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.
67 Peel St.
This Georgian-inspired home stands in one of Barrie’s oldest historic neighbourhoods, known as The Grove.
Not far from this stately dwelling stood the Wellington Street ridge mansions: enormous, sprawling estates — Carnoevar, Ardtrea, Rockforest I and Statenborough.
But north of Wellington Street, at least on the east side of Peel Street, the vibe was a bit more rural. In fact it would be several decades before a new subdivision with dozens of families, would grow up and around this Peel Street home, when 40 acres of nearby Newton’s Farm were purchased by the federal government to be used for wartime housing.
The handsome home at 67 Peel St. was built about 1856 for lawyer Hamilton Douglas Stewart. Stewart was born in 1832 on the island of St. Vincent. His father, Charles Douglas Stewart, born in Camberwell, Surrey, England, married Matilda Hopley of St. Vincent in 1830. They had two children together, Hamilton Douglas and Charles Edward, before Matilda passed away in 1841, while their boys were still quite young.
In 1846, Charles Stewart was appointed Solicitor General of St. Vincent, West Indies. He remarried Mary Anne Jeffrey in 1853 and had three more children. Charles Douglas Stewart died in 1864 and is buried on the island of St. Vincent.
Family history indicates that Hamilton and Charles Jr. were staying with their grandmother at Stonehouse in England following their mother’s death. Stewart was educated at the Rugby School, Warwickshire, then Cambridge University, also studying law and music at Bonn, Leipzig and Heidelberg, Germany. He settled in Barrie in 1856 and graduated Osgoode Hall law school in 1858.
In 1862, Hamilton married Annie Gerald Chopin Morgan. Annie and Hamilton had something in common: they were both born in St. Vincent and it’s not unreasonable to speculate that the families may have known each other.
Annie’s father, Rev. Canon Edward Morgan had lived a remarkable life. Born in St. Vincent and educated in England, he returned to his family’s plantation when he was orphaned at 14. As a young man, he felt a spiritual calling, but refused to relocate to Barbados to attend college. Instead, he remained on St. Vincent, working to improve conditions for his slaves, including freeing many of them.
Morgan built his workers a church, studied medicine so he could care for them, provided spiritual guidance and advocated on behalf of all slaves through his membership in the Legislature of the Windward Islands.
Finally ordained and having survived a cholera epidemic, Morgan moved to Canada for the good of his health about 1832, appointed to be missionary assistant to Rev. Samuel Ardagh at Trinity Anglican Church. Morgan immediately went to work, driving about 30 miles by horse and buggy, delivering four services each Sunday, for 30 years.
Thanks to his medical training, he was able to minister to the sick and dying as well, and he did so for free. His family joined him in Canada about 1854.
The Morgans were said to be a lively, fun-loving family and very musical, playing a large role in church life. Annie’s sister was the first organist at the church and Annie was the second. Her brother also was organist for a number of years, building a choir and acquiring first, a new box organ, then a pipe organ for the church. Annie’s husband, Hamilton Stewart, fit right in with this talented family – he was a musician as well and spent time as the church organist himself.
By the 1860s, Hamilton was practising law in Barrie and had opened his own office on Owen Street in 1871. The Stewarts were also busy filling their large home with children: they would have two girls and four boys between the years 1863 and 1876, although, sadly, one son died as an infant, a daughter at 12, and a grown son at age 31.
When Hamilton died at home in 1911, the charming house passed from the Stewart family, and Annie went to live with her daughter Roberta. Hamilton Douglas Stewart had practised law for over 50 years and was one of the oldest lawyers on Ontario.
The next occupant was a larger-than-life character. Milton Carr was considered a pioneer of the north, before coming to live in Barrie. Born in Sweaburg, near Woodstock, in 1858, when Carr was a teen, the family moved to Commanda, in the North Bay area, where his father ran a saw and grist mill.
In 1880, Milton married Mary Street and would run a general store in Powassan. In 1902, Ross was elected Liberal MPP for the riding of Parry Sound, staying active in the party for almost 50 years. When silver was discovered in Cobalt and the T. & N.O. railway was built, Carr followed the action, relocating to the mining town in 1905, opening the first general store.
The Milton Carr Hardware Co. flourished throughout the silver and gold booms, but it was his sense of humour, outstanding speaking abilities and his genuine love of the north – its people and passions – that made him successful and won Carr friends wherever he went. Carr travelled Canada extensively in retirement, making a 600 mile trip up the Peace River when he was about 70 years old.
When Mary died in 1924, Carr would spend his summers in Powassan. It was while summering up north in 1929 that Carr was taken to Toronto with heart trouble, where passed away. "A giant in stature, of jovial disposition and a good mixer, the late Milton Carr typified the mining country which he loved." Milton and Mary Carr are buried at Barrie Union Cemetery.
By about the 1950s, 67 Peel St., converted to apartments, had lost the lustre of a once-fashionable home of a prominent lawyer.
But in 1999, something wonderful happened. A woman with a vision, Linda Nixon, purchased the old home and began the process of restoring the premises, creating comfortable suites in a beautiful heritage home, for a hotel-like experience, but intended for longer stays.
As the apartment building still had tenants, the transformation was gradual, as flats became available. The exterior and gardens came to life first, as the refurbishing of the historic home evolved. Slowly, the lovely woodwork, floors, staircase, three of the four original fireplace mantels, exquisite ceiling mouldings and even hardware such as mail slots and doorbells were restored.
Linda’s themed suites – British, Russian, French country, Canadiana — were filled with carefully curated furniture, antiques and artifacts designed to make guests feel at home in a very unique space.
Although ‘Signature Suites’ is no longer in business, it revived the architectural detail of the gracious Hamilton Stewart home.
