Contains clippings and photographs of Bradford West Gwillimbury buildings and streets

Article features local news, such as the reflection of the life of the publisher, and Bradford's housing situation which is reflecting in the weekly editions of The Witness.

"The long-awaited Heritage Assessment of the Armstrong - Van Voorst home on the 6th Line was presented to Bradford West Gwillimbury Council, in Committee of the Whole on May 2nd. Prepared by Su Murdoch Historical Consulting of Barrie, the Assessment was carried out as a condition of draft approval for Christina Homes Ltd.'s proposed 66 unit subdivision on the 10 acre property." ...

When this photo was first printed, the negative was flipped (so the fence would be on the right side of the photograph). We have corrected the photograph here to show how the house was meant to look.
Dorothy (Reeves) Marks is in front of the house, located at 89 Holland Street East. Additions have since been added on to the house, and the trees no longer exist.

This portrait is of Samuel Lukes, businessman and mill owner of Bradford. At the time of this edition, he was a successful owner of the Bradford Flouring Mills and lived on Holland Street. Later, he would own the Algonquin Lodge (now known as the Convent).

This was the home of Sam and Gilbert Lukes. It was originally built by John MacLean Stevenson in 1876. It was sold, first to Robert Bingham in 1877, then to James Boddy in 1894(?) who named it "Fairview". Later, after a number of other sales, it became the property of Rev. Egerton R. Young in 1903, and was renamed "Algonquin Lodge". Rev. Young in turn sold it to the Lukes family in 1910. The Lukes family, who owned the Bradford Flour Mill, made several repairs and alterations to the house under their ownership. In 1949, the house and property was sold to the Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Toronto, but they soon sold the house to the Ursuline Order of the Diocese of London. In the years since, the building has been sold, re-sold, had court cases fought over ownership until late in the 1980's. In 1994, the building was torn down and the "Common Roof" facility was built.

Photograph of Elizabeth (Libbie) Florence Campbell with Margaret and Elizabeth Ellis who were the daughters of Libbie’s cousin, Dr. Charles Wilson. Wilson was a longtime Dentist in Bradford. Photograph taken outside of Bessie & William Campbell’s house on John Street, c. 1915.

A metal and wood trophy given for most attractive home in Bradford. The title was won by Mrs. W. H. Lee in 1948. Label on bottom reads:

“Blue Ribbon Trophy, Wm. A. Rogers, Made by Oneida Co.”

"Whatever becomes of this grand old lady, her colourful history will not be soon forgotten.

When the Recreation Facilities Committee was formed consisting of Chairperson Ann Currie, Jim Culbert, Steve Boland, Ellen MacKenzey, Bill Germayne and Sharon Sinclair, Director of Parks and Recreation, one of their first commitments was to find the "ideal" location to house the new Recreation and Cultural Complex. After a considerable amount of investigative work and discussion by this Committee, the favorite choice was the old convent.

While the convent certainly fits the "centralized" location criteria, an added attraction is the history which surrounds this 112-year old structure.

In 1876, John MacLean Stevenson built this masterpiece (named Masonic Lodge) and lived in it a short 10 months before selling it to the Robert Bingham family. This family stay was a little longer (16 years) before it, once again, changed hands. In 1893, James Boddy became the proud owner and renamed the house "Fairview". He resided there until 1903 when the property was purchased by Rev. Egerton Ryerson Young (noted missionary and publisher) who again renamed the house this time she was labeled "Algonquin Lodge". Upon the death of Rev. Young in 1910, his family sold the house to Sam Lukes who ran the Bradford Flour Mill. Lukes pet name for the home was "Luxalean". The house stayed in the Lukes family until Gilbert Lukes sold it in 1949. At the time of this sale, the plot of land was divided in two; on the plot south of the house was built St. Mary's Catholic School. The house was occupied by a group of teaching nuns of the Ursuline Order of the Diocese of London in Ontario.

In 1969, John and Maria Moniz bought the stately mansion and turned it into an apartment house. Contrary to the zoning by-laws, Town Council closed their eyes and allowed this grand home to be a multiple family dwelling for 12 years.

From the moment John Moniz' sale was accepted by Fred Picavet's cash offer, which in turn, nullified the offer made by the Town's agent, the convent had been cloaked in a shroud of controversy.

No sooner had the new deed owners, Fred and Betty Lou Picavet begun the extensive renovation work to the upstairs wings, than Bradford town council issued a "stop work order" and filed a Lis Pendents with the County Courts in Barrie (Feb. 26, 1981). This order was subsequently honoured by the County Court Office which necessitated an immediate halt on the renovation work by Picavet. While workmanship was in "pending", taxes continued to be paid by the owner (Picavet).

It wasn't until 1987 when an out-of-court settlement was reached between Fred Picavet and the Town that the convent became the legal property of the town of Bradford.

While the "legal hagglings" were underway, the old convent sat empty for five consecutive winters. Pampering can oft times help to slow down the natural aging process. Unfortunately, pampering the convent during that turbulent time was not a top priority item; henceforth, the building was vandalized on a fairly regular basis.

For someone like Jim Culbert, "the furniture doctor", it was nothing less than a mortal sin that such a fine building should have been so readily accessible to vandals. At the time Jim, personally, approached Town Council and Pat Storey to see if the building could be boarded up to discourage further destruction. He was basically told that the Safety Standards Bylaw which was in place to deal with this situation was unable to be looked after due to the lack of a by-law enforcement officer.

Incensed by that line of reasoning, Jim decided to "go to bat" for the convent. Through public awareness and letters to various newspapers, the convent was eventually boarded up which helped to minimize the continued vandalism.

With the endorsement of the Master Plan Recreation Study and the Facilities Committee, to renovate a part of the convent for the new Recreation and Cultural Complex, Jim Culbert is, once again, appealing to the town's people to "get on board" with regard to bringing this matter to the forefront. The decision on the fate of the convent has "gone on far too long" in Culbert's opinion. "Let's get it resolved one way or the other, either tear it down or renovate it and make it into a beautiful piece of property."

As Jim recalls, "A year ago Town Council promised a public meeting to discuss the convent issue which was never carried out. Hopefully, the newly-elected Council will stick to their electoral views on this issue."

A building with such Italianate design is rare in today's society. By restoring it, a two-fold purpose will be served; firstly, it will provide a complex to house programs such as the arts, drama, brownies, cubs, moms and tots etc. Secondly, and ideally, a room in the old wing of the house will be set aside for a "museum" of sorts to provide past history on the convent and Bradford itself".

IF RESTORED, this spectacular mansion will serve as a memorial to the previous owners."