s Sfv 6* s. ,p itfn s n I **» wife of Sir Francis Gore,| then LieutenantGovemor of Upper Canada] The Simpsons' new establishment became, known as the finest inn Between iiin^ston and York, although it is unlt&ely that they had much competition along the way between those two communities. t Mrs. Simpson kept the hew building only a few years before sellirjg it to William Wallbridge who converted iit to an elegant residence. Asa Yeomans, a notably skilled local carpenter is credited with the fine workmanship added to the building. It is PossiMe that Mr. Yeomansjdid the original work for Mrs. Simpson. BU't Mr. Yeomans was, undoubtedly, the builder v/ho added the long verandah and the still existing front porch which graced the front of the simply designed but well-constructed house. Until quite recently, the front door with] its lacy iron grill work stood out againsjt the building's" shabby state, but it was acquired by a local physician, and the entrance is boarded up. Like many buildings of this vintage, the supporting beams are logs with much of their bark still clinging. The square nails used in the building may have beeni made in the Simpsons' own blacksmith shop behind the tavern. Nails fashioned from squar.e nail rod were 'custom-made' articles in (Canadian localities. Around 1800, a nail-cuttirig machine was inven- "ted. This was a faster way to supply the demand, but the nails were still square in section, and bad handmade heads. Some of these square nails still project from the log beams where they were used to hang b^ets of supplies. There seems to have been no inside entrance to the cellar. Old steps(and they must be the originals!) lead down from an outside back entrance to the dungeon-like atmosphere. A most impressive structure is the very well built stone cold room in the centre of the cellar. This was the walk-in refrigerator of the-nineteenth century, and of centuries before. Some missing clapboard on the south end of the house displays what many people thought to be original brick construction. Actually, the brick was used between the uprights as an aid to warmth and sturdiness. The great beams and rough but heavy planks at least two inches thick suggest a wealth of lumber in the old building from a time when forest land was plentiful in this area. With only such tools as a broad axe, an adze, a ..a mallet, augers and hand saws, it must have taken many months to construct such a large building. To; day, it will take only a few weeks to build a larger replacement. 54 I9T3