A Year In Old Markham Village

Explore Markham Village through George W.J. Duncan's book, A Year in Old Markham Village: Four Seasons of Observations, Experiences and Local Lore.

1. Markham Village Public Library

The Markham Village Public Library is a noteworthy example of Post-Modern architectural design, which had its heyday in the 1980s. Post-modernism reinterpreted traditional design elements to create imaginative fusions of modern and historic design. The library, designed by Toronto architect Phillip H. Carter, was constructed adjacent to the Markham Village Community Centre in 1981, and is a landmark at the southeast corner of Main Street and Highway 7. The building was expanded in the 2000s with a major addition to its eastern end. The library and community centre occupy the former site of Markham’s fairgrounds.

2. Markham Village Lanes Clocktower

This fanciful clocktower adorns the courtyard of Markham Village Lanes at 144 Main Street North. This innovative commercial development was constructed in the 1980s at the height of the popularity of Post Modern architecture that reintroduced traditional built forms and materials into modern design. Two heritage houses were incorporated into the complex, retained on their original sites.

3. Markham Village Train Station

The Markham Village Train Station originally served the Toronto and Nipissing Railway that ran between Scarborough Junction and Coboconk. The station was built in 1870, a year before the new, narrow-gauge railway was opened. The line was converted to standard gauge within a few years and by the 1920s it was part of Canadian National Railways. Restored in 2000-2001, the building still functions as a station stop, serving GO Transit, and is also a community facility managed by the Markham Village Conservancy.

4. Main Street Markham

Main Street at Wilson is usually busy with people, traffic and parked cars, so this is a rare view showing the row of village shops with nothing to obscure them. How was this possible? The photograph was taken during the early days of the lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. The buildings date from the mid-nineteenth century to the early twentieth century.

5. Lilacs

Lilac blooms on a hedge enclosing the back yard of 183 Main Street North. Lilacs are one of the best-loved traditional old shrubs. Originating in the Balkans region of Europe, they were brought to Canada in colonial times. If only the fragrant blooms lasted longer!

6. Springdale Avenue

A view of Springdale Avenue, looking west toward Peter Street, on a sunny spring day. This scene perfectly captures the charm of the old village, with its old houses and mature trees. This neighbourhood of Markham Village is known as Mount Joy.

7. 10 Washington Street

The brick house at 10 Washington Street, built about 1893, was originally owned by the Fleming family. In the early 1900s, it was the home of Hannah (Shank) Reesor, the widow of Joseph Reesor Jr. Joseph Reesor Jr.’s father, Joseph Reesor Sr., was the founder of Reesorville, which later became Markham Village. Today the house contains office space.

8. George and Washington Intersection

By an odd coincidence, George Street and Washington Street happen to connect in the heart of old Markham Village. Was this intended as a tribute to George Washington, the first president of the United States? The origin of the street names is more local than that. George Street is believed to have been named after an early local builder, George Wilson. Washington Street was named after Stephen Washington, another early resident of the village.

9. Dorothea Moss Garden

Dorothea Moss Garden is a small oasis of green in the area around the Markham Village GO Station. It’s a sheltered spot with benches and well-tended garden beds that are at their finest in the spring and summer seasons. The garden was created in remembrance of Dorothea (Barkey) Moss, a founding director of the Markham Village Conservancy who served while the organization championed the restoration of the Markham Village Train Station.

10. White-tailed Deer

White-tailed deer on an old lane next to the soccer field in Springdale Park. The deer, photographed on a sunny June morning, seemed curious about the human visitors to the lane, which is not often travelled by people because it is off the main trail.

11. Dam Remnant

The hollow where Robinson Street crosses Robinson Creek was once a busy hub of industrial activity. A tannery, foundry, woolen mill and bakery were located at the south end of Tannery Pond, a pond formed by damming the meandering creek. Remnants of the last version of dam can still be seen north of the bridge.

