Mansion House & Carmichael Block
1 - 7 Main Street South, Seaforth, Ontario
( Year built: Hotel 1877 Store Block 1878 )
Robert Carmichael was born in Scotland and came to Canada at a young age, settling first in Montreal, afterwards removing to London and then to Exeter. While living in Exeter, he ran the Francistown Hotel. Carmichael moved to Seaforth in the spring of 1860 and purchased the property on the southwest corner of Main and Goderich Streets then known as the McKernan hotel property. He replaced McKernan’s log tavern with a frame hotel and conducted this hotel for several years. In the spring of 1869, Carmichael replaced the frame hotel with a fine brick building he called the Mansion House.
The April 8, 1870 Huron Expositor described the new Mansion House as an imposing structure of three storeys with a full basement and a slate roof. Over each of the main entrances was a very hand- some portico supported by iron columns. A portion of the ground flat was set aside for two stores, one already occupied by Fred Veal, for a grocery and liquor business. The kitchen was in the basement and was “fitted up with all the latest improvements for facilitating the performance of the labour peculiar to this department of an ex-tensive hotel.” The northeast corner of the main floor was the barroom. A spacious hall opened up from the Main Street entrance from which lead up, and open off, the public stairway, 
two sitting rooms, bar-room, office, and the commodious dining room. The second storey had “a number of pleasant parlors, 16 airy bedrooms, and wash, bath, and water closets.” The third floor had many sitting rooms with bedrooms attached; “otherwise it is partitioned off into 23 bedrooms.” Robert Carmichael spent between $12,000 and $15,000.
Above Photo: West Main Street, 1871, from the Mansion House south. Luke Beatty & Co. had a store in part of the hotel. The sign for J. Cavanagh’s bakery marks his spot a little further south. In 1870, an ad in The Huron Expositor announced that Cavanagh had opened a “New Bakery and Confectionery in the premises lately occupied by Carmichael’s Hotel, one door south of Mr. F. Veal’s Grocery Store.” Cavanagh sold to Mr. Alex Cardno in September of 1871.
A November 18, 1898 Expositor article reporting on Carmichael’s death noted: “In the earlier days of the town, when Seaforth was the principal grain market for the whole country for fifty miles to the north and south of it, Carmichael’s hotel was one of the most popular hostelries for the farmers when they came to market their produce.” Carmichael is described as “a thorough Scot, an ardent admirer of Burns, and an excellent singer of Scottish songs. It has been said of him that he could sing Scotch songs from dark to daylight and never repeat the same ones.” Perhaps Carmichael’s “off-handed, genial manner” made the Mansion House a popular, and prosperous, stopping place.
The original hotel was destroyed in the “Terrible Conflagration” of 1876 in which 40 houses and business places burned. The fire started on the east side of Main Street but quickly got out of control and spread to the west side. “The Shop occupied by Mr. Coventry was the first to catch on this side, and the fire ran through the building as if it had been tinder. The [fire] engine was immediately got to play on the buildings between Mr. Coventry’s shop and the Mansion Hotel, but fire spread so rapidly and the heat became so fearfully intense, that the hose men were forced to withdraw… At last the Mansion Hotel building, the most costly and beautiful edifice in town, was on fire, and the entire town seemed destined for destruction.” Carmichael’s loss was the greatest; his hotel building, the adjoining block of frame buildings, the hotel stock and furniture, were valued at $27,700. He had no insurance.
Undaunted by this major setback, Carmichael “fitted up a building in rear of his former premises” and planned to rebuild in the spring. He built the present brick block with adjoining stores in 1877-78.
At the time of the fire, the two stores in the hotel were occupied by James Jamieson’s shoe shop and John Edy’s harness shop. When the new hotel was built, there were two stores in the adjoining section to the south, but no stores in the hotel itself. The stores remained vacant at first. William Carmichael had a billiard room in the hotel in 1878. Graham Williamson had a bakery in the first store in 1879-80.
In 1881, Carmichael retired and hired James Weir as hotelkeeper. By 1885, Weir co-owned the property with Carmichael and the name was changed to the Royal Hotel. William Pinkney was the hotelkeeper for a couple of years and then Weir resumed the role. Weir became the sole owner of the property in 1887. D.T. Pinkney was hotelkeeper for a number of years starting in 1903. By 1914, Lorne Weir was the manager. The Royal Hotel remained in the Weir family until 1918.
Advertisements Above Left: Advertisement appeared in The Huron Expositor December 2, 1904, and; Above Right: Shown in the March 10, 1893 issue of The Huron Expositor.
Henry Edge was the hotel’s owner by 1920. His “Big Hardware Store” occupied the lower part of the hotel in the early 1920s. George Ferguson took over this store in 1925. At this time, John F. Daly had a garage on the west part of the lot.
