Smith Town Hill House c.1832

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Has been on Trent Valley Archives tour and Peterborough's Open House tour. Was in a major part of the town known as Smith Town on Smith Town Hill which is the northern part of the downtown in Smith Township until being amalgamated in 1873, before the Avenues became into being. Historic importance dating almost before Peterborough was founded. Fits a qualification for Part V of the Ontario Heritage Act but many people are not aware of it. A Private house that was paid for by Lumber Barron Mossom Boyd born 1814, way before 1847 and constructed by John Edmison and sons. 2nd Property to be built on First Nations Portage Route crossing Edinburgh as Braetop Cotage was recognized first by Rev. Anson Green, a travelling horseback preacher in his log book written at the time of his visit. Definitely Not Edmison House which was on Concession 3 Lot 11. which is now Line 3 Smith Township beside Hyundai Dealership. Mossom Boyd has never had anything in Peterborough named after him yet he was a great mover of things in Peterborough which was possibly called Scott's Plain at that time! He used this grand house to hold his children while they went to school in Peterborough as Bobcaygeon was only a few houses that couldn't support a school system at that time. This house is now has a wrought iron fence around it with a matching fence around the moat. The former owners have updated light fixtures and changed the double garage doors making a great visual change to the property. They have also added three large boulders to mark the First Nations Trail which was located for over 10,000 years and followed the high terrain for security against warring factions. There has been a lot of outside painting by the female former owner which has hidden the gargoyles from first view. The original leaded glass windows facing Edinburgh Street were restored in 1980 & also had some slight work done in the 1990's the in 2014 the leading pattern changed when the windows were replaced with wood windows to make the house more energy efficient. There is a Boyd Museum in Bobcaygeon on the location of the lumber mill that Thomas Need set up then handed over to Mossom Boyd when he went back to England to live. Unfortunately the Boyd house in Bobcaygeon was lost to fire as it was completely made of wood but the driving shed still stands in Settler's Village, Bobcaygeon. Trent University has Edmison family records and Examiner death announcement that backs up that John Edmison never lived in Smith Town Hill House and I am sure if some one did Mossom Boyd record digging at Trent Uni. and Bobcaygeon they would find references to this house before 1847, better and more accurate than thinking historians in these parts of the former woods. Why does Oshawa Trent Univ. spend all its' resources in Oshawa and not a lot in Peterborough? Lots of our Peterborough sites on fyple such as Braetop Cotage and Kirkview. There are several web sites for this Grand House. Every time this house is up for sale as it was in 2015 you get to see the real estate pictures of the inside and unfortunately new owners are always trying to sell off or divide the original historic land. The 2015 owners are a holding company trying to profit by placing a poor look alike building on the property that overwhelms the original 1832 building instead the neighbourhood needs a lot for children to play on of which this front lawn would do.

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