Created by: Daniel Panneton
Willcocks petitions the Speaker of the Legislative Council of Upper Canada Peter Russell for “Lot No. 5 on the North Side of Duke Street” in order to build a home and make improvements. Susanna Maria had presumably owned the location since at least 1797, as she is listed on a map made that year. Her brother also filed a petition on her behalf in 1797, but it is unclear which specific plot of land (if any) was being asked for at that time. Sources: An 1807 list of individuals who have been granted crown land (republished in Landmarks of Toronto) lists an Alan McNabb as the tenant of Maria Willcocks’ Duke Street lot in that year. This is Sir Allan Napier MacNab’s father, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. After settling in York with fellow Loyalists, the elder MacNab continually faced financial woes. MacNab operated on the fringes of York Tory society, never quite attaining the degree of respectability enjoyed by many of his peers. His son, however, rose to become one of the most notable and colourful residents of the town. A student of John Strachan, MacNab fought in the War of 1812. He was knighted in 1838 for helping put down Mackenzie’s Upper Canadian Rebellion. MacNab was a central figure in the expansion of Canada’s railroads, and served as the Premier of Canada West from 1854 to 1856. Source: After being appointed Pusine Judge in Upper Canada in May 1811, William Campbell, with his wife, Hannah (née Hadley), arrived in York that November. Sources: After submitting a petition asking for a plot of land in the Town of York, Campbell’s request was approved a few weeks later. Campbell declares in the petition that he has only been in the town for a short time. It is not clear where in York the lot was. Sources: A sketch map produced in 1813 by Surveyor George Williams depicts a sizable structure on Susanna Maria Willcocks’ property. A similar 1814 map also by Williams depicts the same or similar structures. Source: A 20 July 1814 letter from William Warren Baldwin to Quetton St. George laments the lack of protection given to the Town of York, saying that “there is nothing to prevent [the Americans] from destroying this place.” It appears many ladies of the town were collecting their valuables and leaving, including Maria Willcocks. Baldwin writes that “Miss Willcocks remains for a day or two to put her house in order & pack up such things as Miss Russell may esteem most.” This house is presumably the structure on her Duke Street lot that preceded the Campbell mansion. Source: According to volume 2 of John Ross Robertson’s Landmarks of Toronto, in 1817 William Campbell acquired property from an individual with the last name of Frizzell. It does not say where in the town the property was. Source: An 1818 map of the Town of York of unknown origin lists Maria Willcocks in Lot No. 5 on the north side of Duke Street. The 1818 Phillpotts amp of York by Lieut. Phillpotts of the Royal Engineers depicts multiple structures on the site. In 1817 Lieut. E. A. Smith produced a map of the Town of York that depicted structures comparable to other maps from this period. It appears that the same map was updated sometime around 1821-2, as another version lists “Campbell” and a much larger structure on the site.
Sources: Sir William Campbell was born in Caithness, Scotland in 1758 to a landowning member of Clan Diarmid. He fought on the British side of the American Revolution, serving under General Cornwallis in the 76th Foot. He was taken prisoner at the siege of Yorktown in 1781, and was held until the end of the war. In 1784 Campbell made his way to Nova Scotia with a group of Loyalist refugees, where he began to study law. By 1785 he was practising as an attorney. He rapidly rose in Nova Scotian society, winning one of two seats for Sydney County in the House of Assembly in 1799. During this time he was also the Solicitor General of Cape Breton and a superintendent of the colony’s coal mines. Through inexperience, Campbell almost bankrupted the mines by 1804. After a protracted legal and political battle, Campbell was dismissed from his position with the mining company in 1808. Campbell came to York in 1811 to fill a judicial position left empty by Robert Thorpe’s removal in 1807. Between 1812 and his last round of assizes in 1827, Campbell presided over 382 criminal cases. On 17 October 1825 Campbell replaced William Dummer Powell as the 6th Chief Justice of Upper Canada. Campbell received a knighthood in April 1829, the same year he retired. The Campbells were one of the most notable families of early York, and their home was the site of frequent entertaining. Sir William Campbell died in 1834, but his wife Hannah lived in the house until 1844.
Sources: Sometime in September of 1822, a group of local notables began meeting in the “Withdrawing Room” of Judge William Campbell’s house. In December they ratified as St Andrew’s Lodge #1, with Campbell taking the title of Worshipful Master. The original members were Thomas Ridout, Hon. John Henry Dunn, George Hillier, Thomas Fitz Gerald, Nathaniel Coffin, John Beikie, Stephen Jarvis, James Fitzgibbon, Daniel Brooks, and Bernard Turquand. In May 1824, Campbell was given a “Past Master’s Jewel” by his brothers for his service.