12. Crosby House

Ernest H. Crosby was a successful general merchant in old Markham Village, following in the footsteps of other members of this important old Markham family. The building where his store was once located still stands at 118 Main Street North. In 1910, Crosby built a large red brick residence in the Queen Anne Revival style. This impressive old house, with its distinctive corner turret, is addressed 52 Main Street North. In 1944, the building became the home and law office of John A. Cattanach. It remains a law office today.

13. Veterans Square Cenotaph

The southeast corner of Main Street and Highway 7 has long been a focus of civic activity in Markham Village. For decades, this was the location of Markham’s fairgrounds, and later a community centre and public library. The forecourt of the Markham Village Public Library is called “Veterans Square,” where the community’s Cenotaph is located. The older Cenotaph monument was designed by Phillip H. Carter, architect of the library, in 1981. Closer to the street corner is an impressive grey granite obelisk dedicated in 2018 in recognition of Canada’s 150th anniversary of Confederation. A Firefighters Memorial was installed in Veterans Square in 2021.

14. Bur Oak

This Bur Oak tree near the corner of Albert and Joseph Streets is one of the largest and oldest trees in Markham Village. It has been said that it may be about 200 years old. The trunk measures approximately four and a half feet in diameter.

15. Barker Building

The Barker Building at 29 James Walker Court, now a private residence, was originally constructed c.1852 to serve as a combined store and residence. The double doors in the southern portion of the building indicate the former commercial entrance. From 1852 to 1866, the Markham Village Post Office was located within a general store operated by Archibald Barker. Barker was a leading citizen of the village and one of its earliest residents. He was a merchant, notary public, mill owner, land developer, among other things, and served on Markham Township Council from 1861 to 1865.

16. 336 Main Street North

The frame house at 336 Main Street North is among the oldest buildings in the Mount Joy neighbourhood of Markham Village. It dates from circa 1850 or perhaps a little earlier. In the early 1850s, David McKenzie and his wife Eliza lived there. David McKenzie was a house-painter. The underlying structure of this modest village residence is of plank-on-plank construction, a building technology that had its heyday in the 1840s.

17. 304 Main Street North

A. B. Ramer was a furniture manufacturer based in Mount Joy. He built the frame house that stands at 304 Main Street North circa 1848. It is believed that part of the main floor of his residence served as his showroom. Ramer’s large furniture factory stood to the north of the house. A chair in the collection of the Markham Museum is the only known piece of A. B. Ramer’s furniture that has been positively identified.

18. 300 Main Street North

This building of moulded concrete block was built in 1905 to serve as the combined home and shop of Anson Hoover, a tailor. The outline of the old shopfront can still be seen on the wall facing Main Street. However, the house at 300 Main Street North is particularly noteworthy as the former location of a cancer hospital operated by Christina (Byer) Sauder and her husband, Jonah from 1911 to the early 1920s. The patented cancer cure, which passed through the generations of the Byer family, was used to treat tumors and skin cancers.

19. 202 Main Street North

This dignified old house at 202 Main Street North, with its distinctive mansard roof and rooftop lantern, is locally known as the Station Master’s House. According to local tradition, it was built in 1870 to serve the Toronto and Nipissing Railway. It may have actually been constructed by the Miller-Harrison family, with the first phase built in the late 1850s followed by changes that resulted in its current appearance. Although the property was not owned by the railway, station masters may have been tenants.

20. 183 Main Street North

Prominent local builder James Bishop constructed this fine Late Victorian residence in the Queen Anne Revival style circa 1895. The property at 183 Main Street North was sold to Dr. R. M. Stewart, a dentist, in 1912. Dr. Stewart was a founding member of the Markham Village Lawn Bowling Club. The house is remarkable for retaining its original porch and gable ornamentation.

21. 180 Main Street North

One of the most architecturally eclectic of Markham Village’s old homes is located at 180 Main Street North. It is thought that the house began as a one-storey brick building circa 1855. From 1857-1862, this was the home of carriage manufacturer Chester F. Hall. From 1862-1872, Dr. Thomas McCausland had his office and residence here. After the property was sold to village druggist William Mason in 1872, a second storey was added, and then, a deep front veranda surmounted by a sunroom.

