B6 - PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, June 20, 1995 "Scugog's Community Newspaper of Choice" if EE HISTORICAL Sketches of Scugog by Paul Arculus Sketches of Scugog is a historical and Water Streets on the present site of ing for other business ventures for his at the waterfront in Port Perry in 1847. column written by local resident and Re/Max Real Estate. It is possible that family. Seeing that Peter Perry's settle- This was built on Way's property, Lots historian Paul Arculus and published Perry may have used the original ment was becoming a prosperous com- 126 and 127 on the northern portion of in the Port Perry Star the first issue of Williams building as the basis of his munity, decided to buy property here. the new library and into Birds Eye Park. each month. store, but that is speculation. Harrison Haight sold Lot 6 to Hiram Paxton later bought out Way and the °o o oo Perry then set about promoting his Bigelow, in March of 1850. This enabled company became Paxton and Company PORT PERRY. proposed settlement and convinced oth- Bigelow to help his two 22 year old sons, and, even later, Paxton, Tate and THE PLACE TO LIVE - Part 2 ---- Company. The latter company was one of Canada's foremost manufacturers of water turbines. Joseph Bigelow married Paxton's daughter, Elizabeth in May of 1854. This was the same year that Joseph bought his brother's interest in the Port Perry property and Joel moved to the U.S.A. Directly across the road, Samuel Hill . erected a mill after buying Lots 36, 37 and 38 on Water Street on June 1, 1848. Lot 36 is the present Bank of Commerce parking lot, Lot 37 extends to North Street and Lot 38 was the site of the present condominiums across i { Elias Williams, The First Permanent Settler The following April, Scott sold the land to Elias Williams, although this transac- tion was not registered until April of 1837. Elias Williams was the first to actually set up residence here. He built a log cabin somewhere on the present waterfront. It's location is not clear. What is clear is that Hannah Williams was living there at the time of the census in 1837. Elias Williams transferred the proper- ty to his sons Charles and Peter in January of 1833. | After his defeat in the 1836 election, Peter Perry arrived on the scene to develop his scheme for drawing the lum- ber trade through Lindsay to Lake Scugog and away from Port Hope and Trenton. He wanted to have the lumber brought down to the south end of Lake Scugog, and then overland to his harbor from the new library. Hill's mill was on the northern-most portion, Lot 38 directly across the road from the mill of Way and Paxton. 'John Davis bought Lot 58 in March, 1847. On this site he established a com- J bined furniture making and undertak- 4 ers business. Today, Wagg's Funeral 4 Home continues that tradition on the same site. In April that year, Mathew Winters at Windsor, now Whitby. | VILLAC C bought Lot 3 on Queen Street and Perry was ere adliza pRowBhly tegen building 2 hoigl on he / that the original 200 acre parcel owned + SCUCOC site. This is where the Laurentian Bank : is now located including the driveway to the west. Winters built his hotel on what is now the driveway. by Williams was partially under water. |" 7 jody Y William Purdy built his first dam at " | Lindsay in 1828. The result was that reascion of He Nagy 917 o Lo : Lake Scugog was increased significantly -- EL: 4 Le Seer ide Bighorn tabled in in size. The extent of this flooding can Part of Peter Perry's 1845 plan for Scugog Village (Port Perry), showing his allocation of lot numbers dealt p, 13 Perry. bought Tot 5. in order to best be understood by looking at the with in this article. Perry divided his 80 acre property into over 700 numbered lots. ort Ierry, bought » IN order present Port Perry waterfront. In Palmer | expand their holdings on Queen Street. Park, there is a full lot between Water iY A . TT \ Wa. RY \ ~ rine i This transaction took place on December ers to join him in his plan. Joseph and Joel establish themselves in 14, 1852. Se SE SE aie be LR ER SER a EEE EE eb Ri 8 Street and the present waterline, howev- po,..5 Settlement Begins business later that year. He transferred ~~ Readers will remember that Prince J er there is another complete and equal The first person to buy property from the ownership of the land to his sons in ~~ Albert to the south west was well estab- i | sized lot underwater extending from the pe,..v wags Harrison Haight. He bought ~~ October. lished before Scugog Village. Borelia to 4 I waterline, easterly into the lake. This lots 6, 61 and 62. Lot 6 was the western Jewett's Hotel the west was also a settled community at . | can be seen by examining the accompa- fof today's Settlement House, Lots 61 Across the road, Lots 61 and 62, this time. Each community had its own ' | nying 1872 survey. and 62 are directly across the road; Lot passed into the ownership of Charles S. stores and hotels. 4 To avoid buying underwater property, gj jg the Post Office and 62, Dana's Jewett in November 1852. It took Jewett Some readers may seem a little sur- ! Peter Perry purchased his property in Goldsmithing Store and Country only two years to pay off the mortgage. prised or even amused at my enthusiasm . two portions; a 50 acre parcel from Merchant Antiques, the former Becker's Under Jewett's ownership, the hotel and joy in rediscovering these specific j Charles Williams and 30 acres from store. In March 1847, Haight paid Perry prospered and became a highly reputable dates and details. Filling them in has | Peter Williams. These two parcels in £500 for the three quarters of an acre. stop-over for tourists. This was sold to provided me with some key pieces in the i total are bounded by the waterline, Perry had bought 50 acres for £300 in Buel Whittaker in April 1854 and even- jigsaw puzzle. But even more important, : Highway 7A, Simcoe Street and the 1843. The mortgage for Haight's tually to Sinclair who was the owner even though I am a relative newcomer to J north side of the lots on North Street. 1, hase was held by a gentleman with ~~ when the great fire of 1884 broke out at the Port Perry area, I now feel a little : Perry made these purchases on April 26, {1,6 impressive name of Theophilus B. the rear of his hotel on July 1 of that closer to the pioneers of the community : 1843. P P Plan. 1845 Wakefield. year. which my wife and I adopted a quarter C8 eter Perry's Plan, had d Haight built a hotel filling the entire First Sawmill century ago. It has given us an even : By October of 1845, Perry had drawn ¢ frontage of Lot 61. Harrison Haight's Daniel Way bought Lots 2, 67, 126 and greater sense of belonging to a communi- H up his plan of the proposed settlement of 1.110 John was the first settler in 127 from Perry in January, 1846. Two ty which has a wealth of pride in its heri- | Scugog Village. This plan was not regis- pat is now Little Britain. John built a years later, on June 1, 1848, Thomas tage and traditions. It has also given me tered until January 1855, four years aft- gyi) there in 1837. Paxton bought Lot 60, part of the pres- a sense of satisfaction in helping both er his death. Bigelows Arrive ent Royal Bank property and pt of the newcomers and the old established | Sometime in 1844, Perry opened his ' ' il o> \ ; | In 1844, Hiram Bigelow had bought Hank's Bakery. Way invited Paxton to families as we clarify the details of our store/trading post at the corner of Queen out the Purdys at Lindsay and was look- join him in establishing the first sawmill past. 2 . BES AR AEN AEN AEN AN RN SGN MLN AEA ALN ASA %: "Y 28S. 0 Qe 8&0 8 twe won't BE unDERSOLD} EE BD) : v 1 By 7: 43 EEN 5 BET A BES BARTER ' \ pear |B. | COLOUR LASER COPIES JUNE : MICHELIN {fg Buy one at regular pr 5 SERS VAN HEMMEN Pass m YJ guiar price and act the gauge | Racy. |E TIRES & SALES FIRESTONE ' oo Coon Bring this waren Rd. N 317 HOPKINS STREET GENERAL coupon to | high a TARR S BRICADISA Expires June 30/95 066-212] sre. HOSE not always available WPA 180 MARY ST ORT PERRY anc) GAG \ y on Saturdays A S PORT PERR (O05) ¢ : WF i AN ® #8 tad baw {8 vo, 2g A . i 2 hi Js . or om.