A BENZIE SANCMA Intelligencer 1 Today, it stands tucked away at tjie corner of Charlotte Street and Highland Avenue in Belleville, detached from the din of the traffic on Bridge Street West.'But at one time, the street, where this century-old, former private residence was located, was connected to the Highway 2 and was constantly alive with visitors driving byIn 1949, the new owner took advantage of the convenient location and converted the home into a tourist accommodation. It became known as the Highway View Tourist Home. The information from 1889 recorded by the Hastings County Historical Society, showed the home was owned by George Pope, a manager of the Belleville Waterworks, which was privately T&wned at the time. The position Pope held with the company made ' him a well-respected man in the c community. Further from the 'Historical Society, Pope became a cattle dealer at a later date. In 1911, the first of a series of owners would occupy the home over the years. In 1954, ownership --of the building changed hands once more. This time, the new owner was the Women's Christian Association of Belleville, an organization that has been deeply involved in community work looking after the city's sick, needy and aged since 1879 when it was formed. ; · The organization's charitable contributions to the community began when it bought land and built the Belleville General Hospital as well, it opened the local School of Nursing. ; It was only in 1948 that the WCA handed over the hospital to the City of Belleville. That project over, the associa- tion was on the lookout for a new project. So, in tandem with its long tradition of "looking after the social and spiritual welfare of women and children, the elevation of society and suppression of intemperance" the organization bought the building on Highland Avenue and converted the home into a senior's residence and simply called it The Residence. Mary Bould, a board member of the WCA, said, "Those days people did not get pension as they do now. There were a lot j of schoolteachers, ministers, wives who were suddenly having a tough time getting on after retirement. We used to run that '· · : ; - _