Oldest House

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#2
I was wondering if anyone knew what is the oldest still standing house on the beach?
Good quesstion, we all knew what the oldest tavern was, I honestly don't know but I will go with the Cory house since according to the history books they were here first. I will try to get a picture of the house and post it, anyone else have a comment or suggestion.
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#4
Yea it was sad to see the old Dynes go.
I try to not think about it :( , if you seen Chad Collins news letter you will see that the last owner was fined 20K for the early demolition.
Anyway, back to the topic, I have attached a pic of the Cory house and it looks a little snowy because it was snowing.
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#6
Do you know what year that house was built Scotto?
There is some reference to the Corys moving to the Beach in some of the history books, I will have to have a look through them and see if there is a year. I don't know if it is even the same house, one of our History members might have some idea.
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#8
Fred Briggs sent me a couple of emails on this one and I was very wrong about the Cory house-

The Lighthouse Keeper's brick cottage was built in 1857, wasn't it? I'll check that and if I'm wrong I'll correct that.
What Cory house? There must have been a lot of them! This is an interesting thought! Now you/'ve given me something else I have to research! I know several houses in Stoney Creek that go back to 1812, etc., but I don't really know about old houses on the beach.
I'll give this some thought, but don't expect anything for some time!

Verification of 1857. George Thompson took possession of the new cottage December 23, 1857
 

Sharla1

Registered User
Oct 15, 2009
1,262
17
38
68
#9
Sure is a lot of history in the area on the beach. I hear you on trying to search things out. No rush at all Scotto. :)
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#10
Landmarks south of the canal

From Dorothy Turcotte's book "The Sand Strip"

When the Hamilton and Northwestern Railway laid its line across the Beach in 1875, a new era began on the sand strip. Until then, anyone wishing to reach the Beach from Hamilton or Toronto had to come by boat or dirt road, or else take the train to the Great Western Railway station at Burlington.
Now, access to the Beach was easy.
Lots were laid out in 1875, and were auctioned off, then subleased to the purchaser. Wealthy Hamiltonians were quick to recognize the opportunity. Before long, spacious Victorian summer homes began to appear south of the Canal.
The first summer cottage is believed to have been built by a Mr. A. Turner, possibly Alexander Turner of James Turner and Company, one of the largest wholesale grocers in the country. Then Col. Villiers built a thatched house known as "The Bungalow". The building boom was on!


As Fred wrote, the Lighthouse Keeper's cottage would outdate any of these homes.
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#11
Scott,
"From Dorothy Turcotte's book "The Sand Strip"

When the Hamilton and Northwestern Railway laid its line across the Beach in 1875, a new era began on the sand strip. Until then, anyone wishing to reach the Beach from Hamilton or Toronto had to come by boat or dirt road, or else take the train to the Great Western Railway station at Burlington.
Now, access to the Beach was easy.
Lots were laid out in 1875, and were auctioned off, then subleased to the purchaser."

Scott, I'm a little confused. What is meant by 'subleased to the purchaser'? 'once a person bought a lot, he/she then had to lease it?

Do you know how big the lots were? And were they all the same size?
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#12
This thread indicates that the lighthouse keeper's house 'was' built of brick.
http://hamiltonbeachcommunity.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-637.html

it's made of brick now. Was it always a brick house? And, were there other brick houses built on the beach in the 19th century? And I seem to remember reading on the 'Beach Lighthouse' page (which I always have trouble finding) that the ferryman had a house on the beach. I wonder if it had been made of brick. I believe the ferry began running in about 1855.
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#13
Scott,
“From Dorothy Turcotte's book "The Sand Strip"

When the Hamilton and Northwestern Railway laid its line across the Beach in 1875, a new era began on the sand strip. Until then, anyone wishing to reach the Beach from Hamilton or Toronto had to come by boat or dirt road, or else take the train to the Great Western Railway station at Burlington.
Now, access to the Beach was easy.
Lots were laid out in 1875, and were auctioned off, then subleased to the purchaser.”

Scott, I’m a little confused. What is meant by ‘subleased to the purchaser’? ‘once a person bought a lot, he/she then had to lease it?

Do you know how big the lots were? And were they all the same size?
Yes that is confusing, I can't see someone back in the day spending loads of cash on a great summer home to only lease the land.
But that is what happened to the smaller cottages on the Burlington, the lease expired and they were all removed, some were paid out, others not.
Something to check out further.
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#14
Scott, was the construction of the beach lighthouse and lighthouse keeper's dwelling, payed for out of the funds that were set up for the construction of the Burlington Canal? I think there was an earlier lighthouse than the current one which was built in the 1850's. so was there an earlier light keeper's house?
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#15
This thread indicates that the lighthouse keeper's house 'was' built of brick.
http://hamiltonbeachcommunity.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-637.html

it's made of brick now. Was it always a brick house? And, were there other brick houses built on the beach in the 19th century? And I seem to remember reading on the 'Beach Lighthouse' page (which I always have trouble finding) that the ferryman had a house on the beach. I wonder if it had been made of brick. I believe the ferry began running in about 1855.
I don't recall any other houses near the canal being built from brick and of all the grand summer homes that I remember on the beach, none were brick.
From the book "The Sand Strip"
"On July 18th, 1856, sparks from the steamer Ranger set fire to the pier. Before the day was over, the lighthouse and both the ferryman's and the lighthouse keeper's homes had been destroyed. The brick house built for the lighthouse keeper as a replacement is still standing by the Canal."


Just to add, the lighthouse keeper's house had/has brick parapet-end walls which were considered the historical part of the structure, I have attached a picture from the late 1800's that shows the top section of the walls. The chimney's (there are two) and the top covering of brick have been re-worked over the years.

 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#16
Scott, when the lots were laid out, did 'Beach Road' already exist? If 'yes' did the lots on that side of the strip come right up to the road? And if the answer is 'yes', then it would seem that the Hamilton Radial Electric Railroad (HRER) (built in 1869) must have purchased a right-of-way from those land owners. But then I've been thinking all along, that the HRER was on the east side of Beach Road. Maybe it was on the west side?

This is one of two question that I've asked in two other threads. But the other similar question regarding the Hamilton and North Western Railroad (H&NW) ((I.E.) did the H&NW) purchase land from the land owners, seems to have been answered in the quote from the 'Sand Strip'. For it seems that the H&NW built its right-of-way along the strip, before the lots were laid out. So, who did the H&NW purchase the right-of-way from?
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#18
Sharla
“Yea it was sad to see the old Dynes go.”

Does anyone know what happened to John Dynes’ house? Did it burn down with the first tavern?
________________________________________
 

David O'Reilly

Registered User
Dec 15, 2012
481
4
18
#19
Scott,
"I don't recall any other houses near the canal being built from brick and of all the grand summer homes that I remember on the beach, none were brick.
From the book "The Sand Strip"
"On July 18th, 1856, sparks from the steamer Ranger set fire to the pier. Before the day was over, the lighthouse and both the ferryman's and the lighthouse keeper's homes had been destroyed. The brick house built for the lighthouse keeper as a replacement is still standing by the Canal."


"Just to add, the lighthouse keeper's house had/has brick parapet-end walls which are considered the historical part of the structure, I have attached a picture from the late 1800's that shows the top section of the walls. The chimney's (there are two) and the top covering of brick have been re-worked over the years."


________________________________________

Scott,I thought that I either read somewhere, or Fred told me, that the current lighthouse keeper's dwelling had been moved to a new location, or turned slightly. Something about the construction of the lift bridge? Given that the house is made of brick, was the brick all removed and then replaced?
 

scotto

Administrator
Staff member
Feb 15, 2004
6,985
218
63
The Beach Strip
#20
Sharla
“Yea it was sad to see the old Dynes go.”

Does anyone know what happened to John Dynes’ house? Did it burn down with the first tavern?
________________________________________
I didn't know that John Dynes had a house, the building that was demolished had plenty of room for the owner and guest if needed.
Gord Foster who was the for owner for many years, lived upstairs of the tavern with his family. The last owner used the upper floor as his office and rented out rooms to his employees and customers.
One of the old waiters told me that one of the Dynes men would drink there on a regular basis, when finished for the night, the waiter was under strict orders to help him home, which was close by.
 
Likes: Opie
Top Bottom