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.
Beverly Hall — 142 Collingwood St.
This grand home, in the historic east-end neighbourhood, was built in 1879 for Dr. and Mrs. Charles Bosanko.
The architect of this impressive Second Empire-style home is believed to be George Brown and the builder, George Ball, who constructed other, similarly designed buildings in Barrie.
Bosanko, born in Aurora in 1842, was both a medical doctor and a dentist. He opened his dental practice in Barrie about 1875.
Born the same year was Bosanko’s future wife, Isabella Laird. Isabella was the daughter of John Laird, a contractor and builder, and his wife, Jane Leach, of County Tyrone, Ireland.
John and Jane, both born in 1818, arrived in Barrie in 1839, living there for a few years before purchasing a farm in Vespra Township. They were one of the earliest families in an area then known as Laird’s Settlement until it was renamed Minesing in 1864. John Laird was the first postmaster, from 1864 to 1867, operating the post office out of his home. Likewise, before there was a school in Minesing, classes were held in the Laird home and taught by Isabella. When the first frame schoolhouse was built on a corner of the Laird property, Isabella taught up to 57 students, at a salary of $200, from 1861 to 1866. The Laird family moved back to Barrie about 1867.
Back in town, Mrs. Laird was busy with her two sons and daughter Isabella. Her sweet disposition, kind-heartedness and reputation as a hard worker at Collier Street Methodist Church all contributed to her being extremely well liked in the community. Mr. Laird, no longer a carpenter, was a partner in E.H. Edwards and Laird Stationery located on the Glebe block, not far from their Worsley Street home. Their son-in-law, Dr. Bosanko, would have an office on the second floor of this building. When Mr. and Mrs. Laird were both 85 years old and not in the best of health, Jane contracted pneumonia and died. John, thought to be so ill that he himself was expected to die within days, was not told of his wife’s death. He went to rest two months after his wife. At the time of his death, John Laird had been a member of Collier Street Methodist Church for 52 years and, apparently, the oldest resident in the Town of Barrie.
John’s and Jane’s daughter, Isabella, a teacher in Barrie, was active at the Collier Street church, like her mother. When she married Charles Bosanko in 1872, theirs was the first wedding to take place in the current-day building. Isabella stayed involved in her church, singing in the choir for years and playing the organ at the weekly prayer meetings for 25 years. Interestingly, her new husband, a member of Trinity Anglican Church, in 1876, joined with other prominent citizens such as H.H. Strathy, Judge James Gowan, John Dickenson, H.R.A. Boys, H.B. Spotton, J.R. Cotter and George Lount to organize the Christ Church Reformed Episcopal church.
In 1886, they contracted George Ball to build their Gothic-style church on Collier Street across from Trinity Anglican. The building was sold to the IOOF in 1922 and demolished in 1967. In later years, the Bosankos were known to attend Trinity Anglican Church together. Besides her church commitments, Isabella was also treasurer of the Royal Victoria Hospital Auxiliary and husband Charles, an avid reader, served on the public library board. He was also an active Freemason in the Corinthian and Kerr lodges and, along with Robert King, helped to establish the Minerva Lodge in Stroud.
Finding the travel back and forth from Collingwood Street to his downtown office to be a chore, the Bosankos did not reside in Beverly Hall for long. For a number of years, Charles operated his dental practice in a house located at 54 Collier St., next to the historic John Weir home. In 1896, the Bosankos owned the property at the corner of Mulcaster and Worsley streets, most likely the 1845 Georgian home built for David Morrow, reeve in 1856.
In a strikingly similar situation to John and Jane Laird, when Dr. and Mrs. Bosanko were both 83 years old, and neither in very good health, Isabella died at their home. About a month-and-a-half later, Charles died as well. Both couples did not live long without their cherished partners.
The magnificent Bosanko residence, believed to have been called Beverly Hall, based on the carriage stone with that name, remains a particularly spectacular heritage home to this day. This impressive mansion that once featured a tower still retains much of its extravagant architectural detail. The lavish exterior features can still be admired and, inside this stunning mansion, original elements such as the fireplaces, doors, mouldings, woodwork and many other historical attributes are said to still exist.
This property is designated under the Ontario Heritage Act for its architectural and historical significance, and is a past recipient of a Heritage Barrie Heritage Award.
