100 years ago on April 21, 1924 W.J. Morrish, passed away. He was the founder of the W. J. Morrish Store in Highland Creek which now houses the Scarborough Historical Society Archives. He left behind a series of diaries outlining his day to day activities until his death.
Miller Lash House, Highland Creek valley. Photo: Jeremy Hopkin
100 Years in the “Valley” – The Miller Lash House Celebration!
Text excerpt from The Villager newspaper, March / April 2013:
The University of Toronto Scarborough celebrates 100 years of history in the community. The historic Miller Lash House was built in 1913 to be the summer home of Miller Lash, Toronto lawyer and industrialist, and his family. Located in the scenic Rouge River Valley, the house was enjoyed by the family for many years. Subsequently it was purchased by the University in 1963 and became the residence for the first few Principals of the University of Toronto Scarborough. In 2002 the University decided to transform the house into a meeting and event venue, and as such it has become one of Toronto’s popular choices to host weddings, events and meetings.
The University wants to recognize this historic event on campus and hold a day of celebration for not only the campus community but to invite our friends and neighbours from the surrounding communities to join in on the fun. To that end we have begun working with the organizers of the Highland Creek Heritage Day Festival. The date is Saturday, June 8th, please mark it in your calendars and plan to come down and see the House and take part in the Festival.
The Miller Lash 100th Anniversary Celebration will include many of the popular aspects of Heritage Days and plans to offer a festival of fun and entertainment while taking some trips down memory lane and acknowledging the great history that is very much a part of this community. Stay tuned for further updates as plans are finalized and we hope to see you “In The Valley” on June 8th…
More information:
The renovated “Springfield Jimmie” Thomson house, Bendale. Photo: Rick Schofield.
*Excerpt from the Scarborough Mirror, Dec. 26, 2012.
“‘Springfield Jimmie’s’ house restoration breathes new life into home
Looking Back: Rick Schofield
While much has been written about the Thomson Settlement, we are indeed fortunate that several of the most historic buildings have been saved from demolition.
“Springfield Jimmie” Thomson’s lovely, bank farmhouse at 146 St. Andrew’s Road, is one of the oldest brick buildings in Scarborough and stands as a tribute to not only the Thomson family, but also to all our pioneers. The beautifully detailed verendah faces south and is quite visible to the public. It reflects the pride our early builders took in the construction of their permanent homes.
The bank style also shows the builders’ respect and understanding of the environment. “Springfield” is built into the side of the bank of Highland Creek. While appearing as a two-and-a-half storey house on one side, it is one and a half storeys high on the opposite side. Only one level of this bank-style house was exposed to the cold north and west winds.
The lower sections on the north and west sides of the building are beneath the ground. However, the warmer south side of the building has large windows which allowed the morning sun to brighten and warm the house during an era when electricity and central heating were visions of the future. Adjacent to the house stands a unique fieldstone cold cellar, also built into the side of the hill.
Several years ago, the bank took possession and after a short period on the market it was sold to a contractor whose goal was to restore the exterior to its former glory, yet renovate the interior as a modern, high-end dwelling. Mission accomplished.
INTERIOR GUTTED
While retaining and restoring the heritage aspects of the exterior, including the rebuilding of the verendah; the interior was gutted, a modern addition added to the rear and the large, surrounding property professionally landscaped. What the general public sees now would certainly have pleased “Jimmie” but he would never recognize its 21st century interior.
Restoring the entire house would have been preferred but not likely to generate a sale due to the high cost of renovation. This is a compromise that should guarantee that the 160 year old house will still be around 100 years from now.
It’s now for sale to the right buyer, with a price of $1.7 million.”
*To see more historical images of houses in Bendale, click here to visit the SHS website’s Bendale photo Gallery.
Scarborough Archives after restoration of wooden verandah. Photo: Don Allen
By Jeremy Hopkin.
The Scarborough Historical Society is pleased to announce the restoration of the upper woodwork on the verandah of the Scarborough Archives building is complete. The facility in which the Scarborough Archives now resides was formerly the W.J. Morrish general store. Constructed during 1891, the building served residents of Highland Creek and surrounding rural areas as a general store until closing its doors in 1967.
Although essential repairs to the exterior of the building were made when the Archives first occupied the building, the verandah could not be included as it did not work within funding guidelines. In the meantime Scarborough Historical Society volunteers continually painted all exposed woodwork on the verandah to protect it from further deterioration until project funding could be acquired.
Earlier this year, Hydro One stepped forward to provide the Scarborough Historical Society with a donation to commence with restoration. A request for tender was publicized and the architectural restoration specialists of Colonial Building Restoration were awarded the work contract. They began the process of dismantling and stripping the wood on July 3rd, 2012.
Scarborough Archives verandah woodwork under restoration, 2012. Photo: Rick Schofield.
Over a century of accumulated paint was painstakingly removed from the wood by use of heat guns and stripping tools. This revealed that although most of the underlying wood is in great shape for its age, time has taken its toll – two of the main posts had to be replaced along with other small deteriorated areas. Sections with dry rot or damage were replicated and replaced so that the entire verandah could be properly reassembled and painted.
As paint was removed, notes were made on the layers of coatings which once covered the wooden members over the years. Deep under the paint remained evidence of a coat of linseed oil from what most likely is the original sealing coat made during construction in the 1890s.
Molding details which had disappeared from the posts several years ago were also re-created, utilizing an 1894 image of the W.J. Morrish general store front as reference.
The tin plated roof of the verandah, also in need of repair, was not included in the current restoration project, although the Scarborough Historical Society plans to undertake this secondary task in the near future when additional funding can once again be acquired.
The existing tin roof is not original when one examines the 1894 photograph. However, the original roof material needs further research and in the short term, to protect the existing tin, the Society will repair the joint where the roof meets the building and repaint the existing tin with rust inhibiting primer/sealer and quality paint.
Verandah restoration image gallery:
