HomeMy WebLinkAboutGoderich Signal Star, 2011-08-10, Page 9nal Star • Wednesday, August 10, 2011
he Attrills of Ridgewood Park
ncy
?ubllc will have a rare
unity to visit one of
t ounty's most historic
on Sunday, August 28
and lo -Anne Homan
hosting an hour-long
Ridgewood Park on
ill shore of the Malt-
ver. Only five families
have owned the Ridge. Of
these, the Attrills of Balti-
more, Maryland were per-
haps the most visionary, yet
`erratic' family to have
resided there.
Henry Yarwood Attrill, the
family patriarch, was born in
1823. He was the third of five
children born to Thomas
Attrill, a Royal Naval officer,
and Martha Chaney Attrill.
Need Mortgage Mone?
i& Residential 1 & 2 Mortgage S 3.25 Interest or Less
Wont fees
loimannortgages
dictate your debts
to mortgage specialist
act Ofike Ph: 519.744 6251
Vita
TRA
rRaFUNDING INC.
84 10th Street.
If you quality, payments:
Amt. Approxi libA Payment
5,000 ' 13.55
'10,000' s 27.08
150,000 1135.42
'100,000 '270.83
1-800-387-1932
Hanover
'Aland Val* Conservation Authority's
Anniversary
c.se.atI�n
Thursday, August 215th
lis Reserve Conservation Area
p m. Free bus tour of MVCA
stewardship projects
p.m. Unveiling of commemorative
bench and short guided walk
p.m Catered barbecue reception
($20 per person)
yone welcome! Falls Reserve is located at
0 Falls Reserve Line, Benmiller. For information,
reserve tickets, visit www. mvca . on . ca or call
335-3557:
Maitland Valley 4w
.
Conservation Authority
19 335.3557• Fax 519-335-3516 +Emailmatdandernvca.on.c a
Olv
Henry claimed at various times to be
born in either Canada or England.
In 1848, Henry married Helen For-
rester Blackburn (b. 1844) of Bytown,
the niece of Sir Tames Campbell of Glas-
gotn►, Scotland in Aylmer, Quebec. 'Their
marriage produced three boys (Tames,
Thomas and Edward) and three girls
(Elizabeth, twins Mary and Grace).
in 1860, the U.S. census listed Henry
Attrill as a.'stockraiser' in Gillespie,
Texas. By 1870, Am -ill was living in Bal-
timore, Maryland and gave his occupa-
tion as 'merchant.'
'Attrill found prosperity in Baltimore
as a promoter of natural gas for lighting
and heating. Ile was Vice -President of
the People's Gas. Company, which
helped Baltimore to become the first
,city illuminatedby gas light: in North
America. Attrill was also a creative gen-
ius. Several invention patents for the
production of gas 'heating and illumi-
nation' are registered under Attrill's
name.
Newly wealthy, Henry Attrill pur-
chased Ridgewood Park from the Galt
family in 1873 as a family summer resi-
dence. 'The Huron Signal' approvingly
noted that 'Mr. Attrill is sparing no
expense to make his summer resi-
dence one of the most charming in the
country.'
Ridgewood Park House underwent 'a
thorough overhaul: Attrill-built a pala-
tial two and a Half story frameaddition
onto the north side of the existing. 'cot-
tage.' A tower was erected on the
house's west side giving the Attrills a
commanding view of the lake and
countryside
Another unique feature of the estate
is a 'cave' located on the bank where a
small gas plant operated which ran a
grandchandelier in the living room.
The Homans rediscovered the original
chandelier in the attic. It now hangs in
the carriage house.
Attrill operated a very successful
estate farm. A 1913 realty booklet"
described it as 'one of the most modern
farms in Canada: The property housed
a thriving dairy, a 'piggery with power
machinery' and living quarters for the
hired help. Attrill was famous for his
purebred Durham and Princess Cattle,
The Attrill House at Ridgewood Park circa3.3.
sheep and horses. A 500 -vine 'grapery'
was planted on the river slope, which
the 'The Signal' stated added 'greatly to
the attractiveness' of the property. In
one season alone, the orchard pro-
duced 10 -12,000 barrels dapples.
In 1876, Attrill attempted the first salt
mine in Canada. Rather than extracting
salt using the brine evaporation
method, Attrill envisioned that mining
was the most efficient means of pro-
ducing large quantities of salt. He used
one of the first diamond drills to bore
into the salt bed at the Maitland River's
mouth on what is now called Attrill's
Point.
According to salt industry researcher,
Steven Mayers, it was dubbed 'the Man-
hattan Mine. At 250 feet, miners struck
a mineral spring, .which flooded the
shaft. Large steam pumps failed to keep
out.. the fast inflow of water. Despite the
best efforts of European mining engi -
neers, the flooding could not be
stopped. In 1877, after spending $80-
100,000, Attrill abandoned the mine.
Yet, the management of Ridgewood
Park under Attrill's ownership owed its
operation more to a southern plantation
than an English country estate. The
Attrill's fanning success was due to the
cheap labour of former slaves. George l -
lib, a hired hand, told local historian, W.
E. Elliott, that Attrill employed about '30
• teams of mules and 50 Negroes' In the
1870s. They were quartered in a boarding
house on the flats on the north shore of
the Maitland River. Gavin Green thought
Attrill brought them from his 'southern
plantation' to work the estate. He remem-
bered daughter Elizabeth riding to town
in her hackney coach accompanied by a
'darkie coachman'
Huron County's first salt miners were
freedmen who when not working in
Attrill's fields, theyperformed the hard
labour of digging in the aborted saltmine.
Their living and working conditions can
only be imagined
If Attrill's labour practices left much to
be desired, his business dealings were
outright fraudulent. Eleanor Smith
uncovered a litany of lawsuits where
Attrill was found guilty of 'making false
representations' to lure investors into
buying stocks in insolvent companies.
In one infamous case, Attrill became a
director in the Rockaway Beach Improve-
ment Company in Long Island, New York
in 1880. Attrill undertook to build the
CONTINUED > PAGE 16
A New Risk Management Program for Ontario Farmers
ntario.ca/rmp • 1-877-424-1300 • T -TY 1-519-826-7402
;lid for by the Government of Ontario
Helping you protect your farm business from risks that are
beyond your control - like fluctuating costs and market prices.
Available tor cattle. grains and oilseeds. hog, sheep, veal and fruit and vegetable farmers.
Check our wob: rte for app •c,ation deadlines an �'n prodeligibility
a di~�#
Ontario