22. 171 Main Street North

This frame house at 171 Main Street North was, for many years, almost unrecognizable as an historical building. New research undertaken in the 2000s found that the oldest portion of the house was built in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1851, it became the home of Chester F. Hall, a carriage maker originally from the Eastern Townships of Quebec. He built a carriage works next to his home, one of the largest in the village. From 1860 to the 1890s, a series of blacksmiths lived on the property.

23. 166 Main Street North

David Reesor was the founding editor of the long-lasting newspaper, The Markham Economist. He was a leading citizen of Markham Village, active in many local affairs. He became Senator David Reesor after Confederation. This grand brick house was built for him in 1873. Three years later, David Reesor moved to Yorkville and sold the property to Garrett R. Vanzant, a hardware merchant who served as the village reeve in the 1880s. Since 1956, 166 Main Street North has served as a funeral home.

24. 162 Main Street North

In 1867, Henry R. Corson became publisher of The Markham Economist newspaper founded by his brother-in-law David Reesor in 1856. The house at 162 Main Street North was constructed for Henry Corson and his wife, Nancy (Reesor) Corson in 1887. Its architecture combines two distinct periods: the Late Victorian of the larger portion of the building, and the Edwardian of its two-storey porch. Robert J. Corson took over the paper in 1909. From 1964 to the 2010s, the Mingay family were the owners.

25. "Maple Villa" 159 Main Street North

“Maple Villa” at 159 Main Street North has something of the character of a country estate due to its setback far from the busy street and its foreground of large, old trees. This was the home of prominent carriage maker Henry R. Wales from 1872 to 1905. Although Wales is credited with being the builder of this house, research suggests that the original owner was David Cash, a fanning mill and pump manufacturer. It appears that the mid-nineteenth century brick house was damaged in a fire in 1871, and rebuilt by Henry Wales after he purchased the property in 1872. His business was known as the Phoenix Carriage Factory.

26. 61 Main Street North

One of the oldest buildings in the commercial core of Markham Village stands at 61 Main Street North. It was constructed by James Osborne circa 1840 either as a pair of shops combined with residential accommodations, or as a pair of dwellings. This dignified building is an excellent example of the Georgian architectural style. Terrance McKenna, a local schoolteacher, was a noteworthy tenant, and the building has long been known as the McKenna House.

27. 30-34 Springdale Avenue

Jonas Ramer was an enterprising farmer. In the 1880s and 1890s he helped spark a building boom in Mount Joy by subdividing the Main Street frontage of his farm into suburban lots. His second subdivision created Peter Street, running parallel to Main Street. He went on to establish a health spa on his property, making use of a spring that bubbled up to the west of the farmstead. The Ramer House, built circa 1858, still stands at 30-34 Springdale Avenue. Springdale Avenue follows the path of the old farm lane.

28. 26 Albert Street

About 1865, a modest board and batten house at the corner of Albert and Edward Streets was constructed as a rental property by Markham Village blacksmith John Jerman. James Campbell, a shoemaker, was his tenant. The actual historical building was moved to Markham Heritage Estates in the 2010s. This replica was constructed to serve as a garage for a new house on the property.

29. 21 Washington Street

This Late Victorian house at 21 Washington Street was built circa 1887 as the home of Sara A. (McBride) Crosby, a widow, who lived here with her son, David. Sarah Crosby took on boarders to support the family, some of them being teachers in the village schools. In 1905, the property was purchased by Arthur Ferrier Wilson, a lawyer. A. F. Wilson served as the Reeve of Markham Village from 1923 to 1925, and again in 1930.

30. 16 Church Street

David Cash, a manufacturer of fanning mills and pumps, built this small village residence at 16 Church Street as a rental property about 1860. In the late 1890s it became the home of John and Ellen Kellett. John Kellett was a baker in the village. His bakery was located in an extension at the back of his house.