Sources: By the mid 1820s, Chief Justice William Dummer Powell had become, in the eyes of some contemporaries, senile and infirm. Lieutenant-Governor Peregrine Maitland recommended Campbell to replace Powell, and he did so on 17 October 1825. Sources: On 8 June 1826, a gang of young men led by Samuel Peters Jarvis broke into and sacked William Lyon Mackenzie’s print shop on Palace Street, tossing type and printing equipment into the lake. Dubbed the ‘Types Riot,’ the incident was an attempt by members of the local elite to silence Mackenzie, who had been their harshest critic. Mackenzie responded by pressing civil, as opposed to criminal charges, which kept government attorneys from the proceedings. Chief Justice William Campbell presided over Mackenzie v. Jarvis, et al., instructing the jury to be impartial while deliberating on the case. The jury ultimately ruled in favour of Mackenzie, awarding him £625, which saved his struggling newspaper business. Sources: In 1828 then-Lieutenant Governor Sir Peregrine Maitland was recalled by the British Crown. Maitland allegedly gave William Campbell his carriage, which had been a gift from King George IV. After Campbell’s 1834 death the carriage was auctioned off to future-Chief Justice Henry Draper. The carriage eventually made its way into John Howard’s possession, and was kept for many years at his Colborne Lodge home. Today the carriage is kept safe by City of Toronto Museums and Heritage Services.
Sources: The 21 April 1832 edition of the Kingston Chronicle and Gazette has a death announcement for a James Robertson, Esq. MD. Robertson was Sir William Campbell’s grandson, and the son of Amelia Campbell. He died at the Duke Street property. Source: The 26 February 1835 edition of The Correspondent and Advocate lists the pensions currently being paid out by “Fund K” from 1833. The late Sir William Campbell’s family received £1200 a year. Source: According to an 1834 assessment roll for the Town of York reprinted in John Ross Robertson’s Landmarks of Toronto, Lady Campbell’s Duke Street property included: 3 town lots Source: The earliest surviving directory from the Town of York is the 1833-1834 York Commercial Directory Street Guide and Register. It lists “the elegant brick-built mansion of the Honourable Sir William Campbell.” Sources: Sir William Campbell died on 18 January 1834. He had been bedridden for some time, and, under his doctor’s orders, subsisted only on snipe (a small, delicate bird found on the lakeshore) during his last days. Sources: An advertisement that appears in the 27 October 1841 edition of the Toronto Examiner, but that was paid for on 7 August 1841, advertises the services of a doctor “Opposite Lady Campbell’s, Duke-Street.” Source: The 1842 Census was conducted while Lady Campbell was still in the house. It revealed that, at this point, the house held 8 people. They were broken down into the following categories: Gender/Age (7 People):-1 male between 5 and 14 years of age National Origin (8 People) Religion (7 People): The house also held:-1 female coloured person Due to the nature of the 1842 Census and its key, it is unclear which family member or house occupant each statistic referred to. There were 8 people in the house, but at most 7 have their information detailed. Perhaps either the male servant or “female colored” person didn’t have their information recorded. Next door to the east is a house occupied by a William E. Campbell, Gentleman. This is presumably William A. Campbell, Hannah and William’s grandson. He had served as a clerk of the court under his grandfather, and was well on his way to becoming a Toronto notable. His house also held 8 people: National Origin (8 People) Religion (9 People) Also held: The 1842 Cane Topographical Plan depicts the Duke Street property with a large orchard and an outhouse in the back. Sources: An 11 October 1843 edition of the Toronto Examiner has an ad placed on 28 September announcing the formation of a partnership between Terence J. O’Neill and Peter J. O’Neill. The O’Neill Brothers later acquired the Lady Campbell’s Duke Street property. Source: Ad – The Toronto Examiner – 11 October 1843 The 24 January 1844 edition of the Toronto Examiner includes an advertisement by the O’Neill Brothers announcing that they manufacture Piano Fortes. Source: An advertisement that appears in the 1 May 1844 edition of the Toronto Examiner depicts the O’Neill Brothers’ Yonge Street auction house. According to the 1846 City Directory, Peter J. O’Neill lived on Duke Street, while Terence O’Neill lived at their 65 King Street East store. Sources: It appears that the O’Neill Brothers owned the Campbell’s former property on Duke Street, leasing it to James Gordon. It is not clear who owned the house while Thompson Smith was a resident. The beginning and end dates of the O’Neill Brothers’ ownership of the house are approximate. The O’Neills were notable merchants and auctioneers in the town. Peter J. O’Neill and Terence J. O’Neill came to York/Toronto from Dublin at different times. Terence served in the British Army, taking a veterans’ lot in York in 1829. He started a mercantile partnership with Patrick Burke. Peter emigrated to Montreal in 1833, running a dry goods business until the 