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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1967-06-29, Page 21in Irish St "The Castle" Residence "Tht e known to old. h� Castle,'" er residents it of Goderich as MacDe1mott's Castle, wasbuilt about 1862 by Henry Mac, Der nott (the Canada. Company grant was in 1861) and is said to be patterned after one in Ireland. MacDermott never -fin. *shed the $q are tower- at the east ""side, and part of the in. terior; including the` drawing room, was' incomplete when he ran Feat of money. In 1862 he gave to John Murphy - who. ever he may have been — a mortgage for 2,000 pounds; His wife, Mary MacDermott, died June 8th, 1864, but, the family continued to live at the castle for another quarter—cen. tury:..Henry died March 1, 1889, and his •will, made in 1882,. - contains no mention of the Cas. tle or oti}et real estate. Yet his4 executors in 1903 sold the property to'Jessie H. ,Cameron wife of Hon, Malcolm Colin Cameron. • It - M y have been istory. acDernno that MacD ermott retained so little equity in it that he did knot trouble to list it in his will. Value, of the estate at the time of MacDermott's death was stated to be oily $2,047.. including • household goods and furniture, piano and paintings, $600. and cash, .$1,443. The will is signed by Sir "James Lakin Robinson as surrogate clerk. It 'bequeathed the est. ate to support of unmarried .73 In the few short years that we have been established, quality has become the byword. daughters and after their death or marriage was to be equally divided apong -surviving chit, dren. Ole son, William Mar. tin Ma.GDerinott, = had died in .18 :.At Mr. M acD er inott's death, according to the Huron, Signal o> the week following, 'there survived Wie daughters and one -son. MacDermott senior Was fdr many sears deputy Master in Chancery for the County of Huron, and evidently he rated also as a leading churchman. It is- related that when St. Oeo. rge's church vias burned in November 1879, and services were held temporarily in the courthouse, MacDermott sal on' a -raised dais.' When the reetor Rev. E. L. Elwood, reached what his distinguished parish. loner reckoned a good stopping point, the latter would haul etft 'a huge watch and examine its face ostentatiously. If the hint were not promptly taken, he would tap on the floor with his cane. The Huron S.igeal -of March 15, 1889, .recorded no fact of interest about Mr, MacDeripott other than his legal office. It did not mention the castle. It did state that the immediate cause- of' death was a fall two days, previous, in which he suf. feted a scalp wound, "believed to .have contiiSottJhe brain." Henry MacDermott junior, known about Goderichior some reason as, Tom, was. born in 1857., and lived to the age of 92. At one time he worked at Sam. uel- Platt's salt plant.: He was fond of lawn and alley bowling and after he ceased to be active and ' being a bachelor, he lived at Hotel Bedford. There for a long time his meals`.were taken to his room. Later he was attended by a trained nurse _Until he was taken to hospital, and there died two weeks later, in 1949. ' When the C,a.merons acqui led the castle ie 1903, they built it up to three storeys. Mrs. Cam. ' eron the initials in the south window are hers — was an . in. valid. and for her covenience- Was Oldest Citizen an elevator was installed in the tower, r. It wasen out when the castle was divided°into apartments, A stair in the tower leading Brom' the second to the third floor, was restored when, the elevator came out. Malcolm • •Gramme Cameroh,` K.C.,e followed whis• father and' grandfather in public service. Mayor bf Goderieh in 1902, again. in 1910-11,h„e was Liberal mem. `terfor•.WeM Huron'• in .the Leg. islature: from 1902- to 1908. His. law firm in Goderioh was Cam. eron, Holt, and Cameron. 1n Toronto he bad been a member of the firm of Ross (Hon. G.W.) Cameron and Robinette (T.C.) His ,wile, the former Fiera McLean, for some years pc. cupied' a house on . Caledonia Terrace, in sight of the castle. Title •to , the castle passed to Malcolm Graeme Cameron in 1912, - s:nd it remained in the family tintil 1926. Dr. Wes. ley Reid had long desired tq acquire it, and requested his. brother Charles (Mayor of God. erich, 1912-15) to do so for him when it -came- 04 the 1maP" e as MAO The W triad c . e ur . `IR p -when Dr. Reid was in Furope. Subsequent owners were WRQ, Kretzinger, a. VA, steel exp, e cutive; V.A. 'llretzipor,, and in 1950, the late Darwin R Challenger:. The -castle' flow, ' belongs to Brian Ainslie. 'Sine of the original -lot on, St George's Cresientwas "one acre, two rods, 35 poles." It evidently adjoined -the first Anglican church site; for buria g, were made "as far east aR the • castle." Five r-esid. ences now stand on the orig. inal church property, The sturdy old castle has undergone many, changes; in. side and. out, in close to a century noW. The heavy gothic doors were replaced in the time of the Camerons with more modern ones, but they were preserved until a, few years ago before berg broken up. The portico over . the driveway, also a feature of the Cameron regime, was replaced by the present shorter one in the time .of'the Dret*ingers, Wh;e> , the anadian. Pacific Rway ,al oarne Into Gadertclv , the river hank,in 190'l, the • vating toppled a number a1 ocniar trees 'near 'thetop ,ot the at Uie .castle., The a 8 . ,tieXxli!int[ox'.the' m l.e-' age. And what o1'the tower roolrs; housewives -'"nay wonder. No.. *1)004 -11,0W knows what -04M q. ' ... Dermotts used them tory but .... ground -floor tower room was the Challengers,. kitchen. On the second floor there is a bed.,• room and. a little" stair • thAt leads to the top floor. ' In, the. top of the tower, is "cupboard space — and the old elevator wheel - and from it a wonder• , ' #u1 view of the Maitland valley and the town. • The castle possesses ,,ii ret - Place in every room" .and they all work, when required, BACI( IN GODERICH for "OLD. HOME WEEK"? WHY NOT VISIT THE OLD MILL BLYTH, -ONTARIO WOOL AND LEATHER SPECIALIST SINCE 1894 ro WE HAVE SOME "BANG-UP" VALUES WAITING FOR YOU r. • PURE -VIRGIN WOOL BLANKETS Jr, . LUXURIOUS QUALITY . IN EIGHT SHADES TO COMPLIMENT EVERY DECOR — VALUED AT $25. FACTORY OUTLET PRICE1 2.50 i�. 0,4 To Our. Centennial 'Old Home Week SALTER- HOME FURNISHINGS THE SQUARE 5247455 Colborne • Pioneer Was 101 - The late Mrs. William Straughan, a pioneer resident of Colborne township who died March 3, 1958, had celebrated,._her,100th birthday March 2 of the preceding year. At that time she .was honored by a host of - friends and relatives and by the Kinsmen club of Goderich, the county of Huron, prbvince of Ontario,and the Dominion of Canada. Born in 1857, the former Grace Watt married William Straughan .July. 10, 18'77. They celebrated their diamond anniversary is „1937. Mr. Straughan died in February of 1940 at the age of -86. GENUINE LEATHER IS UNSURPASSED .FOR BEAUTAND DURABILITY OUR DISTINCTIVELY -STYLED FASHION -RIGHT SELECTION WILL ADD •THE PERFECT FLARE TO YOUR WARDROBE JACKETS, COATS FOR LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. ` Regular Value $65 - $250 — Facto�y.Outlet Priced From ' $45to $195 .WILL YE ALL COME. BACK AGAIN '..... 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