here from Newton Robinson many years ago. He was a pump maker and a repairman. Howard Robson, Evelyn, Alvin, Garret and Phyllis, Budd and Shirley also lived here at one time. Howard worked on the railway and then at Bender Caskets in Newmarket. He retired and later died in this house. His wife looked after (and nursed) Miss Sterling (Stirling?), an unmarried woman who left her money to many people when she died in the 1930’s. (1, 2)
The small, frame house located at 52 John St. West was built by Art Saint after World War II for his father (Frank) and sister (Lena). After Frank’s death, Lena moved to Toronto and the house was sold. (1, 2)
The Dr. Clement House is located at 41 Simcoe Road (on the southeast corner of Simcoe Road and Centre Street). It was built around 1830-1860 (1840’s?) in the Classic Revival style. Dr. Clement lived and died here after practising in the 1870-80’s. He was buried in Clement Cemetery on the 2nd Line in Innisfil (east of Highway 11). His wife Rachel lived here until her death. The house was then rented to Walton, a railroad man for the C.N.R. The barn and garden behind the building ran to William St. (as did all the properties on the east side). Sam Catania and his wife Sarah lived here in later years. They converted the house into two apartments and had a dry cleaning business in the garage that was eventually destroyed by fire. Sam sold the house to Bruce and Barbara Verney. They were still living here when this photo was taken in 1995. Bruce was a chiropractor. A building used as a dry cleaner was constructed later on the property. Jack Pong (a restaurant owner on Holland St.) built a house on the back of this property that extended to Centre Street. The street level has apparently been raised considerably around this house as the current 1½-storey, two-bay house was originally 2½ storeys. It has an asymmetrical façade and entrance, a simplified ‘temple’ form, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. The pediment roof shape has return eaves facing the front. A hip roof on the raised entrance portico is supported on wood beams with decorative, wood dentils. The corner columns have wooden ‘flutes’ and are mounted on brick pedestals. A wood-panelled door is flanked by narrow sidelights and is topped by a transom light. The house has small window openings with low floor to ceiling heights. Small, upper-floor windows are set into rectangular openings with plain, wood frames and sills. A ground-floor, bay window is an angled projection with a hip roof. The brick masonry foundation appears to be a replacement. A horizontal belt line at the top of the foundation is expressed with wood trim. The structure has wood frame construction with stucco cladding and a cut-stone foundation. Bricks found at the bay window foundation and at the entrance porch are probably not original. According to the 2000 inventory, the house is in good condition with many original details. (1, 2, 3, 4)
The frame building located at 38 and 40 Holland St. East was bought many years ago by Mr. McWilliams. He remodeled the structure and put the entrance for the upstairs apartment on the east side (42 Holland St. E.). He died many years ago and Mrs. McWilliams (a sister of William Hirlehey) and her son Bill lived in the apartment. Bill worked on the marsh and in a hockey stick factory. There were two shops downstairs. Joe Scotto barbered at 40 Holland St. East (on the east side of the building) for a number of years before moving across the street to “Rusty” Worfolk’s property at 27 Holland St. East. There was a shoemaker and leather shop for years at 38 Holland St. East (on the west side of the building). There have been several other businesses here including Joyce’s Curio Shoppe (as seen in this photo taken in 1995). (1, 2)
The mid-block building located at 37 Holland St. East was built in the Gothic Revival style in the 1880-1890’s. Originally, the left side on the ground floor contained an office occupied by grain buyers. It had a front door and a small window. The remainder of the building was used as living quarters for several families over the years, including Art Hand (a painter and decorator) and his wife (Sawyer), and later their son Orville and his wife Helen (Noble). It was eventually sold to Mr. Glass, a merchant. The 1½-storey house has an ‘L’-shaped plan with a centre hall. It also has an asymmetrical façade, an off-centre front gable at the façade projection, and a medium-pitched, gable roof. There is a raised, open porch. The existing roof, supports, and railing are not original. Its wide door opening suggests that the original had a transom and sidelights. The door itself is not original. There are small windows with high floor to ceiling heights. Wide windows set into rectangular openings in the projecting bay are not original and the variation in the brick suggests that the original openings were partially bricked in. The windows in the receding bay are set into segmented, arch openings with brick voussoirs and concrete, lug sills. None of the existing windows are original. The building has wood frame construction with brick cladding and a textured, concrete foundation. According to the 2000 inventory, there are few original details remaining in the building. (1, 2, 3)
The large, two-sorey structure located on the east side at 319 Simcoe Road was the home of George Peterman, his wife Sarah (Leopard) and his children (Ernest, Melville, Gurnard, Bertrand, Ila, Norma and Doris) many years ago. He bought Lowery farm (on the south side of Simcoe Road to the 6th Concession, south boundary of Bradford, and north side of the road to the Kneeshaw farm). George raised cows and farmed. Ila and Doris delivered milk (produced by cows on their farm) to Bradford by horse and wagon twice a day. There was a large barn just west and south of the house and road. A milk house was once attached to the woodshed at the back end of the house. Ernie worked on the marsh haying, labored drilling the town well, and then worked for Collings in the marsh. Mell laboured and worked with marsh vegetables and owned marsh land. Gurnard laboured. Bert, a good sportsman, left the farm after finishing school. (1, 2)
