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Come visit the Glengarry, Nor'Westers & Loyalist Museum in Williamstown and be sure to also stop by our neighbouring historic sites!
Settled in 1784, Williamstown is lucky to have several heritage sites remaining and all within a short distance from one another so why not make the most of your stay and visit them all? |
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Bethune-Thompson House
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The Bethune-Thompson House is one of the oldest heritage sites in Ontario. The house is located at 19730 John Street Williamstown beside the Char-Lan hockey arena. This home was first built in 1784 by Peter Ferguson, an early loyalist settler of Williamstown. Its walls were constructed using the French-Canadian "poteaux sur sol" technique, which placed logs in vertical rows held together top and bottom by horizontal plates. This technique is one of the reasons why this home is so well preserved today, because the vertical beams do not allow the home to shrink horizontally. In 1804, Reverend John Bethune (1751-1815), acquired the home in Williamstown. The Reverend Bethune was the minister of the St. Andrews Presbyterian Church and was the first Presbyterian minister in Upper Canada. The Reverend was also the chaplain of the Kings Royal Regiment of New York, a regiment under Sir John Johnsons leadership. Reverend Bethune made additions to the home and the original structure, owned by Peter Ferguson, was incorporated as the kitchen. Reverend Bethune had a fireplace over-mantle installed which is one of few of its age remaining in Ontario today. In 1815, the house was acquired by David Thompson (1770-1857), the famous North West Company fur trader and explorer who mapped much of what is now western Canada and the Canada-United Sates border. David worked on drawing many international and interprovincial maps in his office while living in the Bethune-Thompson House for 23 years.
During the period of 1834-1937, there is visibly less information about the home. This era is known as the MacLennan/Robertson period. Between 1834 and 1840, Farquhar MacLennan (1846) took possession of the Bethune-Thompson House. The property remained in his family for over a hundred years, until 1937. From 1937 to 1977, William Smart Senior and Junior occupied the home as permanent residents of a local farming family. The home and property were later acquired by The Ontario Heritage Foundation from Mrs. Mae Smart in 1977. Once the Ontario Heritage Trust acquired the Bethune-Thompson House, extensive archaeological, architectural and historical research was conducted before the restoration project began from 1985-1987. The Bethune-Thompson House is now the model that the Ontario Heritage Trust uses for many restoration projects. |
St. Andrew's United Church
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St. Andrew’s Presbyterian church (entered union in 1925) began construction in 1812 but due to the war of 1812 progressed very slowly. The year following the erection of the stone walls the roof was put on but fell in shortly after. It was only in 1818 that the interior woodwork was completed, the same year Rev. John McKenzie was called to Williamstown to become pastor of St. Andrew’s church. Upon his arrival to Glengarry, he realized that he was the only inducted minister of the church of Scotland in Upper Canada. Originally, the church identified as a Kirk of Scotland Presbyterian Church and many remaining gravestones can be seen marked with Celtic symbols. Other notables among the church’s graveyard is the resting place of John Bethune as well as many United Empire Loyalists.
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Beside the Raisin River in the village of Williamstown lies one of the oldest homes in Ontario. The five-bay Georgian style log house was built for Sir John Johnson between 1784-1792. The house, along with its grist and saw mills, provided an area of migration for the community of United Empire Loyalists and later, for the fur traders of the North West Company. Sir John Johnson, the son of Sir William Johnson, inherited his father's large Mohawk Valley estates two years before the start of the American Revolutionary War (1776-1783). During the war, Sir John organized and led the King's Royal Regiment of New York. Due to his loyalty to the British Crown, all of his American estates were confiscated. In compensation, he was granted large land holdings in the township of Charlottenburgh. This location along the Raisin River proved to be ideal for a saw and grist mill. This gave birth to Williamstown, named after Sir Johns father.
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Sir John Johnson Manor House
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In 1819, Sir John sold his Williamstown holdings to Hugh McGillis, a retired North West Company partner. Hugh is credited to have built the western addition to the original house and became the first “Laird of Williamstown". Several other partners of the Company retired to this area, establishing themselves as Highland gentlemen. Hugh's nephew John McGillis, inherited the property in 1848. John McGillis and his wife Elizabeth Caldwell, lived at the house with a large family. They expanded the milling and agricultural operations and built the eastern Gothic addition in the 1860s. The home was later owned by Murdoch McLennan, a businessman, and farmer; his nephew Col. D. M. Robertson Q.C. and Mr. and Mrs. Lionel Devaux, horse breeders and trainers. Les Soeurs du Sacre Coeur de Jesus bought the house from the Devaux family in 1956. The sisters resided and taught in the village until 1971.
