Heritage Walking Tour

"Barge" concerts are a time-honoured tradition dating back to 1959. The roots of this tradition were established at the band shell site, once located in Gull Lake Park. The present, permanent barge structure was completed just in time for Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip to officially open the venue on July 4th, 1959. Today, the sounds emerging from "Music on the Barge" range from "big band", Dixieland, Broadway, jazz, and folk, to music from the 50's and 60's, as well as today's country.

Between 1940 and 1946, the government operated a prisoner of war camp in Gravenhurst, known as Camp 20. By the summer of 1940, the camp held 489 prisoners. The prisoners were taken to work on projects around Gravenhurst, notably at Gull Lake Park. Sadly, there is nothing left of this POW camp today, including a lighthouse made for the park. There is an information kiosk at the end of Lorne Street where visitors can go to get more information on the camp. 

From 1942 until 1960, Gull Lake was also the centre of ice harvesting during the winter months, until the widespread adoption of electric refrigeration replaced its need.

Link to current Music On The Barge shows. 

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Invariably, the most important development within a rural community in the late 19th century was the coming of the railroad. In 1875, the railroad reached Gravenhurst, promoting trade and enabling settlement. It was also the catalyst for a thriving lumber town and a lively summer resort industry. Northern Railway Canada built Gravenhurst's first station in 1875 and in the same year, built the Muskoka Wharf spur. The plan was to open up the north and offer both rail service and steamship access to the Muskoka water system. The Muskoka Wharf station was built by the Grand Trunk Railway in 1896.

When the original station was destroyed by fire in 1913, the Grand Trunk Railway undertook design and construction of the present historic station, which was officially opened in 1919 by Edward, Prince of Wales, who later became King Edward VIII. It was used by the Grand Trunk Railway, Canadian National Railway, and finally, Ontario Northland Railway until September 2012, when rail service was withdrawn and the building was designated a heritage structure by the Town of Gravenhurst. 

Passenger rail service resumed with Ontario Northland in 2026, though the train no longer uses this station building for stops.

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This is the historic Vincent family residence. This brown brick cottage-style residence was constructed in 1942.

The Vincents were active in local business and politics. Cyril Vincent was mayor of Gravenhurst from 1954 to 1960. The family owned and operated a restaurant, a retail store and a shipping company. In addition, acclaimed photographer Henry Fry, who married Dorothy Vincent, lived here and worked from his dark room in the basement. Fry was a talented photographic artist and was awarded the Order of Canada for his work. He was the official photographer at the time of the Queen's visit to Gravenhurst in  1959. Henry Fry is also known for images of German POWs being paraded under guard down the main street and was awarded a contract to photograph POWs for the Canadian government.

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The 1850's were a decade of high immigration to Ontario and a time of extensive railway development, which opened up much of the country to settlers. As the available farmland in southern Ontario was taken up, settlers in the 1860's and 1870's turned their attention to the Muskoka and Parry Sound regions. These settlers brought with them their cultural background, their social activities, and social connections. Many had Masonic backgrounds and it was inevitable that they would find a facility to provide the privilege of assembly and serve as a local lodge. In 1885, Golden Rule Lodge #409, Gravenhurst, was chartered, with Worthy Brother W. B. Irving as their first Master. 

While the site chosen for the Masonic Lodge was built in the 1890's, it originally was a furniture store. It wasn't until 1920 that the three-storey building was purchased by seven leading Masons. Masonic meetings continued until 2014 in the ornately fitted upper storey when the building was put up for sale.

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Between 1886 and 1919, Scottish-born philanthropist and steel magnate Andrew Carnegie established a foundation that funded the building of public libraries in communities across North America. The patron of these libraries stands out in the history of philanthropy. Carnegie was exceptional in part because of the scale of his contributions. He gave away $350 million, nearly 90 percent of the fortune he had accumulated through the railroad and steel industries. 

In Gravenhurst, a library association was begun in 1883 and came under Town jurisdiction in 1895. Gravenhurst first sought funding from the Carnegie Foundation and was granted $7,000 on March 24, 1906, which would be equivalent to over $250,000 in today’s money. Subsequently, the Town Council felt it could not meet the foundation's requirements to underwrite ongoing operational costs and the project was dropped. However, in 1922, Gravenhurst reapplied and was granted special dispensation since it had first applied when grants were still being disbursed. The library was completed in 1923 by contractor Andrew Ferguson. The Gravenhurst Carnegie Library was one of the last in Ontario to be funded by the Carnegie Foundation.

In 1975, an addition designed by Howard Walker was constructed. Gravenhurst Carnegie Library was designated a heritage structure by the Town in 1983, and a plaque was unveiled in 2014. Although it has not served as Gravenhurst's Public Library since 2000, it is now home to several organizations and sees thousands of visitors every year.