1838 rebellion drove him to York. The brothers began a partnership in 1843. Terence was active in local politics, allying himself with reformers. By 1861 Terence had been appointed Inspector of Prisons, while Peter and his son John moved to Port Huron in the United States. While in Port Huron, Peter founded another dry goods store. In 1883 John was elected mayor of the town. Sources: Ad – The Toronto Examiner, 28 June 1843 Thompson Smith only appears in the Brown’s City Directory for 1846-7. He is listed as a timber merchant in the directory. He does not appear in any other extant city directories, and copies of 1845, 1847, and 1848 do not exist anymore. His name did not surface in any censuses during research, but that does not mean that he is not there as digital searches of censuses are often imprecise. Source: Directory – Toronto Public Library (http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?R=DC-541681) An advertisement in the 10 April 1846 edition of the British Colonist, but paid for on the 26 March of that year, describes the Duke Street house. The ad reveals that the property was constructed to be one of the largest buildings in Canada at the time, and featured extensive agricultural improvements in the rear. The house is being sold by the O’Neill Brothers Auctioneers. Peter J. O’Neill lives next door and owns the property. Source: On 6 April 1846, prominent residents of Duke Street, including Thomas Harris, Thomas Ridout, and P. J. O’Neil, signed a petition asking that their street be macadamized. Macadamization was a paving method that was state of the art in North America at the time. It involved placing multiple layers of crushed stone, beginning with a layer of the largest stones and ending with a layer of the smallest. Most of the city had yet to be paved – when Toronto was still the Town of York, it was known as ‘Muddy York’ due to the state of the roads. Source: Petition – Toronto City Archives, Fonds 200, Series 1081, Item 1404 An advertisement that appears in the 30 August 1848 edition of the Toronto Examiner but that is dated to 8 September 1847 lists “one of those handsome brick houses on Duke Street, east of the residence of the late Lady Campbell” as being for let by the O’Neill Brothers. Source: Ad – The Toronto Examiner, 30 August 1848 The Great Fire of 1849 destroyed entire city blocks in downtown Toronto, including historically significant sites such as St. James Cathedral and Market Square. According to a damage report that appeared in the 10 April 1849 edition of the British Colonist, the only property on Duke Street to be affected was the Colonel William Allan’s Bank of Upper Canada. All books and papers were saved. Source: It can only be said for certain that James Gordon was in the house in 1850. There are no surviving directories for the years 1851 and 1855. The 1856 Directory lists the house as vacant, so Gordon could have left any time after 1850. Sources: The Honourable James Gordon is listed for the first time in the 1850-1 City Directory. He is described as occupying the house that formerly belonged to Sir William Campbell. It is possible that he moved in before this time, but there are no city directories for the years between 1847 and 1849. The last year that Gordon appears in the house is 1853, according to city tax records. The 1856 directory does not list Gordon. Gordon was a merchant and political figure, born in Inverness, Scotland in 1786. He moved to Amherstburg before 1809, where he built the still-standing Gordon House. While in Amherstburg he served as a lieutenant in the 1st Essex Regiment and likely saw action in the War of 1812. Between 1820 and 1828 Gordon served on the Legislative Assembly of Upper Canada for Kent County. He was a founding member in 1835 of the Upper Canada Clergy Society. While in York Gordon was a trustee and on the Board of Directors of the Life, Fire and Marine Assurance Companies and Agencies. He served in this capacity with his neighbour Thomas D Harris (who also requested for the street to be macadamized), and other local notables, including Proudfoot and Helliwell. He was also the Vice President of the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge and the Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts. John Ross Robertson’s Landmarks of Toronto claims that both Gordon and his daughter were generous donors to St. James Cathedral. Sources: The 19 April 1850 edition of the British Colonist features an advertisement for Frobes Geddes, a local stock and produce broker. Among other notable residents, James Gordon gives his endorsement of the business. Source: The 1856 Brown’s Directory lists 23 Duke Street as unoccupied. Source: The 1856 Toronto City Directory lists the Campbell’s former house at 23 Duke Street as vacant, and there are no surviving copies of directories from 1857 or 1858. The 1859-60 Caverhill Directory lists a Mrs Margaret Biscoe, widow, at 38 Duke Street. The properties were renumbered prior to Mrs Biscoe’s moving in. There is no surviving directory for 1860 specifically, and the 1861 edition lists the house as unoccupied again. Mrs. Biscoe would have had to be of some means to afford this house. According to Sir Daniel Lyson’s Early Reminiscences, there was a