A block’s worth of history
New book explores the archaeology carried out at of the site where the MNR stands now
History and archaeology often explore places that have disappeared to be replaced by some new civilization, or group of buildings. One good example in Peterborough is the three-acre block now mainly occupied by Robinson Place, the 20-year-old Ministry of Natural Resources building.
This block is unusual for many reasons. The ancient portage route between the Otonabee and Lake Chemong began or ended very nearby. It was the site of the first European settler in 1819. Charlotte St. ended at the river bank which was very close to Water St. until this part of the river was filled with a garbage dump around 1900.
The block had the remarkable Duffus Company garage from 1919, and that earthquake-proof building lasted until 1996. And of course, not counting the Quaker Oats works, the current building is probably Peterborough’s largest downtown building ever.
Because of the wealth of history that was known to be associated with this block, it was necessary in the 1990s to have an archaeological survey. That study was conducted by York North Archaeological Services, of which the principals were Gordon and Betty Dibbs. Gordon Dibb did the research for this report and I first read the report 20 years ago. I was impressed with the quality and diversity of what he discovered.
The Peterborough branch of the Ontario Archaeological Society has reprinted the 1996 research by Gordon C. Dibb. As well, Gordon and Betty were allowed space to reflect on how history and archaeology have changed in the past 20 years.
The publication is much more than that. The editors, Rita Granda and Dirk Verhulst, have republished Prof. Zhongping Chen’s remarkable history of the Chinese community in Peterborough that first appeared in the Historical Gazette of the Trent Valley in 2003; it deserved a wider audience.
As well, the book includes brief reviews on several aspects of the history of the block.
Kate Dougherty discusses the importance of historical archaeology. Bill Fox looks at the early settlement of indigenous people in the area. Kim Reid shares some of the artifacts from Dibbs’ archaeological that were deposited in the Peterborough Museum and Archives. Verhulst wrote excellent pieces on the Commercial Press and the history of printing locally; on the career of Senator J.J. Duffus and the Duffus Motor Company; and on the first buildings in the block, beginning with Adam Scott’s mill. Jeremy Ward discusses the fantastic McGregor collection which recently arrived at the Canadian Canoe Museum. Because there were railway connections with the block, Tom Mohr discussed railways.
Altogether it is a splendid menu of archaeological and historical issues. The strategy allowed the editors to note works that had emerged since 1996 such as Bob Dunford’s biography of Adam Scott, and my work on J.J. Duffus. The only significant omission is the memoirs, now in the Trent Valley Archives, of Thomas A. Morrow who spent most of his youth on this block, while his father was a blacksmith.
Gordon Dibb’s report is remarkably accessible given that it began as a report intended for the provincial government and it rightly remains the centerpiece for this ambitious book.
The archaeological excavation was conducted under unusual circumstances. His team worked with the construction crew, a backhoe that worked quickly, and which was always the priority. As this was a government contract, there were extra conditions for worker safety. His crews included one person directing the backhoe operator while the other exposed the excavation face and gathered some artifacts. Some recording was done during construction worker breaks.
Some of the pictures and diagrams provide insights into the construction methods tied to buildings that had been in this block, part of which had been underwater for most of the nineteenth century. At the time of the demolition, in 1993, the former Duffus Motors Building was the lone survivor. This building, which was built in stages, opened in February 1919. The building had showroom, offices, service facilities, and a paint shop. But it also added a gasoline station, and a second floor. Over time the building had a bowling alley and the Duffus Funeral Home. After the Duffus family sold the building to Keith Brown in 1968, General Electric used the basement for storage. Between 1975 and 1985, the building housed the restaurants Coachstop and Gatehouse and a bingo hall on the main floor, while the top floor was the offices of the Peterborough Board of Education.
During the investigations, Dibb’s team found parts of other structures that had been in this block. The mill property along the King Street side of the block has a fascinating history beginning with Adam Scott and Charles Fothergill in 1819. The mill property went to John Brown, a Port Hope entrepreneur who had invested in the mill.
In 1836, the property was leased to Thomas Fortye who had built a larger mill and shortened the mill race from the creek, now known as Jackson’s.
James and Louisa Wallis purchased this property from the Browns by the mid-1850s, but had surrendered the deed to Allan Gilmour, the prominent Ottawa lumber merchant, by 1859.
For some years, the mill site was leased to Richard Parnell who ran a grist mill.
Robert C. Smith had the property by 1872; he was a partner over the years with Mossom Boyd.
Henry Denne and Anson Sperry purchased the mill site in 1877; Denne had it alone after 1883.
John Stephenson, the owner of patents for the Peterborough Canoe had the lot between 1887 and 1891, and it was the site for the Peterborough Canoe Company after fire destroyed the Ontario Canoe Company factory in Ashburnham in May 1892. The Canoe Company was there until the 1950s when Commercial Press began operations on the site.
An historical plaque on Water Street near King marks this site, but does not capture the complexity of the history at this corner; Dibb does.
There was a blacksmith business on the north part of the block near Charlotte. Robert Hull, who had been there since the early 1890s, sold the business to William Morrow of Pontypool in 1905. This was one of the properties purchased by J.J. Duffus who opened his car dealership here in 1919; the land was sold in 1926.
Thomas Morrow, one of William Morrow’s many children, wrote his memoirs about the family’s years in Pontypool and Peterborough, and about his experiences in the First World War. When the Morrows moved in to the shop and house next door at 302 Water St., the entrances were at street level on Water Street. At street level was a parlour and living and dining room. There were four bedrooms above, and the cellar kitchen down. There was a basement below the kitchen reached by a trap door. The back door of the kitchen was at ground level. The shop extended over horse stalls and a shed for 15 horses. Across the back of the double lot was a woodshed, and a stable with hayloft, which could accommodate 12 animals. The Morrows had a mare, Flossie, a cow, some chickens and occasionally a pig. They could fish from the back of the shed. “Our stable with woodshed adjoining was built on a revetment or loop right on the water’s edge with our toilet house suspended over the water.”
This is an incredible insight into city life in 1905. Dibb was able to capture some of this from the fire insurance plans for the period.
Dibb was able to recover the remains of many features, including a breakwater on the river side of the property. The project was in an area that had been an industrial area since 1825, and the members of the team gathered many artifacts, but usually without provenance since they had to scramble around the environmental cleanup project. Many of the artifacts dated from when the town was filling in parts of the river with garbage and infill.
Some of the most interesting artifacts came from the Chinese restaurant in the Market Hall building, and this inspired the editors to include a fascinating and detailed history of the local Chinese community and the several restaurants and cleaners associated with the community. One of the major insights from Zhongping Chen’s great research was the discovery that Chinese immigration was, as with European immigration, chain migration; people came to this area because they knew of someone already here.
Altogether, this is a fascinating book filled with interesting ideas drawn from a creative mixture of archaeology, history and common sense.
Gordon C. Dibb, A Block in Time: Archaeology and History of the MNR Block in Peterborough, Ontario, Peterborough, Peterborough Chapter of the OAS, 2017, Pages 194; illustrations, references. This book is for sale at different locations, including at the Trent Valley Archives, which has a Bookshelf of books relating to the area for browsing and for sale.