1837 Rebellion Walking Tour
In honour of Mr. Terry Carter and the Newmarket Historical Societies efforts to get our citizens involved in the history of this fine town, I have posted a brief 1837 Rebellion Walking Tour from my Uncle George’s writings which I thought may prove interesting!
Many citizens of this town do not realize how central this area was to the rebellion movement and just how much the political and social landscape of this town was shaped by this involvement!
Take a short tour of these sights and get your history juices fired up for what I am certain will be an incredible series of lectures on the subject in 2012 brought to you by the Historical Society.
Enjoy!
1837 Rebellion Walking Tour
Hewitt’s Hotel: N-W corner of Main and Botsford Streets. Hewitt’s Hotel, later the North American, was built by Joseph Hewitt in 1826, and demolished c. 1900. The site is presently occupied by a restaurant and a skateboard shop. It was at a meeting here on August 3, 1837 between disgruntled local residents and William Lyon Mackenzie that rebellion was first openly discussed.
Presbyterian Kirk: A new Kirk (church) stood at the N-E corner of Timothy and Church Streets in 1837. It was used as a jail for forty-six rebels following Mackenzie’s ill-fated attempt to capture Toronto. The prisoners were chained together and force-marched to Toronto through bitter winter cold. The Kirk was demolished in 1907.
Caldwell House: The home of James B. and Rosanna Caldwell, this house stood on the S-E corner of Botsford and Church Streets, on the north side of the former Kirk site. J. B. Caldwell was a chair maker and pointer who had a shop on Main Street. Though a reform sympathizer, he drew the line at armed conflict. He was allowed a parole by the authorities, and ran messages between the prisoners in the Kirk and their families. Rosanna smuggled food through her backyard and into the Kirk. Following the Rebellion, the Caldwells built Liberty Hall, on Botsford Street.
Cawthra House: John Cawthra was a reform supporter who opposed violence. When talk of armed rebellion began, he tried to warn Lieutenant-Governor Head, who reportedly replied, “They know too well which side their bread is buttered on to attempt rebellion”. This remark led to a scene in a field west of Newmarket where rebels trained by firing at loaves of buttered bread stuck on poles. Cawthra House is on the N-W corner of Main and Water Streets.
The Willows: The home of William and Sarah Roe, The Willows stood on the N-E corner of Main and Water Streets. William Roe won fame as a teenager during the War of 1812 by hiding ‘the government treasury from the invading Americans. He came to Newmarket as a fur trader following the war. Roe was a supporter of the Family Compact, and was rewarded for his loyalty after the rebellion by being appointed Newmarket’s second postmaster, a position he held until his death in 1879.
Gorham House: On Gorham Street (named after Nelson’s father Eli), East of Prospect, the Gorham House was Newmarket’s first brick house. Nelson Gorham was a rebel leader who fled with Mackenzie to the United States following the rebellion, and became a member of the Provisional Government of the State of Upper Canada which Mackenzie established on Navy Island in the Niagara River. As a captain in the “Patriot” army, Nelson Gorham was responsible for enrolling new recruits. He returned to Newmarket following his pardon in 1843, and in later years became viIlage reeve.
Beman-Robinson House: Originally located on Water Street at the foot of Main, the Beman-Robinson House now stands on Eagle Street across from Church Street. Newmarket’s first house, it was built c. 1804, possibly as early as 1801, by Joseph Hill. It was later owned by Elisha Beman, who married widow Esther Sayre Robinson and became stepfather to her five children. They were important members of the colonial elite. “Squire” Beman was a prominent businessman, Magistrate and Justice of the Peace, and his three step-sons were: a) Peter Robinson, founder of Holland Landing and Peterborough, businessman, fur trader, and high government official; b) Sir John Beverly Robinson, Attorney-General, Chief Justice and Lieutenant-Governor; c) William Beverly Robinson, fur trader, high government official, and Newmarket’s first postmaster.
Eagle Street Cemetery: This little cemetery on the North side is the final resting place to some who supported the government side in the rebellion:
William and Sarah Roe / Elisha Beman / Lieutenant Arthur Carthew (who led an expedition to relieve Toronto, arriving a week after the rebellion)
Many of these buildings are gone, but I am sure that if you just stand there and close your eyes, you will be able to hear the cries of injustice and rebellion echoing in your ears!
Be sure to join us in 2012 for our lecture series!
Happy Trails!
The History Hound
excerpt from the works of George W. Luesby