lieutenant with the 66th Regiment named Biscoe stationed in Toronto in 1836. Sources: The 1866 Mitchell and Company Directory lists a Thomas L. Steiner living in the house. The 1866 directory page shows a mix of both vacant houses and prominent names on Duke Street. The 1853 tax records that list Gordon as living in the house also list the property as belonging to the O’Neill family, who live next door. The O’Neills may have still owned the house at this point. The 1867-9 City of Toronto Directory lists the Stayner family at the house, with no Steiner in the city of Toronto. Sources: The 1867-8 City of Toronto Directory lists a T. Sutherland Stayner as living in the Campbell’s former house. Stayner was one of sixteen children born to Thomas Allen Stayner, the controversial former Postmaster General of Upper and Lower Canada. Source: In 1872 Christie, Brown, and Co. built a large factory on the south west corner of Duke and Frederick streets. The factory was expanded in 1883, 1892, 1899, and 1914. The image is from a postcard dated to 1902. Duke Street was rapidly becoming industrial space. Sources: The 1873 City of Toronto Directory lists William Chapman, head commissioner of the Canada Trust and Loan Company, and Hugh J McDonnell, barrister as living in 38 Duke Street. It is unclear who owned the property at this point, and why T. Sutherland Stayner was absent during 1873. Sources: According to the 1876 Fisher and Taylor City Directory, John Strathy moved his immediate family into the house that year. They last appear on Duke Street in the 1878 Toronto City Directory. The 1877 Directory reveals that J.R. Strathy, one of the sons, was a partner in Badgerow, McDonald and Strathy on 4 Toronto Street. The next year, according to the 1878 Directory, the firm was just Badgerow and Strathy. According to a letter received in 1972 by Campbell House from a descendant, Colin Strathy, the family photograph was taken in 1876 and depicts Miss Elizabeth Strathy, Arthur G. Strathy, Mrs Susan Strathy (wife of John), and Robert Strathy (J.R.). The photograph shows Campbell House’s original porch – a rectilinear design with a much stronger character than the current semi-circular portico imagined by Anthony Adamson before the early photograph surfaced. The 1871 Census sheds light upon the family members who may have filled the house later that decade. In that year, the Strathy family had six members under patriarch John, a 59-year-old Scottish Anglican barrister. His wife, Susan, was 47 at the time, and of Irish birth. One of the four children was 20 year old Robert, who was then a “Student at Law.” The other three children (Elizabeth – 13, George – 11, Arthur – 6) were going to school at the time. Sources: 1871 Census – Library and Archives Canada (http://www.bac-lac.gc.ca/eng/census/1871/Pages/item.aspx?itemid=1591321) The 1875 Toronto City Directory is the last to list Stayner and his family at the Duke Street location. The 1876 edition locates the Stayners at Queen’s Park Crescent, and the Strathy family as having moved into the house. Sources: Directories – Toronto Public Library (http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-13168210002&R=DC-13168210002; http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?R=DC-1316821003) 1881 Census reveals information about house occupants The 1881 Census lists 7 people in the house: Source: According to the Toronto City Directories , William Damer lived in the house between 1879 and 1882. He is listed as a shoe manufacturer in the directories, and appears to have been a prominent merchant. A 1914 issue of Shoe and Leather Journal mentions that between 1879 and 1880, Damer was working on a new sewing pattern that he believed would revolutionize the industry. There is a John Damer, shoe seller, in Toronto during this period, but they are not related. The 1880 Goad Fire Insurance Map reveals that, at this point, there was a sizable separate structure behind the shed, possibly a shed or outhouse, and a greenhouse. Sources: According to a letter that Campbell House Museum received 14 March 1972, the Duke Street house was for sale in 1881. John Fensom made a low ball offer of $300 for down-payment, which was rejected. A few months later, in 1882, he was offered the property for the same price. Sources: Fire Insurance Map – City of Toronto Archives (http://www1.toronto.ca/wps/portal/contentonly?vgnextoid=98da757ae6b31410VgnVCM10000071d60f89RCRD&vgnextchannel=9f53226b48c2141 The 23 November 1975 edition of the Toronto Sun published a sketch of the house allegedly as it appeared in 1883. Note the two large warehouses, supply lot, side office, and crane behind the house. Source: This advertisement for the Fensom Elevator Works on Duke Street appears in the 1883 Toronto City Directory. Source: John Fensom appears on Duke Street in Toronto City Directories between 1883 and 1905. By the 1870s Fensom was working as a mechanic and engineer on Terauley Street, Toronto, designing engines in his spare time. Fensom and his family lived on Adelaide Street until 1883, when they purchased the Campbell’s former house on Duke Street, now numbered 54 Duke Street. In 1885 Fensom constructed a two-story plant behind the house, and in 1890 the plant was expanded to four