John Best had law offices in second-floor rooms of the hotel building from 1927-35. Elmer D. Bell, Barrister, took over Best’s offices in 1935. Keith McLean, Barrister, took over from Bell in 1940.
In the 1940s, Edmund Daly had a radio repair and storage space on the Goderich Street side. He was also a co-owner now, along with Henry Edge. Starting in 1938, Frank Kling worked as a tinsmith in George Ferguson’s hardware store. After Edge’s death in 1944, Walter Willis became a co-owner of the property. Orville Oke opened a pool room in part of the hotel in 1948. The pool room was here throughout the 1950s and 1960s, and its management passed to Jack Webb, Norman Greenslade, and Russell Broderick. Orville Oke was the owner of the hotel in the 1950s.
Left Photo: The Royal Hotel as pictured in Souvenir of Seaforth published in 1900. James Weir was the hotelkeeper at the time. W.J. Clark occupied the first store to the south. W.E. and Samuel Hinchley had the second store.
Herbert Staffen’s Plumbing business replaced Ferguson’s hardware in 1949. John F. Daly’s Garage and Auto Sales was still on the Goderich Street side at this time, by 1954 under Edmund’s Daly’s management. In 1951, Harold Whyte & Son opened a butcher shop on the Goderich Street side and were in business here into the late 1960s. David Tremeer also had a barbershop in part of the hotel building by 1966, at the 3 Main Street South store, and was in business here until 1984. Broderick’s Billiard Hall occupied the 1 Main Street South store.
In the late 1860s, two of the frame stores south of what was then Carmichael’s frame hotel were occupied by Frederick Veal, a 27-year-old grocer who also sold liquor, and by Thomas Meares, a 31-year-old merchant. John Braidwood’s dry goods store occupied Meares’ old stand by the end of 1868.
Carmichael’s first Mansion House, built in 1869, had two stores located in the south part. Luke Beatty & Co. occupied the first store from 1870 to 1876. Frederick Veal had the southernmost store from 1870-76.
Advertisements Below Left: Shown in The Huron Expositor February 21, 1879, and; Below Right: An ad appearing in the Seaforth Sun February 28, 1890.
John Cavanagh started a bakery in the frame building just south of the Mansion House in 1870, but was soon replaced by a new baker each year after – first by Alex Cardno, then John Rumley, and finally by Patrick Megary who was the tenant from 1873-76. Next, south of the bakery at the time of the fire, was John Passmore’s grocery. As noted, James Jamieson’s Shoe Shop and John Edy’s harness shop were also located in Carmichael’s adjoining block of frame buildings destroyed in the fire.
Above Photo: The photo shows the 1924 Old Boys Reunion Parade passing Henry Edge’s Big Hardware Store in the Royal Hotel Block.
Carmichael rebuilt the Mansion House in 1877 and the adjoining two-store block in 1878, but the land to the south remained vacant for many years. In 1878 -79, Abell & Brownell, who had a drayage busi-ness, leased part of the vacant land.
Store No. 1 was occupied in 1880-81 by Graham Williamson’s bakery. He was succeeded by Roderick McLennan in 1883. O.J. Clark had a grocery here in 1884-86. It was again a bakery in 1889-91, run by Walter Ingram and W.J. Clark. Clark continued on in the baking business until 1899.
Store No. 2 was vacant for the first few years. William N. Watson, a general insurance and a sewing machine sales agent, had an office here from 1883 to 1887. It then became a seed store, first run by Hugh Grieve in 1888 and then by Edward Hinchley from 1890-98. It was called Hinchley & Lamb in 1893. As The Huron Expositor reported on October 10, 1895: “Lamb & Hinchley disposed of their seed business to Robert Scott.” And, on January 28, 1896: “Mr. Sam Hinchley intends opening up a seed and implement em-porium in the store recently vacated by Messrs. Hinchley & Lamb. Mr. Edward Hinchley will be in charge.”
In 1902, William A. Crich opened a bakery in Store No. 1. Crich’s Restaurant and Bakery were still in business here in 1975. In an article in the April 12, 1929 issue of The Huron Expositor, Crich’s is described as “one of the largest bakeries in Western Ontario, in fact the third largest between Toronto and Lake Huron.” In the course of regular business the bakery consumed “one car of flour a month, 510 bags, costing $1,750 a car.” The bakery was equipped with the most modern machinery and was, at the time, installing a bread wrapping machine. On the ground floor of the store were the ovens, bread and cake racks, storage, packing and shipping rooms while the top floor was used for flour storage and mixing. The daily output of bread was 1500 to 1800 loaves, and on Saturday 2500 loaves. Ten men were employed in the bakery and in delivery of the goods. There were three delivery trucks, each with their own route. “One truck makes daily trips to Winthrop, Walton, Blyth, Belgrave and Londesboro. A second goes to Saltford, Loyal, St. Augustine, Auburn, Carlow, Nile and Benmiller. The third truck makes two trips a day; 
in the morning to Dublin, Staffa, Brodhagen and Beechwood, and in the afternoon to Brucefield, Kippen, Hills Green, Zurich, Drysdale, Blake, Bayfield and Varna. Each truck has a carrying capacity of 600 loaves, besides which are carried cakes and other confections.” A fourth truck was used for short and emergency trips and a wagon was used to make deliveries in town. Night bakers were employed to make all the bread while three bakers working in the day made all the cakes and other goodies.
