MCHS Facebook Posts

☀️It’s another beautiful day in Cavan Monaghan! Millbrook has a number of heritage designated pr …
operties and historic buildings that give the village character and charm. Discover these properties on a self-guided tour – the link to the free publication is at the bottom of this post!😎
⭐About The John A. Nattrass House
This Victorian farmhouse-style home was built in 1865 for dentist John Abraham Nattrass. The Victorian elements include the large, open verandah with railings and decorative columns, and the semicircular window and shutters in the front gable.
John Abraham Nattrass moved to Missouri in 1867-68 and became a dental surgeon, but the Nattress family name (same family, different spelling) is legend in Millbrook, with three generations serving Millbrook and the area as barbers for over a century.
Following the lead of an uncle, Harold Nattress opened his shop in 1901 and barbered for 61 years before handing on his clippers to son Lyle, who continued the tradition. Lyle barbered in downtown Millbrook for 63 years. (You can hear 4th Line Theatre Founder and Playwright Rob Winslow share a conversation he and Lyle had many year ago on the MCHS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXdtZd_ymgV-qXhJ7Sq24Ug?reload=9)
Across the street, 7 Prince Street is known as the Wilgar House, the only example of a homestead-style house in the village. Accented by a large bay window and front verandah with decorative brackets, the house occupies land sold to Margaret Wilgar in 1877. A brick beneath one of the windows bears the initials WW and the date
1886, perhaps the completion date of this house. The name Clarence Wilgar is etched into one of the windowpanes.
Enjoy a self-guided tour through historic Millbrook, courtesy of the Millbrook and Cavan Historical Society and our generous supporters. https://millbrookcavanhs.org/events/tour-page-v2/
You can find print copies at many of the businesses in the Millbrook downtown area. Many thanks to our community for their ongoing support of MCHS initiatives, like this tour!
#CavanMonaghan #MillbrookON #PTBOcanada #HeritageOntario #architecture
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🌷Spring has sprung! It’s time to beat the winter blues and enjoy the sunshine. How about a self-g …
uided tour of Millbrook’s beautifully preserved historic buildings and heritage designated properties? 😎
👉Today’s Featured Building: Maplehurst
Thomas Christopher Kells, tanner and currier, purchased this property in 1827. He played a prominent role in the early development of the village and township, being instrumental in naming the village and establishing agricultural fairs that positioned Millbrook as the township’s market town. This section of King Street was known for some time as Kells Street.
Thomas C. Kells’ first wife Jane Henry died in 1834, leaving Thomas with five children. He remarried in 1835 and had another nine children including Thomas Gillespie Kells.
It was Thomas G. Kells, successful merchant and banker, who built the current residence after fire destroyed the original frame home in 1875. A row of mature maples sheltered the house from the street, giving it its name, Maplehurst. A large verandah ran along the west side of the house where a more recent deck is now, and the property boasted a lawn tennis court. Thomas G., who never married, lived here with his mother and two unmarried sisters, Mary Elizabeth and Annie. The house remained in the Kells family until 1928.
⭐Discover our local history through architecture! Access the FREE self-guided tour, available in print at many downtown locations and online from the MCHS website: https://millbrookcavanhs.org/events/tour-page-v2/
❓What’s your favourite building in Cavan-Monaghan? Do you have a connection to the Kells family or Maplehurst? Tell us in the comments – we’d love to hear from you!
#CavanMonaghan #MillbrookON #PTBOCounty #PTBO #Architecture #OntarioHeritage
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We’re looking forward to the next meeting of our Board of Directors – this coming Thursday.
👉 A …
re you interesting in joining the MCHS Board? Reach out to us on FB or email: millbrookcavanhs@gmail.com – we would love to discuss our current volunteer opportunities.
Thank you to all of our volunteers for their ongoing support and work with MCHS. We truly have the most wonderful people at the heart of our organization. ❤️
#CavanMonaghan #Volunteering #PTBOCounty #MillbrookON #MillbrookCavanHS
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🍀Happy St. Patrick’s Day!🍀
Spotlight on Patrick Maguire
(Excerpt from “This Green & Pleasant …
Land: Chronicles of Cavan Township”)
Patrick Maguire’s family emigrated from Fermanagh, Ireland in 1819. He married Fannie Choate of Port Hope. The Maguires were Roman Catholic, but the Choates were Church of England. The family located on Lot 11, Conc. 6, Cavan. Patrick Maguire lived among Protestant neighbours, many of them Orangemen, but managed to have amicable relationships. He was appointed to be a Justice of the Peace and was a leading organizer of the first fair in the district at Millbrook.
In 1854, Patrick Maguire built a 12-room brick home that was known as Maguire’s Castle. Unfortunately, the Castle was destroyed by fire in March 1956.
There are indications in the Huston Papers that John Huston and Patrick Maguire had a complicated relationship, however, when Huston died in 1845, he left his field to Maguire.
The Maguires moved to Warsaw in 1870 to live with their daughter, Frances Charlotte Payne. Both Patrick and Fannie died in 1883. They were buried at the Choate Cemetery in Port hope, which is known as the Union Cemetery.
👉What’s your Irish connection to Cavan Monaghan Township?
#StPatricksDay2023 #CavanMonaghan #MillbrookON #PTBO #ptbocounty
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