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 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 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 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 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)
Description of the annual outdoor service held at Auld Kirk, celebrating the 180th year since it's founding. Also has a brief history on the Scotch Settlement.