Above Right Photo: The interior of Crich’s bakery in 1914. The woman is Belle Cummings and the two men are W.A. Crich and Tom McRae.
On September 7, 1907, Edward Cady and a Mr. Dill opened the Star Theatre in William A. Crich’s south store, Store No. 2 in the Carmichael Block. It was the silent movie era and an old phonograph provided scratchy music. As the Expositor of October 4, 1907 said: “The admission is only five cents and we are sure we do not know of any way in which a person can get so much instruction and amuse-ment combined with so little money.” The pictures were changed twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays.
Above Photo: In this 1902 photograph of Crich’s candy counters, W.A. Crich is at left, in baker’s hat and apron, Tom McCrae is at right and Agnes McRae stands behind the counter. In the foreground is a peanut dispenser – patrons often stocked up on warm peanuts-in-the-shell before paying their 5¢ admission to movies in the theatre next door.
Advertisement Right: As seen in the Seaforth News July 28, 1927. In May 1908, John McKenzie and Oscar Sproat purchased the Star Moving Picture Theatre from Cady. The May 15, 1908 Expositor described them as “both bright, clever young men, popular with the public generally and should do a good business.” From 1908 until he retired in 1932, John McKenzie ran the Princess Theatre. By this time, although the movies were still silent, Mrs. W.H. Bullard and other pianists provided live music. Jim Thompson sold tickets.
Movies were booked in advance, but the subject of the picture was not known until it arrived and was shown. “During the week of March 12, 1911, Mr. McKenzie showed ‘The Cowboy Girls,’ a big feature picture full of dash, vitality and go, as the advertisement of that date said. This was the first time the management knew in advance the title of the picture they were about to show.” The Princess Theatre held the record for the longest picture run for “Abie’s Irish Rose.” It ran for nine days with matinees.
The November 27, 1931 Huron Expositor announced the closure of the Princess Theatre after 24 years in business. McKenzie found it necessary to close because “of his inability to procure suitable silent pictures.” In September of 1932, the Regent Theatre opened on the east side of Main Street.
After the theatre closed in 1932, Store No. 2 was a produce store for many years. Merchants R.H. John and E.M. Thomson were in business here from 1932 to 1934. Hugh R. Spence & Sons, Produce Merchants, ran Seaforth Produce throughout the 1940s. During most of the 1950s, Export Packers Ltd., also produce merchants, owned the business. In 1957, Dublin Creamery & Poultry Packers Ltd. moved in and were here until 1963. Hutton Produce, Egg Grading Station, was also a tenant here in 1958.
Left Photo: The stereoscope shows Carmichael’s Mansion House, and part of the adjoining store block, in about 1880. The yellow brick building is 3½ storeys with a detailed brickwork entablature including two rows of dentils. Four pilasters delineate each end of the Main Street façade and either side of the doorway. Pilasters also frame the large entranceway of the Goderich Street façade.
The main floor has a central double door, with an elegant arched fanlight visible in the photograph, but since boarded over. The main floor has been remodeled. A wide cornice of wood and square, imitation pilasters have been added. A large cut was made in the north façade and the patchwork was painted grey as was the rest of the main floor.
The second floor windows are arched with projecting brick corbels. The central, projecting balcony has decorative iron railings and supports. The entranceway to the balcony is a large round-topped arch incorporating the door, sidelights and a transom light in three segments.
The third floor has three windows plus a central trefoil window on the front façade. The windows are round-topped with small brick label stops on a rowlock arch above each.
The Goderich Street side has a large, central entrance with balcony above and a symmetrically arranged façade. A second doorway at the northeast corner has been closed in.
The adjoining two-store block is 2½ storeys. The cornice has been removed and metal stripping attached along the entablature. The second-floor windows have round tops in a version of the blind arcade type of brickwork. The window labels are heavy and of the rowlock arch type with label stops. The top third of the window has been closed in.
The main floor of the store block has three pilasters, one at each end of the stores and one separating them. The wooden brackets, from the pilasters to the cornice with dentils, are large and decorative. The doorway to the second floor is between the two stores. Both stores have inset central doorways.
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