By Ashley Harper By the early 1900s, Winchester was a thriving village with a population of about 1,100 people. Businesses were prospering in the downtown core (the area around Main and St. Lawrence Streets) and buildings were being erected to accommodate new merchants and tradespeople.
Another victim was the Bowen House, situated directly west of the Commercial Hotel and owned by Alexander McDonald. To the east of the hotels, the tinsmith shop of William Holmes and George Armstrong, the F. S. Manning & Co. general store, and George Hart’s law office and residence were all leveled. The medical office and residence of Dr. Peter McLaughlin and the home of Captain Suddaby, both west of the hotels, were also burned. Fire insurance plans of the village show the devastating effect of the fire. A map from January 1905 depicts a prospering village with a built-up downtown centre, while a map from September 1908 shows the aftermath of the fire more than a year later. By June of 1909, the Hotel Winchester was erected to replace the Bowen House and Commercial Hotel. It was a temperance hotel, as the village had gone “dry” in 1907. There were several fires in the Hotel Winchester and the top two floors have since burned and been demolished. The remainder of the building is now occupied by the Bank of Montreal. Beginning this week, CDHS will be posting articles about interesting photos, artifacts, people, events, buildings, etc. that relate to the history of North Dundas. If there is something that you wish to see recognized or wish to know more about, send us an email at [email protected]
1 Comment
Joseph morin
19/7/2021 08:01:57 am
Love the story. Would you mind if we ran the story and picture in the chesterville record?
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CDHS publishes articles about interesting photos, artifacts, people, events, buildings, etc. that relate to the history of Chesterville and District. If there is something that you would like to see, email us at [email protected]
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