floors. According to D.S. Fensom, the Fensoms were friendly with the Eaton family, who would become famous across Canada for their eponymous department stores. According to a letter that Campbell House Museum received from John Fensom’s granddaughter in 1972, the twelve members of the Fensom family lived in the Duke Street property from 1883 till roughly 1899. During this time the house apparently had an elevator installed (most likely installed in an addition to the original 1822 structure, not within the Georgian Era brick shell. A letter received from a different grandchild was “certain” that the Fensoms kept an alligator in the house during the 1880s. The alligator allegedly escaped the garden one day, and was never recovered. Sources: Directories – Toronto Public Library (http://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/detail.jsp?Entt=RDMDC-TCD1883&R=DC-TCD1883; https://archive.org/details/torontodirec190500midiuoft The crime blotter in the 8 December 1883 edition of the Toronto World details a “very drunk” man being robbed of $3 and a silver watch. Source: The 23 October 1884 edition of the Toronto World reports that William Damer’s wife successfully sued a wholesale boot and shoe dealer. The Damers lived in the Campbell’s former house at this time. Source: A painting of the Duke Street house dated to 1912 in the Toronto Public Library’s collection is allegedly based upon a sketch that appeared in J. R. Robertson’s 1888 Landmarks of Toronto. Sources: The 1892 Toronto City Directory features multiple advertisements for Fensom’s Elevator Works. The 1893 Goad Fire Insurance Map depicts the house on Duke Street with several structures behind it. Between 1892 and 1895 a sensational trial captured many Torontonians’ attention when two American, Jewish brothers, Harry and Dallas Hyams, were accused of using an elevator to murder William Chinook Wells for the insurance money. John Fensom was called in to serve as an expert witness in the trial. Ultimately, both brothers were acquitted. Sources: According to the 27 January 1896 edition of the Globe, a small fire was started at Fensom Elevator Works’ Duke Street facility when a boy threw a lit scrap of paper into “a quantity of paint.” Source: An article in the 3 July 1896 edition of the Globe details how elevators are enabling the construction of skyscrapers across the country. The Fensom Elevator Works had at this time installed elevators in: The McKinnon Building in Toronto R. Simpson Co. Building in Toronto T. Eaton Co. Building in Toronto The Hudson Bay Company Buildings in Winnipeg and Vancouver Union Station in Toronto Rice, Lewis and Son Building in Toronto The article also mentions that, at the Duke Street facility, the Fensom Elevator Works also manufactures ornamental iron work, water pumps, and folding gates. Source: Newspaper – The Globe, 3 July 1896 The 16 August 1897 edition of the Globe reports a wedding held at 54 Duke Street between Edith Maude, John Fensom’s youngest surviving daughter, and Joseph Lawson of Lawson & Wilson Bookbinders. Source: The 1898 edition of Dau’s Blue Book for Toronto lists the Fensom’s visiting days as being the 3rd and 4th Thursdays of each month. Listed as living in the house are Mr and Mrs John Fensom, and the children Willie, Harry, Charles, and the unnamed Misses. Source: This advertisement for Fensom Elevator Works appeared in the 1899 Toronto City Directory. Source: This example of letterhead from the Fensom Elevator Works can be found in the Campbell House library. It details that the Duke Street facility produced hydraulic, electric, steam, and hand-powered elevators. Source: The 16 July 1900 edition of the Globe reports that the Fensom Elevator Works had won a contract to construct the electrical elevators at the first Union Station. Source: According to the 13 October 1900 edition of the Globe, in 1895 the Fensom Elevator Works employed 80 men in Toronto, while in 1900 that number had grown to 125. Source: The 1903 Goad Fire Insurance Map depicts the large structures that make up the Duke Street Fensom facilities (but not the house facing the street). Source: The 3 August 1903 edition of the Globe details how the Brotherhood of St Andrew and St Philip baseball team of St Cooke’s Presbyterian Church defeated the Fensom team 10-4 at Bayfront Park. Cooke’s was one of the most important Orange churches in the city, and its ability to field a baseball team illustrates the Order’s communal influence. Sources: The 16 January 1905 edition of the Globe details a “serious” fire at the Fensom Elevator Works’ Duke Street facilities that did between $20,000 and $25,000 in damage. The fire, which started in the site’s woodworking building, destroyed said 50×80 foot structure. About 25 or 30 men were expected to lose their jobs as a result of the fire. Sources: The 25 March 1905 edition of the Globe announces that the Otis Elevator Company was now known as the Otis-Fensom Elevator Company. The American Otis Elevator Company had moved into Hamilton, Ontario in 1902, beginning several years of direct competition with the Fensom Elevator Company until they amalgamated. Sources: The Capewell Horse Nail Company appears in Toronto City Directories between 1906 and 1938. Capewell was one of