Newmarket
May 13, 2008 10:56 AM
Faces and Places
By: Teresa Latchford, Staff Writer
With summer fast approaching, students will soon be free from the classroom and looking forward to summer vacation.
It also means family summer holidays, but with gas prices going through the roof, you might want to spend your holiday exploring right here in Newmarket.
A bright, sunny day is the perfect opportunity to get to know the historical sites.
The town has a unique history dating back to a Quaker settlement from the early 19th century.
A simple stroll around the area can prove to be a historical experience by reading street plaques as various historic sites have been designated by the
town.
If you think you already know everything there is to know about the sites of the town, try to identify the building described below, you may be surprised at what you find.
• It is the oldest business in Newmarket. It is located on the east side of historic Main Street, 157 Main St. S. and founded by cabinetmaker Samuel Roadhouse in 1843.
• The town’s first bank was established on this site in 1865. However, the original building located at 262 Main St. S. was used as a trading post and later became a residence and store belonging to the same family.
• This store was named after its founder, who eventually became the founder of a department store chain in Toronto. The original store was opened in 1858 at 226 Main St. S. in Newmarket with partner William Trent.
• This building was constructed in the middle of the 1800s at 184 Main St. S. and is a snippet of history because the owner’s wife, Anne Mary, was the province’s first female druggist. She operated an apothecary onsite from 1886 to 1914.
• Built in 1883, this building displays the architecture of the late 19th century. Currently, this building is home to an amateur theatre group and a farmers’ market takes place on the site, 460 Botsford St., each week.
• A well-known fur trader opened his first post at 253-261 Main St. S. in 1814. Over the years, his building grew to include a home, general store and a post office.
• In 1922 the first six-bed hospital in York County was opened at 145 Main St. S. by Dr. Lowell Dales and Dr. J.H. Wesley.
• It’s name comes from an Ojibway term meaning “walking together”. It stretches from Aurora to Holland Landing following the banks of the Holland River.
Answers
Roadhouse and Rose, John Cawthra House, Robert Simpson Store, Charles Hargrave Simpson Building, Old Town Hall, William Roe Fur Trading Post, Dr. William G. Hutt Home and Practice, Nokiidaa Trail System