This ongoing series from Barrie Historical Archive curator Deb Exel shows old photos from the collection and one from the present day, as well as the story behind them.
The Hill — 33 Theresa St.
If the records can be trusted, the man who built the mansion at 33 Theresa St., William Ardagh, only lived in this magnificent home for a short time.
Born in 1828 in Tipperary, Ireland, William Davis Ardagh immigrated to Canada and, by 1850, was living in Barrie, studying law under John Strathy. Admitted to the bar in 1855 and working for a Toronto firm, Ardagh was back in Barrie by 1856, with his own firm on Dunlop Street. Around that time, the Bank of Toronto, founded in 1855, opened a branch — one of its first — in the settlement of Barrie, with Ardagh as an agent.
Ardagh was also a representative of the Monarch Fire and Life Assurance Company. In 1857, he became joint editor of the Canadian Law Journal and joined the law firm of Patton (the Hon. James Patton) and Bernard (Col. Hewitt Bernard) in Barrie. The following year, judge James R. Gowan appointed Ardagh deputy judge of Simcoe County.
Shortly after Ardagh’s appointment to the bench, he married Martha Letitia Ardagh, the third daughter of Rev. Samuel Brown Ardagh. Born in Waterford, Ireland, in 1833, Martha came to Canada with her family, settling in Shanty Bay. William Ardagh was her second cousin.
Ardagh was active in municipal affairs. He was chosen as reeve when Barrie was becoming a village, serving from 1864 until 1871. Elected to the Ontario legislature for North Simcoe in 1871, Ardagh sat in the house for four sessions before retiring from provincial parliament. He served as Barrie’s mayor from 1877 until 1882.
Throughout these political years, Ardagh was busy with business ventures. He commissioned an impressive office building on Owen Street, built perhaps Barrie’s first ‘townhouses,’ the Ardagh cottages, connected with lumber baron Richard Power and others to build a sawmill in Victoria Harbour, was a charter member of the Toronto, Simcoe and Muskoka Junction Railway Company, and had a number of property and business holdings around town.
Ardagh may have owned the Theresa Street land as early as 1858, but it wasn’t until about 1875, two years after he returned from Europe, where he was recuperating from health problems, that ‘The Hill,’ as the residence at 33 Theresa St. came to be known, was built.
Breathtaking in scale and sophistication, this enormous house situated on about 2.5 acres perched high above the town was built to impress. Highly detailed brickwork and fanciful chimney stacks, with cast stone window labels and dramatic bargeboard in the gables, this structure commanded attention. Designed by architects Maurice Gaviller and A. Clifford Thomson, The Hill was meant to convey status, luxury and comfort, with ample room for a large family, many servants and dazzling entertaining.
Inside, the home was said to be pure elegance throughout: high ceilings, rich wood panelling, decorative plaster mouldings, exquisite fireplaces in the drawing room, dining room and den, a stunning staircase and numerous windows opening onto a sweeping veranda that offered spectacular views of the town and bay. The grounds surrounding this astonishing home were pleasantly wooded, and featured two large lawn tennis courts. At a time when other monumental homes were being built, The Hill was remarkably distinctive and striking by comparison.
Ardagh was facing financial pressures by 1879, indebted to the Bank of Toronto for notes he had endorsed. He began selling off his properties and other assets, but his residence, The Hill, was kept in trust.
In the spring of 1882, the Ardaghs moved to Manitoba, where William assumed the role of deputy attorney general. Two years later, he was elevated to the bench in the Eastern Judicial District of the Prairie province, where he participated in the important work of establishing Manitoba laws.
Martha did not stay in Manitoba; she returned to Ontario, and The Hill, by 1891.
Returning from Genoa, Italy, in 1893 on the steamer Werra, Ardagh, described as a tall and well-built gentleman, collapsed on the gangplank as he disembarked at Hoboken, Hudson, N.J., and was pronounced dead at 65 years old, of heart disease. Several letters were found on him, in which he was addressed as “dear Judge” and signed “Your Loved One.” Two sealed and unstamped letters were found in his pocket, presumed to have been written by Ardagh while at sea. One addressed to “His Honour Judge Ardagh, Hamilton Bermuda” and the other to “Mrs. Ardagh Posto Restante, Florence, Italy.” Also among his possessions were $40, a return ticket to Winnipeg and a well-worn envelope containing a dry, faded violet with a note that read it had been picked by “Daisy” on May 25, 1890.
Martha continued to live out her days in Barrie until she died at The Hill in 1919. She was laid to rest at St. James’ Cemetery in Toronto, alongside William. “Until the day dawn, and the shadows flee away.”
The Hill stayed in the Ardagh family until 1968, when Robert and Pat Stinson (Stinson Theaters) purchased the historic home and began the long process of restoring the old mansion to its former lustre. The handsome home had been somewhat neglected over the years and required maintenance and renovations. It was during this period that the expansive porch was removed due to its condition.
Like so many century homes, The Hill has seen modern improvements to make it livable for its occupants. This has been the fate of almost every old home during its lifespan. Consider when furnaces eventually replaced fireplaces for heating or the introduction of electricity and indoor plumbing. Although old residences come with their eccentricities and ‘needs,’ preserving these buildings leaves us with a visual reminder of our city’s cultural heritage and the people who were a part of building our community.
The current owners have done an outstanding job of conserving this imposing heritage home and majestic estate, honouring The Hill’s rich and historically significant past.