the largest horse nail manufacturers, producing roughly a third of horsenails globally. The company was founded in 1881, and was based out of Hartford, Connecticut. Its Duke Street location was the company’s first Canadian branch. Sources: These advertisements for Capewell Horse Nails appeared in the August-December 1907 edition of the Hardware Merchandising Catalogue. Source: The Connecticut Historical Society believes that this photograph of the house dates to 1910. Note the extension on the west wing of the house. The CHS owns this photograph because of its interest in the history of the Capewell Horse Nail Company, which was headquartered in Hartford, Connecticut. Source: A photograph with the Toronto Public Library dated to 1913 depicts the exterior of the Duke Street house when it served as the office of the Capewell Horse Nail Company. Source: The 3 November 1914 Toronto Globe reports that the wife of C.H. Fleming, manager of the Toronto Capewell branch, was summoned into court. While getting her hair done near Bloor and Yonge streets, she had parked her car on Hayden, allegedly a quiet side street. Mr Fleming raised concerns in court over it being unclear where motorists are to leave their vehicles. Source: The 1917 Toronto City Directory lists Henry Willbee as living in the 54 Duke Street house. Source: Directory – The Internet Archive (https://archive.org/details/torontodirec191700midiuoft) Five men were arrested after two plainclothes police officers raided their “common gaming house.” Source: This example of a Capewell Horse Nail Company order receipt can be found in the City of Toronto Archives. The receipt is for “four bolts” purchased by the John Inglis Company (now the Whirlpool Corporation). According to the Toronto City Directories, the Hobbs Glass Company filled the house between at least 1940 and 1950. There are no directories for 1950 or 1951, so Hobbs may have stayed at the site after 1950. It appears that the Toronto branch of the Hobbs Glass Co. specialized in stained glass, employing well-known stained glass artist William Meikle for a number of years. There are examples of stained glass by Meikle from the Duke street era at St Paul’s Cathedral in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. A full page advertisement that appears in the 13 September 1945 edition of the Toronto Globe reveals that Hobbs Glass sponsored a nation-wide product demonstration/exhibition at various Eaton’s branches. In Toronto, ‘Kitchen of Tomorrow’ was set up in Eaton’s flagship store on Yonge street. Source: Source: In 1994 Harold Kawasoe visited Campbell House Museum and was interviewed. According to Mr Kawasoe, he had “lost everything” and was allowed to live with his wife by Clarence Woods of Hobbs Glass in the third story of the Duke Street house. They lived upstairs for one year, and he was also hired on by Woods. In the interview, Kawasoe claims that the offices on the west side of the building were divided by “coloured invitrolite or glass brick walls.” For more information see Redefining Home. In the 10 October 1950 edition of the Globe and Mail, the Masco Electric Company published an advertisement proclaiming that they distribute “Everything Electrical Except the Chair” – i.e. the electric chair! Source: Advertisements for the Masco Electric Company appear as early as 1950 in Toronto newspapers. On 5 July 1951 Masco published an advertisement in the Globe and Mail announcing their move to 54 Duke Street. Their first appearance in a city directory is 1953, and their last is in 1963. The 1964 Toronto City Directory lists the site as vacant. Sources: A photograph dated to 1952 depicts the Masco Electric Company’s Duke Street facilities. There is an extension on the west side of the house that was left behind in 1972 when Campbell House was moved to its present location at Queen Street West and University Avenue. Source: An advertisement that appeared in the 10 September 1952 edition of the Globe and Mail announced that Masco’s offices and warehouse would be closed in memory of their late president, Hamilton Gardiner. Source: The 1954 Toronto City Directory lists Ever-Rite Metal Polishing Co. as being located at the rear of the house, behind the Masco Electric Company. Sources: In the 20 June 1958 edition of the Globe and Mail, Masco Electric Company advertised that they were distributing Fedders Air Conditioning units. Air conditioners were a cutting edge home improvement in the 1950s that most Torontonians would not have had access to. Sources: An aerial photograph from 1961 in the Toronto City Archives depicts the Duke Street site. Notice how heavily industrialized the street and property had become. Source: The Coutts-Hallmark Greeting Card Company first appears in the 1967 City of Toronto directory. Coutts was a greeting card company founded in Ontario in 1916 that was purchased by Hallmark Cards in 1958. Sources: A 1971 aerial photograph depicts the Duke street house one year prior to its move to Queen Street West and University Avenue. By the 1970s, the house had become a standout on what was now Adelaide Street East. What was once described as “the Most Aristocratic Section of the City of Toronto” was now primarily industrial and commercial space. The house had not served primarily as a home since the turn of the century, and its current occupants, the Coutts-Hallmark Corporation, wanted to demolish the building in favour of a parking lot. In 1987, after 15 years as a parking lot, George Brown College opened its Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts at the Duke Street/Adelaide Street East house’s former location. The building is part of the college’s St James campus. Sources