A statue of Norman Bethune just outside the Carnegie Library, in Heritage Square, was unveiled by Governor General Adrienne Clarkson in 2000.

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The Gravenhurst Opera House, which dates to 1901, sits on the former site of the first Central Public School. The Central Public School was a two-storey frame building that was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1887, leaving an empty lot. A second fire destroyed what was then Town Hall and, ironically, the Fire Station on Second Street in 1897. Council decided to construct a replacement Town Hall combined with an Opera House on Muskoka Road in 1901. This time, the multi-purpose building would be a more fire-resistant brick structure, which cost over $5,000 at the time. That amount was deemed by some an extravagance, earning the building the nickname of "Mickle's Folly", after Charles Mickle, who was the presiding mayor. 

The architectural style chosen is somewhat eclectic, with Gothic Revival features such as the tower and dormers in addition to Romanesque features, as evidenced by round arched windows. The design of the Opera House is credited to architect J. Francis Brown of Toronto. The building once functioned as administrative offices for the Town and as magistrates' courts, but now it is primarily a venue for cultural events. Entertainers such as Donald Sutherland, Peter Paul and Mary, Chantal Kreviazuk, and Gordon Lightfoot have graced its stage. It was designated a heritage structure by the Town in 1983. The area in front of the Carnegie building and the Opera House has been named Heritage Square and the cenotaph is located there.

The doors to the Gravenhurst Opera House officially opened on March 12th, 1901. In the 100 years ensuing, the pricey indulgence has conservatively witnessed over 6 million patrons crossing its threshold, more people than the entire population of Canada in 1901. This venerable town jewel has the distinction of being Gravenhurst's most-trod-upon public building. In retrospect, those millions of footsteps would suggest, even to last century's most grizzled sceptics, an unmistakable need for the structure. "Mickle's Folly" has endured to prove itself Mickle's Vision.

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James Sharpe opened the Caledonia Hotel here in 1881, only to see it destroyed in the Great Fire of 1887. The following year, the hotel was reconstructed as the Empress Hotel, with 30 to 40 rooms. James Gilmour bought the building in 1906, but shortly thereafter sold it and moved away. 

Upon his return to Gravenhurst in 1916, he repurchased the hotel, naming it the Gilmour. The hotel and its name continued under various owners until the mid-1980s. In 1987, it was converted into commercial space on the ground floor and residential apartments above.

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Clipsham House, built in 1877, is thought to be one of the oldest surviving residences in Gravenhurst. The two-storey brick residence reflects the prominence of James Clipsham as a blacksmith who owned the adjacent carriage works. Clipsham Carriage Works made wagons and buggies and had evolved from a blacksmith shop and livery. Clipsham was also a town Councillor and school board trustee. In 1887, the Great Fire destroyed Clipsham’s Carriage Works, but the house survived. In addition to being constructed of brick, exceptional in a lumber town of the time, the home has a large porch, contrasting brick trim to resemble quoins, gable windows and a single-storey annex. Clipsham House was designated a heritage property by the Town in 2014, and a plaque was unveiled the following year.

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The First Church to be built in Gravenhurst was St. James Anglican Church, a log structure built near the present St. James Anglican Cemetery on Muskoka Road in 1865. The little church soon proved too small for its growing congregation, and a new church was built at the corner of Hotchkiss and John Street in 1882, only to be destroyed by the Great Fire of 1887. The following year, the St. James Anglican Church was rebuilt at the same location.

This red-brick church features a noteworthy belfry housing a 700-pound bell that was funded from money raised by the Anglican Church Women's Organization. It also features vaulted Gothic-style windows. 

St James Church was listed on the Municipal Register in 2013.

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This building was both home and workplace to Albert Hill, a blacksmith and operator of a livery stable, and Mayor of Gravenhurst in 1913 and 1914. The present building was erected in 1890 after the Great Fire of 1887. Albert Hill’s ironwork is still evidenced by the wrought iron fence around the property. 

The building received a Muskoka Heritage Foundation Stewardship Award in 2001, and it was added to the Municipal Register in 2012.

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In 1867 Dugald Brown built the Steamboat and Stage Hotel on the present site of the Gravenhurst Post Office. He later sold the hotel to start up Brown’s Beverages. The bottling plant originally on Hotchkiss Street was established in 1873  utilizing a nearby spring of crystal clear water. It was later relocated to nearby Bay Street in a two-storey brown brick building. 

