Showing 13 results

An article about a highly destructive fire that swept through Holland Street, destroying multiple buildings, businesses and homes. The original article appeared in the May 22nd, 1871 edition of the Toronto Daily Telegraph and was reprinted in 1901 as part of the "Looking Backward" series.

The Mark Scanlon House, also known locally as ‘The Pines’, is located at 168 Church St. (on the northwest corner of Church and Queen Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival style around 1850 by Mark Scanlon. He was a lawyer and one of the original town fathers. This structure later became the home of Professor Day, the Misses Lane, and eventually lawyer Robert (Bob) Evans.
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped farmhouse sits on a large corner lot. It has 1½-storey rear additions. The main building has an asymmetrical plan, a steeply-pitched, gable roof with dormers, and multiple chimneys. A wide entrance has sidelights and a transom with etched glass in a pattern. The wood screen door is not original. A line in the brick indicates an original wrap-around porch (Regency style). The existing porch is a twentieth-century replacement. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The large, 6/6 (original) sash windows are compatible with modern, storm additions. The bay windows are 2/2 sash. There are painted, wood lug sills and a projecting, bay window with a crenellated cap. The house has a false rose window in the side gable (with a chimney stack behind). The shutters are original. There is an elaborately-carved, deep, bargeboard trim (beneath the sloped gables only) with rectangular, upright and dropped finials. There is also dichromatic brickwork at the corner reveals, window labels, and label stops. The building has loadbearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. Rare, pink brick used as cladding was possibly made in Newmarket. According to the 2000 inventory, the picturesque house is well-maintained. (1, 3)

This home is located on the corner of Church and Queen St. It is an early Gothic style house with gingerbreading on the eves. It was made of a rare pink brick, possibly created in Newmarket.
The house was built in 1850 by Mark Scanlon, a lawyer, and one of the original town fathers. He was born on the farm of his father, Mark, on the north half of lot 16, on the ninth concession, West Gwillimbury. He graduated with a B.A from Victoria College, Cobourg, which is now affiliated with Toronto University.
He is the father of Mr. A.E. Scanlon, who was also a lawyer in Bradford.
Professor Day also lived here as did the Misses Lane. It is now the home of Robert Evans, a lawyer.

View of The Pines, a stately home built by Mark Scanlon in 1850 on the corner of Church and Queen Streets. Viewing from Queen Street

Full obituary for Mrs. Fred (Catherine Eunice Scanlon) Wood:
"With the passing away at Newmarket Hospital on Friday, February 10, of Catherine Eunice Moore Scanlon, beloved wife of Fred Wood, West Gwillimbury lost one of its most well-known citizens. Mrs. Wood was born and lived all her life on the farm owned by her father, the late Thos. Scanlon, Lot 2, Concession 10, whose father, Mark Scanlon, settled at Scanlon's Creek about the year 1824. Her mother was the late Maria Sloane, whose parents settled on the farm of James Sloane about the same time. The late Mrs. Wood attended school at Mount Pleasant and later attended the High School situated at the northern entrance to the Pine Grove, Bradford. She was an Anglican and during her whole life attended St. Paul's Anglican Church, the church attended by her parents. Having lived her whole life on the same farm, and having a keen mind with vivid recollections of the early settlers, she knew intimately the history of West Gwillimbury and Bradford. Mrs. Wood is survived by her husband; one brother, Allan Scanlon, who wife was a former Bradford girl, Myra Baker; their six sons and one daughter, who attended the funeral. Predeceasing her were Annie (Mrs. Donald McKay); George; Birdie (Mrs. Thos. Wood), and Mark. The funeral was from the family residence to Mount Pleasant Cemetery, part of which was given to the Methodist Church by her grandfather, Mark Scanlon. The pallbearers were six nephews, Lewis Scanlon, Sudbury; Fred Scanlon, Copper Cliff; Douglas Scanlon, Callander; Bert Scanlon, North Bay; Walter Wood, Painesville, Ohio, and gerald Wood, Wyandotte, Mich."

The Mark Scanlon House, also known locally as ‘The Pines’, is located at 168 Church St. (on the northwest corner of Church and Queen Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival style around 1850 by Mark Scanlon. He was a lawyer and one of the original town fathers. This structure later became the home of Professor Day, the Misses Lane, and eventually lawyer Robert (Bob) Evans.
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped farmhouse sits on a large corner lot. It has 1½-storey rear additions. The main building has an asymmetrical plan, a steeply-pitched, gable roof with dormers, and multiple chimneys. A wide entrance has sidelights and a transom with etched glass in a pattern. The wood screen door is not original. A line in the brick indicates an original wrap-around porch (Regency style). The existing porch is a twentieth-century replacement. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The large, 6/6 (original) sash windows are compatible with modern, storm additions. The bay windows are 2/2 sash. There are painted, wood lug sills and a projecting, bay window with a crenellated cap. The house has a false rose window in the side gable (with a chimney stack behind). The shutters are original. There is an elaborately-carved, deep, bargeboard trim (beneath the sloped gables only) with rectangular, upright and dropped finials. There is also dichromatic brickwork at the corner reveals, window labels, and label stops. The building has loadbearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. Rare, pink brick used as cladding was possibly made in Newmarket. According to the 2000 inventory, the picturesque house is well-maintained. (1, 3)

The Mark Scanlon House, also known locally as ‘The Pines’, is located at 168 Church St. (on the northwest corner of Church and Queen Streets). It was built in the Gothic Revival style around 1850 by Mark Scanlon. He was a lawyer and one of the original town fathers. This structure later became the home of Professor Day, the Misses Lane, and eventually lawyer Robert (Bob) Evans.
The two-storey, ‘L’-shaped farmhouse sits on a large corner lot. It has 1½-storey rear additions. The main building has an asymmetrical plan, a steeply-pitched, gable roof with dormers, and multiple chimneys. A wide entrance has sidelights and a transom with etched glass in a pattern. The wood screen door is not original. A line in the brick indicates an original wrap-around porch (Regency style). The existing porch is a twentieth-century replacement. There are large window openings with high floor to ceiling heights. The large, 6/6 (original) sash windows are compatible with modern, storm additions. The bay windows are 2/2 sash. There are painted, wood lug sills and a projecting, bay window with a crenellated cap. The house has a false rose window in the side gable (with a chimney stack behind). The shutters are original. There is an elaborately-carved, deep, bargeboard trim (beneath the sloped gables only) with rectangular, upright and dropped finials. There is also dichromatic brickwork at the corner reveals, window labels, and label stops. The building has loadbearing, brick masonry construction and a stone foundation. Rare, pink brick used as cladding was possibly made in Newmarket. According to the 2000 inventory, the picturesque house is well-maintained. (1, 3)

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)

This portrait is of Mark Scanlon alongside an article featuring his biography in this edition. Mark and his son, Albert E., were barristers of Bradford. Mark owned the Pines estate.

The Bradford Witness decided to release a series of articles from local townspeople on the history of certain events in Bradford and West Gwillimbury's time. This week, C.T.S. "Charlie" Evans wrote about the Township of West Gwillimbury.