1797 – June 17, 1821 
March 10, 1800 
July 20, 1807 
November 1811 
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1818 
1822 – 1844 
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1828 
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1842 
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May 1844 
July 24, 1844 
1846 -1865 
1846 
March 26, 1846 
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June 19, 1850 
1850 – 1855 
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1856 
1859 
1866 
1867 – 1875 
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1879 – June 24, 1882 
1881 
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1883 
1883 – 1905 
December 8, 1883 
October 23, 1884 
1888 
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1893 
November 14, 1895 
January 27, 1896 
July 3, 1896 
August 16, 1897 
1898 
1899 
December 1899 
July 16, 1900 
October 13, 1900 
1903 
August 3, 1903 
January 16, 1905 
March 25, 1905 
May 23, 1905 – 1938 
1907 
1910 
1913 
November 3, 1914 
1917 
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1940 – 1950 
September 13, 1945 
1950 
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1952 
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1961 
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1987 1797 – June 17, 1821
Susanna Maria Willcocks ownership
Susanna Maria Willcocks, born in 1768, was the daughter of William and Phoebe Willcocks. William had been Sherrif in Cork, Ireland in 1765. Under the advice of Peter Russell the family left Ireland and settled Whitby and Toronto in 1795. Susanna Maria is the first known owner of the Duke Street lot where Campbell House would later be built in 1822. By 1806 Susanna Maria had been appointed ‘housekeeper’ to the Executive Council of Upper Canada, a petition position typically reserved for women. She held this office until 1815. Susanna Maria inherited a large amount of land from Elizabeth Russell, wife of Peter, and her father, William Willcocks, in 1822. She lived at the original Spadina House (current Toronto address 285 Spadina Road) , dying there on 8 August 1834. After her death, much of her land went to the Baldwin family. Her sister, Phoebe, married Dr William Warren Baldwin in 1803.
The Willcocks family were heavily involved in landholding, and Susanna Maria was no exception. She is the earliest name that can be found on record as owning what became Campbell House’s original site. She most likely did not live at the Duke Street property.
March 10, 1800
Susanna Maria Willcocks petitions Speaker of Legislative Council, Peter Russell, for Duke Street lot
July 20, 1807
Allan MacNab Sr. living at Duke Street Location
November 1811
William and Hannah Campbell arrive in York
March 1812
William Campbell given York lot + 1,200 acres
1813
1813 Surveyor’s sketch depicts structure at Duke Street location
July 20, 1814
Susanna Maria Willcocks flees her York Home
1817
Campbell acquires property
1818
1818 Map of Town of York lists Willcocks as owner/occupant
1822 – 1844
Campbell Family tenure
September 1822
St Andrew’s Masonic Lodge founded at William Campbell’s house
October 17, 1825
William Campbell becomes Chief Justice of Upper Canada
October 13, 1826
Campbell presides over the ‘Types Trial’
1828
William Campbell gifted carriage by Sir Peregrine Maitland
1832
James Robertson dies in house
1833
Sir William Campbell begins receiving pension
1834
City assesses Duke Street properties
2 framed structures under 2 stories-1 Brick 2 story structure with 2 fireplaces
4 additional fireplaces
2 horses above the age of 3
1 “milch” cow
1 close carriage, 4 wheels, “kept for pleasure”
1834
First Campbell Family directory listing
January 18, 1834
Sir William Campbell dies
Campbell’s funeral at St James was an impressive affair. It was a shared service with Roswel Mount, and the oration was given by the Rev. John Strachan.
August 7, 1841
Lady Campbell’s house mentioned in ad
1842
1842 Census reveals information about house occupants
1 single male 21-30
1 married male 21-30
2 married women 14-45
1 single woman 14-45
1 married woman 45 and up
1 native of Ireland
1 native of Scotland
4 Canadians of British descent
1 native of the United States
1 non-naturalized Alien
4 Anglicans
1 Church of Scotland
1 Catholic
1 “other” (not Wesleyan or Episcopalian) Methodist
1 male servant
2 female servants
1 horse
1 cattle
1 male scholar.
Gender/Age (8 People):
1 male under 5
1 male 5-14
1 female 5-14
1 married male 30-60
1 married male 14-45
3 single females 14-45
3 natives of England
1 native of Ireland1 native of Scotland
3 Canadians of British descent
6 Anglicans
1 Church of Scotland
1 Roman Catholic
1 Methodist
1 female coloured person
1 acre of land with 2 wheat, 4 potato (measurement unit unknown)
2 horses
1 male scholar 2 school aged children.