The owner, Dugald Brown, was a popular entrepreneur and hotelier. Brown's Beverages Ltd. operated on the same site that Muskoka Springs still occupies today. It is one of the few remaining and operating industrial buildings in the Town. The site bottled pure spring water in hand-blown glass bottles packed in wooden crates. These were delivered on wooden buckboards pulled by draft horses and supplied the growing tourist resorts and hotels. As soft drinks became popular in the early 1900s, Brown's devised its ginger ale recipe. The factory became a Coca-Cola bottler and distributor in 1926. 

The brown brick section of the current large complex was added to the Municipal Register as a listed property in 2012. The building next door at 230 Bay Street was Mr. Brown's one-time residence and from here he operated a liquor store.

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Rosehurst, also known as Mickle House and later as Garner Lodge, was built in 1884 and was the home of Charles Mickle, a highly successful lumberman. Mickle was twice elected Mayor of Gravenhurst from 1894-1895 and again from 1898-1900. Rosehurst became the social hub of Gravenhurst with Emma Mickle hosting countless community celebrations and amateur theatre productions. Following the death of their parents and younger brother Charlie, daughters Bertha and Grace Mickle sold the stately home to Michael and Viola Garner in the 1940's. 

It was renamed Garner Lodge and provided tourist accommodations and long-term lodgings under the management of ten subsequent owners over the next sixty years. Surviving original features include the mansard roof, although it has now been modified, the bay window, the series of three garden arches to the west of the house, the carriage steps at the edge of Bay Street, and one garden urn on the front lawn. 

Rosehurst was completely renovated in 2013-2014 and has been designated a heritage property by the Town.

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This two-storey Victorian red brick residence dates back to 1886. Bradley Roe Mowry was the original owner and built the house on the lot, which was part of the Dugald Brown land grant. Mowry owned the iron foundry, which was the source of the Great Fire of 1887, which destroyed over 50 buildings, devastating the heart of Gravenhurst. In 1908 the house was owned by the Link sisters, Annie and Greta. The home was subsequently acquired by the East family, who also owned Muskoka Sands, which later became Taboo Resort. 

In the early 2000's, the house was restored by the Lorenz family and then purchased by current owners Fred and Susan Westover who operate it as a Bed and Breakfast. They added an imposing portico in 2012. 

It received a Muskoka Heritage Foundation plaque in 2002 and was placed on the Gravenhurst Municipal Register in 2012.

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Finch House resembles Bethune Memorial House nearby and represents the stately accommodation of a bygone era. It was built around 1880 in a 'Stick Style' architecture developed in New England. The property was originally part of Dugald Brown's land grant. In 1926, Archdeacon Lindsell purchased the house where he would live out his life with his daughter May, later a well-known local newspaper columnist. Following her passing, it became a bed & breakfast until 1997. 

The wood-frame house with large bay windows was listed on the Municipal Register in 2012.

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LaFranier House, also known as Maple Hall, was built in 1887 on a lot originally part of the Dugald Brown land grant. It is situated in the historic area encompassing Bethune Memorial House (#16), just over the fence, and Finch House (#14) across the street. It is a one-and-a-half- storey Victorian cottage of restrained Gothic Revival style. Entrepreneur David LaFranier paid $1,100 for the property in 1896, around $45 000 today, after his hotel Fraser House was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1887. In 1912, J.J. McNabb, an accountant for the Mickle Dyment Lumber Company, acquired the residence. Frederick Freeman, a barber who had fought with the Canadian Expeditionary Force in World War I, bought the property in 1939 and renamed it Maple Hall. This coincided with his appointment as postmaster of Gravenhurst, a position he held until 1962. It remained in the Freeman family until 1991. 

The brick building is sheathed in vinyl and has witnessed additions on its north and east sides. Its gable windows bring to mind the Ontario vernacular central gable cottage, which became popular in the 19th century owing to property tax breaks that accompanied the style. The wrap-around verandah is another notable feature. The wooden ceilings in the living and dining rooms are also exceptional. The LaFranier House is a vital example of the brick architecture that emerged to protect the town from fire after the devastation of the Great Fire. Additionally, it remains a cornerstone of its historic neighbourhood through its lasting connection to several of Gravenhurst’s most prominent citizens. 

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This former Presbyterian Church manse, built in 1880, is the birthplace of Dr. Norman Bethune (1890-1939), one of the best-known Canadians abroad, given his status as a national hero in China. From 1936-37, Dr. Bethune implemented mobile blood transfusion units at the battlefront during the Spanish Civil War. He died of blood poisoning while working as a surgeon in China during the Second Sino-Japanese War. He was a non-conformist surgeon of note, a humanitarian, and an advocate of socialized medicine in Canada. 

This National Historic Site of Canada has been operated by Parks Canada since 1976. In 2015, it received over 15,000 visitors, in part owing to its new Visitor Centre, which offers many interactive displays. Over half of the visitors, specifically from China, travel here for the express purpose of seeing Bethune’s birthplace.