31. 10-12 Center Street

This double house at 10-12 Centre Street was constructed by David Meyer, a prominent local builder, circa 1886. It is a good example of the Second Empire style. The building, once completed, was sold to Joseph Pearce, local shoemaker, who rented the houses out to tenants, possibly workers in one of the many industries in the old village. It now houses commercial enterprises.

32. 5 George Street

Agricultural implements manufacturer, Alexander Fleury, built this richly ornamented brick house at 5 George Street in 1880. It is the best example of Late Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in Markham Village and is a landmark in its location. Fleury was particularly known for his ploughs. In time, he moved his business elsewhere. The Koch Maternity Hospital operated from this fine old home from the 1930s until the early 1950s.

33. 4 Peter Street

The decorative exuberance of Late Victorian architecture is perfectly expressed in this colourful frame house at 4 Peter Street. The house was completed circa 1897 by Abram Sider, a carpenter, in preparation for his marriage to Edith Challice. The distinctive corner tower, porch and bargeboards were restored in the 2010s with the aid of archival photographs in the collection of the Markham Museum.

34. Wisteria Vine

An old Wisteria vine adorns an elegant pergola next to the Corson-Mingay House at 162 Main Street North. This photograph was taken in late May when the cascading, pastel-coloured blooms were at their peak.

35. Oldest Fence in the Village

A looped wire fence enclosing the rear yard of the house at 47 Washington Street may be the oldest fence remaining in the village. This style of fence, long out of fashion, came before the chain link fence of today. The looped wire fence, designed to be attached to wood posts, was popular from the early 1900s to at least the 1940s. Some examples were decorated with small stamped maple leaves.

36. "Wedding Cake House"

Markham Village’s “Wedding Cake House” at 48 Main Street North is an iconic architectural gem that has no peers. It was constructed as the home James Speight, owner of the Speight Wagon Company, about 1870. The ornate wood trim is said to have been intended to serve as an advertisement of the products of the wood shop associated with the Speight family’s enormous industrial enterprise. James Speight, in addition to his important role in the village’s largest nineteenth century business, served as the first Reeve of Markham Village in 1873. He continued to serve until 1882.

37. Stone Gates at 166 Main Street

These fieldstone gateposts were once a part of a fence at the front of 166 Main Street North, a property once owned by Senator David Reesor which is now the location of the Dixon-Garland Funeral Home. The fence is long gone but the sturdy stone posts remain. They likely date from the early twentieth century.

38. St. Andrew's United Church

St. Andrew’s United Church at 32 Main Street North combines mid-nineteenth century Italianate architecture and 1960s modernism. The main portion of the building was constructed as a Wesleyan Methodist Church in 1862. It replaced a frame church dating from 1836. The location of the church, behind the shops, industries and residences of old Main Street, was a non-conventional choice. The church tower is a landmark in this part of Markham Village. The congregation became part of the United Church of Canada in 1925.

39. Church Street Parkette Sculpture

This fanciful sculpture within the Church Street Parkette is reminiscent of ornate Victorian-era ironwork used in bridges, architecture and machinery. It brings to mind a time when Markham Village was a thriving centre of manufacturing in the area. Its carriage makers, foundries, grist mills and other industries inspired one commentator in the day to call the village “the Birmingham of Ontario.”

40. Old Town Hall

The Old Town Hall at 96 Main Street North served as the administrative centre of Markham Village from 1881 until the 1940s. It was designed in the Italianate style by local architect and builder John Anthony. In 1892, the renowned Canadian poet E. Pauline Johnson gave a recital in the auditorium to mark Queen Victoria’s birthday. In later years, the building was converted into a movie theatre. Its exterior was restored to its 1880s appearance in the mid-1980s.

41. Peony

The showy pink, magenta or white blooms of the peony are seen in many front yard gardens in old Markham Village. The double peony, with its large, globe-shaped blooms, is today the most common variety, but the older single peony is seldom seen today. This single peony, an “heirloom” variety, decorates a Peter Street garden in glorious pink and yellow in early June every spring.