This week, let’s look at the story behind the Elman W. Campbell Museum, which eventually found its home at the former County Registry Office on Main Street in 1991.
Prior to 1862, all local documents were registered in Toronto, however, in 1863, a Registry Office was erected in the Village of Newmarket at the corner of Main and Lot (now Millard) streets. The building was condemned in 1882 — it stood until 1952 until it was demolished for a new fire hall on the site.
A plot of land further north on Main with a frontage of 90 feet was purchased for $1,800 for the new registry office. When the new building was completed, the rafters were the only parts composed of wood. The brick walls were two-feet thick, the foundation was quarry stone, the roof was slate, and an external door was made of iron. The vaulted ceiling was solid brick and mortar.
For 96 years, the Registry Office served the community faithfully from there, until it was transferred to the new Provincial Court Building at Yonge and Eagle streets in June 1980. The building sat vacant until it became the new home for the museum in 1991.
The museum was established in 1981 by the single-handed, low-key but determined influence of Elman Campbell, along with the support of Mayor Ray Twinney. It initially occupied the top floor of the vacated firehall at the corner of Main and Millard.
The museum officially opened June 25, 1982 with some fanfare. This was a major undertaking by an army of history buffs, which involved a long flight of stairs and transporting artifacts stored at various sources, including Campbell’s garage.
With the help of volunteers, the items were documented as they were accumulated. In May 1983, Beth Sinyard, then a student, was engaged as the curator to record, classify and organize the contents.
Albert Evans and James Nuttall provided expert manual assistance for arranging the displayed items, as well as the storage facilities and shelving. It was a museum in every sense, including a constantly leaking roof and wet basement.
In October 1990, the museum moved to 543 Timothy St., the former Office Specialty building, which had been purchased by the Town in 1987 for its improved facilities with increased floor area and suitable parking.
The museum remained there until 1996, when Mayor John Cole announced the building had been leased for five years to the Canadian College of Massage and Hydrotherapy.
The Town then entered an agreement with the Region of York to take possession of the Registry Office building at 134 Main St. for 50 years at $2 per year for the museum.
Specialized museum consultants Pankowski, Mitchell & Knibb were engaged to prepare a detailed report outlining the necessary requirements to accommodate the museum.
On June 3, 1996, OTBO architects of Markham, who had recently modified the Newmarket Public Library, were engaged to supervise the renovation project within the Town’s budget of $378,600.
In the meantime, the museum contents were temporarily stored in two locations, first at the Office Specialty complex and then the Town’s Mulock Drive complex.
Renovations were completed Nov. 1, 1996 and, on Nov. 12, the museum contents were moved to the new location. Chairman of the museum board Charles Cline held the official opening Saturday May 3, 1997.
MP Karen Kraft Sloan, Mayor Cole, councillors Tom Taylor and Pam MacDonald, Historical Society president Ralph Magel and LACAC chairman Wayne Morgan made brief speeches.
Mrs. Elman Campbell cut the ribbon. Sadly, she died 10 days after seeing the museum that her husband had worked for so tirelessly become a reality.
Elman Winton Campbell was born April 11, 1905 on a farm just south of Mount Albert and eight miles east of Newmarket, as the eldest son of Hugh and Lillie (Scott) Campbell.
At age six, he moved to Newmarket with his parents, brother Gordon and sister Elsie. They lived on Prospect Street across from the Alexander Muir School. After attending Newmarket High School, he entered the University of Toronto to study chemical engineering.
In 1928, during his third year at U of T, he worked for the summer with a mining company in South Porcupine, Ont. in the assay laboratory. During the course of experiments, a jug of ammonium hydroxide exploded and he was hospitalized with severe burns to his face and eyes and was left with very little vision.
Just five weeks later, he walked into a glass window and smashed his left eye so badly it had to be removed, leaving only two per cent vision in the right eye.
It must have taken great fortitude to face this terrible tragedy and adjust to a new career. He hired a part-time teacher to read from books of business management, finance and accounting so he could graduate and said later, “I spent three years to bone up on the stuff, but the first year was just feeling sorry for myself.”
With considerable help from the CNIB, he became proficient in the use of braille. Later, when technical equipment was developed and available, he acquired a voice tape-recorder/player and taught himself the nuances of identifying people by their voice and was able to communicate flawlessly.
In 1934, he bought a stationery business from Sadie Burrows at 64 Main St. and, in 1941, moved to 189 Main St., where he purchased the bake shop and stationery store from the late Theo. Bolton’s estate. After extensive alterations, he established the Campbell Stationery and China Shop that continued until he retired in 1975 after 43 years in business.
In 1943, an ulcer had formed in his right eye and he went to New York for a cornea transplant that was a new venture in medical science. The operation was unsuccessful. This was the most difficult period in his life, having to cope with the trauma of being totally blind.
In 1948, Elman married Elizabeth (Betty) Lytle, a therapist for the blind, from Peterborough. She was a pillar of support with constant help and devotion to his many projects and interests. On her own, she was a leader and participant in a multitude of community activities.
On his retirement, aside from taping transcripts of books and literature, he was busy as a ham radio operator, making friends and contacts all over the nation. He served as president of the Newmarket Historical Society from 1978 to 1982* and established his pet project, the museum, in 1982.
Campbell had an amazing ability to instantly recognize a person by his or her voice or handshake and was highly respected, having been named the Citizen of the Year for 1975 and he and Betty were crowned King and Queen at the town Centennial Celebration in April 1980.
In 1985, he made a gift of $10,000 to start a museum building fund and, in January 1989, a trust fund of $60,000 was added. He bequeathed another $350,000 to be administered by the Town and museum board in perpetuity with the interest applied to museum operation.
Elman W. Campbell died on Dec. 29, 1991 at the age of 86 and Betty Campbell died on May 13, 1997 at 78.
Sources: History of Newmarket by Mrs. Ethel Trewhella; History of the Elman Campbell Museum by George Luesby; 1857 – 1957 Newmarket Ontario Centennial By Jack Luck; The Newmarket Era; The Newmarket Town Crier.
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NewmarketToday.ca brings you this weekly feature about our town’s history in partnership with Richard MacLeod, the History Hound, a local historian for more than 40 years. He conducts heritage lectures and walking tours of local interest, as well as leads local oral history interviews. You can contact the History Hound at thehistoryhound@rogers.com.
*Editor’s Note: This article was edited March 18 to correct information regarding the founder of the Newmarket Historical Society. The co-founders of the society in 1974 were Terry Carter and Bob Holden.
