HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 1970-03-26, Page 9til
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Judge Glenn Hays' residence, known to an bider generation as
the Lewis house, is of an unusual mid-Victorian design and was',
built in 1877 for County Judge Wilmot R. Squier. Second
judge ,to occupy it was..His HonQqu.r James Masson, from 1896 0
on, -E. N. Lewis, M.P., later judge, was next, and Judge Glenn
Hays`a`cquired the property in 1951, while Crown Attorney.
e
-BY.W. E. ELLIOTT - . dining -room -is . -.4f `historic w
' • interest, in that it .belonged to
Of the judges who presided the - Van Egmond family of
`over Huroncounty ,from Egmondville;„ but its exact age
Confederation to the present, has nod been determined. One
four resided, successively,, in the bedroom suite Was formerly the
mid-Victorian house now known property of Ira Lewis, Tather of
as 85 Essex street, Goderich. It Edward Norman. Lewis, who for "
was 'built for "the first of the more than a :- half -century was.
four, in 1877, •Occupied by the Crown Attorney of Huron. •
second as tenant, and the, third In addition to the'original six
acquired it by marriage. It is lots comprisink one and a half
now the home of His Honour acres bounded by Essex, Elgin
' Glenn -Hays, . Provincial - Judge, and Picton streets, the lake
who - bought- it -in---1951.x- after _.frontage_ across _Essex street_ w .
three years as Crown Attorney, :also 'include& in the original
upon removing to Goderich -property with a summer house'.
from :„Seaforth.. Judge and Mrs.. ion the lake bank opposite the
Hays have furnished this fine old front door, between where the
house with careful regard forits oe Lee and Currie sumrper` homes
spacious rooms, high ceilings, now sit. This lake frontage, was
unusual lighting and original sold,. off by the Lewis family,
' fireplaces. Drawing -room, who also owned the lake
dining -room and ' bedrooms . frontage on Essex south of
contain antique furniture ' of ` Britannia road.„ Y
great interest. ,.. Extensive outbuildings,
The house is unique ' in including a finely constructed
Goderich, and illustrates an barn,- with stabling for four
architectural design rarely seen horses, and quarters for -smoking,
elsewhere. Mr._.Arthur Wallace, a meat, were removed by the
noted Hamilton architect . who °present owners, who later sold off
recently ' restored the interior -of • some of the frontage • on both
Dundurn Castle (and is writing a Elgin 'and Picton to rear of the
book about the MacNab property. •
mansion), • describes the Hays The fine spruce and pine trees
house as follows: "One of the, on the property aril„on the lake
more' attractive , types of the , frontage were planted during the
Gothis,revival, mid-Victorian: It Lewis occupancy, as were .the
is a syntmetricai design not large C'amperdown • elm
usually associated with the (umbrella) .trees on both sides of
picturesque Gothic idiom, but the house. The cedar and much
the ,steep pitched roof, _ barge of the _other_planting_was added
board #eaves and ' details were by. the' present owners.
derived froni the English Tudor ' First . of the lots herein
period. The central porch looks mentioned' was sold. , by the
to be a later work, perhaps an Canada Company as No. 291, a
open verandah closed in. quarter -acre, to Harmon S.
"Two fine, examples come to Cutting, in 1838. This
mind'. One is at Tyrconnel, near venturesome investor paid 15
Port Talbot, where the 'big' pounds sterling and resold two
• house was the. Anglican rectory. years later to James Gentles for
The other, a fine cut -stone 110 pounds. Farther along in the
house, is in the country near record of transactions is a tax
Waterdown.. This house would sale, invalidated' in the 1860s,
date from about 1870.” „,„, and in 1875 John C. Kirkpatrick
For about one-third ' of its acquired Ldts 291,- 340 and 341
90 -odd years, the--(-Iays) house from the executors of the
reposed in horse -and -buggy' William McKinley estate and
times. Cars had, not, arrivel°1 in added Lot 282 by purchase from
Goderich when Judge Masson, in ' the Canada Company. In the
poor health, found the walk to centre of all this land he built in .
- the ibis `thoti[se” too -much and 1877 ,(contractor unidentified) a
„ ,,: owed to Nelson street. house for °Wilntot R. Squier, who
Gasoline -powered. vehicles came had begun the practice of law in
- in the time of E. N. Lewis, who Goderich in 1870 and in 1>3.77,
• had stabling on the place for was appointed county judge. "
four horses. An ancient His • tenure on •the Bench
hitching post in front of - the , covered only four -years, and
house is a Goderich "original,"
but at one time stood elsewhere.
The house has 12 principal
rooms. A broad central hall
• -"opens on the right to • the
sit tingroom, then the
dining -room, one .the left to the
drawing-root'h, and leads to the
kitchen, breakfast room and
den. There are four bedrooms,
replacing the original six in the
main part of the house;' in ,the
• rear are the former servants'
Photo by W. E. `Elliott '
South side of -the. large living -room; with.,original. fireplace.,and: , ,
antique cabinet:
there• is not a great deal on
record "about him, . as., he went
from here to Hastings 'county.
He was studying at Osgoode Hall _
from 1864. to 1869, and may
have acted as a solicitor in
Goderich before being called to
the Bar in 1869. It is known that
he was initiated in Maitland -
(Masonic) , Lodge in September,
1868, and therefore probably
living in Goderich before
finishing his law course."He fijled
quarters. There are . threes successively senior . chairs in
fireplaces downstairs. A Maitland Lodge. and became
capacious one in the den was woi`shipful•master in 1871-72
installed by Judge Lewis 'after Judge Squier in 1881
seeing that of • Dr. Woods in descended the Bench, and he 1869 to 1902, was born in
Bayfield. The others ,are in the and his wife Mary quitclaimed 1869vilto, and after graduating,born
drawing-rorirn arid dining -room. 'the residence property to F. S Belleville,
a Osgoode Hall practised law
, Most of the "original pine Stevenson, apparently an in from Sound. From' 1887 to
floors temain, though there is executor of the ' Kirkpatrick Owen96 he was Conservative M.P.
now some hardwood: The wide . estate: The executors . sold the 1Grey. Upon
stone' foundation is carried info • house and four lots to•, Jaynes appointment for Northto the Bench in
several -'interior walls in the Shaw, said to have come from
' Shaw Huron, he came ,to Goderich and
basement: Oro the verandahst hock Island, Illinois. (Mr, rented the "Shaw house," being
built by Mr. Lewis, only part ,got a bargain. at $3,500.) udges��to
Wise. remains of the one along t lei ' Alfred F. - Shaw,- executor� seseit. Latercond of the four J family
south ,. side of the rse.. named in"Jarnes Shaw's
s will, sold occupy
' ' ' Originally there', was interior,. ,,the place in- ,1$89 to Imes removed
street, now a nursing
ed oto .the Acheson house
'
West end of the living -room is. dominated : by a bay with
eight -paned windows looking on Essex street. In the centre is a
Canadian rocker. • ,
The "Van Egmond"iideboard.in the Hays dining -room is of
historic interest,' having belonged to the family which founded
•Egmondville. Of walnut, it is. almost certainly a Jacques and
Hays production=and atleastl00 -gears old.
•
This
dining -roots
sideboards, a fine
sconce.
November 9th, 1888. Miss Julia
Lewis (now Mrs. McIntyre)
m
inherited froher mother in
1949, and was living in the'
house when Mr, Hays bought it.
His Honour James Masson,
county judge of Huron from
window��sbutters,in most:.'MOM* .x haws> .daughter,- rri'
�HbY R II on �iborne : rain d :when. illness ,cYaused
ientl°�i� fig�e b+i ' "' 3>xdge it�ia�o'n 'i;m �ceetire, -the.4.* e
A tall sideboard in the Ed to Toronto:. r
picture shows
chandelier and,
the
over
long
left
table .and 'two
sideboard: a wall
While here, the young people
received their secondary
education, which in the case of
two sons was part of the
preliminary qualification for
disti,nguished careers in
medicine.
In Owen . Sound, James
Masson married Jessie Morrison,
a daughter of the Rev. Duncan
Morrison, minister of Knox
Presbyterian church for many.
years: Ae....V ,sister, Elizabeth
M 11
orrison, was the wife of Dr. .
E. Strang, Who was a teacher ^in
Owen Sound before ,coming to
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Goderich as principal. of the
collegiate institute.
There were 10 Massons and
nine Strangs'When all were 'at
home, and on the first Christmas
the Massons were in Goderich,
the two families had dinner at
the Shaw house. Uncle James, "a
big, handsome man," danced
with the ' youngest niece, Jessie
Strang, now Mrs. Jessie Morrison
„Hewson of Niagara-on-the-Lake..
Judge and -Mrs. Masson had
eight , children. The " eldest,
Please turn to Page 4
. PHOTOS
. . � ,.
Edward Norman Lewis ' on: 11 1 6
b _ farnil removed
J
,
tiotilisidwof Ming::1.m ►;with 'tirmies' t th l l windows.
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