September 28, 1843
O’Neill Brothers begin partnership
January 24, 1844
O’Neill Brothers advertise piano fortes
May 1844
O’Neill Brothers run ad for auction house
1846 -1865
O’Neill possible ownership
1846
Thompson Smith listed as living in house
March 26, 1846
House for sale
April 6, 1846
Prominent residents of Duke Street petition for street to be macadamized
September 8, 1847
Ad for house mentioning late Lady Campbell
April 7, 1849
Duke Street narrowly avoids Great Fire of 1849
June 19, 1850
James Gordon listed in house for first time
1850 – 1855
James Gordon possible tenure
April 19, 1850
James Gordon endorses local merchant
1856
House unoccupied
1859
Widow Margaret Biscoe appears in directory
1866
Thomas L. Steiner living in house
1867
First directory entry for T. Sutherland Stayner
1872
Christie, Brown, and Co. open factory across Duke Street
1873
William Chapman and Hugh J. McDonnell rent for one year
1876 – 1878
Strathy Family tenure
1876
Stayner moves to Queen’s Park Crescent
1881
William Damer, 52, English born, Presbyterian, English Origin, Boot and Shoe Manufacturer, married
Susan Damer, 57, Irish born, Presbyterian, Irish origin, married
Anne Damer, 22, Canadian born, Presbyterian, English origin
William Damer, 20, Canadian born, Presbyterian, English origin, Manager
Jennie Damer, 19, Canadian born, Presbyterian, English origin
Martha Damer, 17, Canadian born, Presbyterian, English origin
Susie Damer, 11, Canadian born, Presbyterian, English origin, going to school
1879 – June 24, 1882
William Damer tenure
1881
John Fensom makes offer for house
1883
Image of Fensom Elevator Works on Duke Street
1883
Fensom Elevator Works ad
1883 – 1905
Fensom Family tenure and elevator business
John Fensom was born in England in 1829, and he moved around the United States and Canada with his family during his youth. In 1854 Fensom married Charlotte Key, also English. Later that year Fensom helped his father operate a grist and saw mill in southern Ontario. Afterwards he attempted to operate a dock in Collingwood, Ontario, but lost his business to a fire.
December 8, 1883
Man has watch stolen on Duke Street
October 23, 1884
Mrs Damer files lawsuit against shoe dealer
1888
1912 painting of c. 1888 sketch of house
1892
Fensom Elevator Works ad
Source:
1893
1893 Goad map of house
Source:
November 14, 1895
John Fensom gives expert testimonial at the Hyams Murder Trial
January 27, 1896
Small fire at Fensom’s Duke Street facility
July 3, 1896
Fensom elevators in several major Canadian buildings
The Parliament Buildings in Ottawa and Quebec
The Nordheimer and Co. Buildings in Montreal and Toronto.
August 16, 1897
Lawson-Fensom wedding at Duke Street house
1898
Fensom Family visiting days
1899
Fensom Elevator Works ad
December 1899
Fensom letterhead example
July 16, 1900
Fensom Elevator Works awarded Union Station contract
October 13, 1900
Fensom Elevator Works employs 125 men
It appears that westward expansion was fuelling the growth in Fensom’s business. By this time Fensom had expanded his factory facilities, and was making business contacts in South Africa and Australia.
1903
1903 Goad map of house
August 3, 1903
Fensom Elevator Works baseball team loses
January 16, 1905
Large fire at Duke Street facility
March 25, 1905
Fensom Elevator Works becomes the Otis-Fensom Elevator Company
May 23, 1905 – 1938
Capewell Horse Nail Company tenure
1907
Capewell Horse Nail Company ads
1910
Photograph of house
1913
1913 photograph depicts Capewell Horse Nail Company exterior
November 3, 1914
Manager’s wife in legal trouble
1917
Henry Willbee living in house
August 11, 1919
Alleged gaming house on Duke Street closed
June 17, 1931
Capewell receipt
Source:
1940 – 1950
Hobbs Glass Company tenure
Sources:
September 13, 1945
Hobbs Glass sponsors ‘Kitchen of Tomorrow’ exhibition at Eaton’s
1950
Japanese Canadian living in house attic
October 10, 1950
Masco Electric Company ad
July 9, 1951 – 1963
Masco Electric Company tenure
1952
Photograph depicts Masco Electric Company facilities
September 11, 1952
Masco closes for day in memory of late president
1954
Ever-Rite Metal Polishing Company operating behind house
June 20, 1958
Masco Electric Company advertises air conditioners
1961
1961 aerial photograph captures house
1967 – March 31, 1972
Coutts Hallmark tenure
1971
1971 aerial photograph captures house
Source:
March 31, 1972
House moves to University Avenue and Queen Street West
Source:
1987
George Brown College’s Centre for Hospitality and Culinary Arts opens