The Sir John Johnson Manor House was declared a place of national historic significance in 1961 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. It was acquired by Parks Canada in 1971 and became part of a national system of parks and historic sites. The west wing is open to the public and is administered by the Sir John Johnson Manor House Committee. In addition, the West wing houses the Glengarry Archives; land and church records from Glengarry's earliest days. Parks Canada has recently celebrated the completion of over $665,000 in restorative work on Sir John Johnson Manor House National Historic Site. This infrastructure project addressed major stabilizing and exterior repairs to ensure structural integrity of the house. The Sir John Johnson Manor House Committee will also be investing in the restoration of two rooms on the ground floor, and they continue to raise funds for restoration work on the second story of the house to showcase a time period reflecting the 18th century origins.
The Sir John Johnson Manor House was declared a place of national historic significance in 1961 by the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada. It was acquired by Parks Canada in 1971 and became part of a national system of parks and historic sites. The west wing is open to the public and is administered by the Sir John Johnson Manor House Committee. In addition, the West wing houses the Glengarry Archives; land and church records from Glengarry's earliest days. Parks Canada has recently celebrated the completion of over $665,000 in restorative work on Sir John Johnson Manor House National Historic Site. This infrastructure project addressed major stabilizing and exterior repairs to ensure structural integrity of the house. The Sir John Johnson Manor House Committee will also be investing in the restoration of two rooms on the ground floor, and they continue to raise funds for restoration work on the second story of the house to showcase a time period reflecting the 18th century origins.
St. Mary's Catholic Church
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In June of 1845, it was decided that a Catholic Church was to be erected in Williamstown with the donated land as well as funds of Hugh McGillis, a wealthy retired member of the North West Fur Trading Company. The construction of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (St. Mary’s Parish) began in 1847 under the supervision of Rev. George Hay and was planned to be of Gothic style with bay doors and windows. The beautiful masonry was overseen by William Jamieson with the quarry stone coming from the farm of Duncan Murchison. Construction was completed in 1849, with the church receiving renovations and re-decorating in 1916. The oil paintings on the interior walls of the church which portray the stations of the cross were purchased by Rev. Father McCarthy in Paris, France and in 1872 were erected and blessed by Bishop Horan of Kingston.
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The Williamstown Fair
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Originally the fair was held in the village streets of Williamstown but was proving to be inconvenient for ordinary business. In 1815, Sir John Johnson donated a plot of land to “Neil McLean, Esq. and his successors, in said office, in trust for the purpose of holding a fair in the said village of Williamstown and no other purpose whatsoever”. If the village failed to put on a fair annually the contract states that the land would have to be reverted to the current title holder. The fair began with the purpose of creating a gathering place for locals to trade produce and put on agricultural displays as well as host traditional Scottish games for entertainment. The fair continues to prosper during the second weekend of August bringing in visitors for the cattle shows, highland dancing competitions, Tug ‘O War competitions, live music, and much more. While the fairgrounds hosts many activities throughout the summer, the Williamstown Fair itself runs from August 9th-11th for 2019. |
Visit the rest of the County: North and South Glengarry
Williamstown is located in South Glengarry although, the Glengarry County has a very rich and impressive history dating back to the roots of Upper Canada. If you'd like more information about this great region, please visit https://www.glengarryroutes.ca/. Discover Our Roots.
Williamstown: A Walking tour Brochure
This walking tour of Williamstown was created by museum staff after a number of summer visitors requested a similar brochure which used to be available. Anybody that has purchased the Glengarry Pioneer Museum's audio driving tour will find this brochure to be a great visual accompaniment for the Williamstown portion of their tour! Please feel free to download the file and print from home. We will also have copies at the museum during the summer.
We hope it comes in handy the next time you have visitors in from out of town!
We hope it comes in handy the next time you have visitors in from out of town!
| williamstown_walking_tour.pdf |
