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.
John MacDonald Bothwell — 80 Dunlop St. E.
Seedsman, florist and mayor. John Bothwell was well known for his successful business, energy, and boundless civic-mindedness.
Born in Belfast, Ireland, in 1848, Bothwell came to Canada in 1871, establishing a garden supply business not long after. Situated across from the railway station, on the north side of Dunlop Street, east of Owen Street, near the Bank of Commerce in the McConkey Block, Bothwell did a roaring business, by all accounts.
In 1872, Bothwell purchased the former home of Henry Fraser, located on Charles Street (now the south end of Sanford Street). Fraser operated the Commercial hotel from 1851 until 1856, before purchasing Bingham’s Queen’s Arms Hotel in 1856. Fraser was also the grandfather of future Barrie mayor J.H. Bennett, who built an impressive Queen Anne residence at 178 Bayfield St.
Bothwell’s store carried everything needed for field or garden: fruit trees, seeds, window and bedding plants, bulbs, cut flowers, hand bouquets — the largest and most varied stock north of Toronto.
Over time, Bothwell added groceries to his store — provisions, flour, bran, oats, an extensive line of teas, and every description of feeds were kept on hand and delivered to local addresses. His retail offerings extended to builders as well, specializing in materials such as water lime plaster, Thorold cement, plaster of Paris, and land plaster.
Bothwell also had a regular Farm and Garden column in the newspaper, answering questions and giving advice to readers. By the mid-1870s, Bothwell’s show window was described as the handsomest in all the town.
In March 1880, Bothwell was awakened in the night to the sound of his dog barking. His store, along with the other frame buildings to the west of him, were on fire. The last of the wooden buildings, in a short stretch referred to as the ‘rookery,’ were considered a fire hazard by their downtown neighbours.
Fortunately, these wood and roughcast structures were bookended by brick buildings. Hinds had started building a new store, much later commonly referred to as the Caldwell building, at the corner of Dunlop and Owen streets, and the McConkey Block, on the other end of the frame stores, stopped the fire from spreading.
Bothwell was fortunate to escape his smoke-filled apartment, forgetting the $400 tucked under his pillow, and later realizing an $8,000 to $9,000 loss due to the fire.
Other businesses — the European Hotel, Singer Sewing Machine Agency, L.B. Warnica’s jewelry store, Penton’s fruit stand and shaving salon, Wood’s drugstore, and Clark’s Dominion Telegraph office — were wiped out just like Bothwell’s store. Bothwell relocated his business temporarily while he rebuilt.
And rebuild he did.
His new store, the Bothwell Block, constructed in 1880, was considered the most imposing building in town. Constructed on the site of the old store at a cost of $20,000, Bothwell’s new building was an impressive three-storey structure, overlooking the railway station and post office and with a view of the bay. Made of white brick with red brick accents, the building had a cellar under the entire structure, complete with an artesian well that had a flow of 80 gallons of pure, cold water per minute, with the ability to supply water for a distance of several blocks.
Bothwell’s seed and grain warehouse and grocery occupied half of the ground floor, while commercial and office space, Hurst’s photography studio, and a social hall filled the remainder of the building.
About 1881, Bothwell married Annie Goudie. Born in Osprey Township, in the Collingwood area, Goudie moved to Barrie with her parents in 1879. Bothwell’s Swiss cottage-style home at the end of Charles Street was rebuilt and a southern wing was added in 1883 to make room for a family. The couple would have three sons: Clarence, Robert and William.
Their home and its beautiful gardens became one of most attractive properties in the area. They were both busy members of the Essa Road Presbyterian Church throughout their lives.
In 1882, Bothwell built a second business block, this one at the intersection of Bradford Street and Essa Road. Bothwell’s Corners, as it was called, housed a well-appointed grocery store, a butcher shop, and a boot and shoe store, and Bothwell had capable staff to manage operations at that location.
Bothwell was active in municipal affairs, representing Ward 3 on city council for several years, reeve from 1892 to 1894, and served as Barrie’s mayor in 1895 and again in 1896. You could say he had an impactful tenure as mayor. It was during his terms that the ‘unsightly’ verandas on Dunlop and Elizabeth (now Dunlop West) streets were removed, sidewalks and a permanent roadway were built on the main street, and the road to Allandale was improved.
It was Bothwell who was mostly responsible for bringing about the incorporation of Barrie and Allandale. He also found time to be part of the agricultural society, the Agricultural Joint Stock Co., and serve as director of the Mechanics Institute.
Bothwell sold his Dunlop Street store in 1911 and retired, although his son, Robert, continued to run the Essa Road business. The Bothwell Block on Dunlop Street was remodelled after the sale of the building. Bothwell would only enjoy retirement and his lovely Charles Street home for a short time before falling ill about 1913 and dying in 1915 at his comfortable residence.
Annie remained in the Charles Street home, frequently hosting lawn teas, open-air concerts, and garden festivals to benefit the Essa Road Presbyterian Ladies Aid. The picturesque grounds filled with flower gardens, fruit trees, and shrubbery was a neighbourhood showpiece. When Annie died in 1925, the funeral was held at her gracious home.
Sons Clarence and William worked in the electrical supply business in Toronto, but Clarence still used the family home on Charles Street for summer and weekend visits. The house was still mostly furnished and had an excellent library John Bothwell had purchased from Sir Cornelius Kortright’s estate. Despite its infrequent occupancy, the Bothwell home continued to be a prominent and pleasing part of the neighbourhood.
So, it was with great dismay when Alderman Dalton White spotted a glare in the darkness from his bathroom window when he rose at 5:30 a.m. to go duck hunting in the fall of 1930. Driving over to nearby Charles Street to investigate, he was confronted with a blaze at the Bothwell estate and woke the owner of the house next door to report the fire. The fire brigade responded quickly, but low water pressure in the hose that was run from Bradford Street challenged the crew, requiring a call to the waterworks department for more water.
However, their efforts could not save the old landmark home. The cause of the fire was never determined, but Chief James Shrubsole speculated the vagrants who had been sheltering in the basement for some months, according to nearby residents, had accidentally started it, or that the fire had been set intentionally. Regardless, the fire completely destroyed Bothwell homestead.
The Bothwell Block on Dunlop Street East, no stranger to fires as well, still stands today.