Link to more information about Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site

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The Gravenhurst Skating, Curling and Hockey Association was formed in 1900. Part of this endeavour was the building of what is thought to be the Town's first arena. Records show that Lot 59 & the north half of Lot 63 fronting on First Street were purchased on December 20, 1900, from Joseph Brock for $200. The Ice Palace was built that year on the site, about where the 'garden centre' parking area of the Independent Grocery Store on First Street is today. This rink was taken over by James Scott, and the club would move to the skating rink that James Scott had built on John Street.

The Gravenhurst Curling Club was established in 1901, using a three-sheet rink until 1958. In that year, the old shed-like structure was torn down, and the current six-sheet facility was built. The Gravenhurst Curling Club became the only club in Muskoka to boast a six-sheet facility. Only four sheets were fed by ice-making equipment, and two were natural ice. The facility, which also hosts pickleball in warmer months, is now complete with a heated arena, and ice equipment was extended to the other two sheets, and the floor was concreted a few short years later. The design is similar to many other curling rinks across Ontario, consisting of pre-formed wooden roof and wall trusses with cement block curtain walls between the supports. As many as 10,000 cement blocks were used in the project. It was decided before the foundation was started that a two-storey lounge and viewing area with a kitchen and washrooms would be included in the structure.

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Knox Presbyterian is the oldest church in Gravenhurst. The congregation was formed in 1875 and initially held services in the North Ward School. The current building dates to 1877, but it was a year later before it was dedicated by Reverend McDonnell of St Andrew's, Toronto. It is a fine example of Carpenter Gothic style using board-and-batten wall construction. The one-time steeple housed an 800-pound bell to summon churchgoers, and also to raise the alarm for firefighters. The bell was removed in 1932. Reverend Malcolm Bethune was minister from 1889 to 1893. His son, Dr. Norman Bethune, became famous for his dedication to social causes in Canada and for his medical care to victims of war in Spain and China. In 1922, the Presbyterians merged with the Methodists and the church was out of Presbyterian hands until 1937. 

Knox was designated a heritage property by the Town in 2014 when a plaque was erected. 

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Trinity United Church was built in 1926 and expanded in 1959. It replaced the Methodist Church originally built on this site in 1877. When the church was rebuilt, help was offered from many different sources. A pulpit was brought in from Wesley Church in Fergus, and Leslie Cain worked as a contractor on the building helping to fit pews and seats. The pipe organ was donated by Dr. W.B. Kendall, who was the chief physician of the Muskoka Cottage Sanatorium. The aluminium sculpture and flower beds, which adorn the lawn and contribute to Communities in Bloom, were created by local community members. The dark brick is highlighted by colourful floral displays each summer.

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Constructed in 1973, the building brought an architectural design award to the firm of Howard Walker and Anthony Campfens of Toronto, who also supervised the restoration of the Gravenhurst Opera House. The look of this modern architecture is so appealing that weddings have been performed in the courtyard. This is arguably Gravenhurst's most recently constructed heritage building. Mr. Walker also designed additions to St. James Anglican Church and the Opera House. Over the years, this building has hosted the offices of Gravenhurst’s lawyers for many years, including James Cruickshank and Cathleen MacLennan. 

The Built Urban Heritage Award was awarded to the property in 2011 from Muskoka Conservancy.

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Gravenhurst Post Office stands on the most prominent intersection of town, at Bay Street and Muskoka Road. It was opened in 1926, more than three decades after the spurt of Thomas Fuller-designed postal outlets which had appeared across the country. The choice lot had been purchased by the federal government in 1913, but the onset of the Great War and its financial burden postponed construction of the building. 

Originally, the post office was a one-storey building. Care was taken to match the colour and detailing of the dark brick and stone work of the floor below when a second storey, featuring a clock tower angled to the intersection, was added in 1931. The tower is topped by a metal cupola. All four faces of the clock were restored to full functionality in late 2015. The second storey handled customs and served as accommodation for the caretaker. Further additions were made to the building in 1934 and 1951, and the retail lobby was upgraded in the early 2000's. 

The Post Office was designated a heritage property by the Town in 2015.

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Situated at the main intersection downtown, the Albion has been part of the life and heritage of Gravenhurst since the lumber and steamship era. The original Albion Hotel was a frame building built by George Washington Taylor in 1879. It perished in the Great Fire of 1887. 

The present red brick hotel of Gothic Revival style rose the following year. It was known for its pleasant parlours, spacious dining room, and well-equipped bar. In the late 1980's the exterior was restored and the interior converted to apartments and business premises. It has received a new lease on life under new ownership since 2011. The historic balcony was removed as a safety precaution, and new windows were installed and repainted. 

This building was designated a heritage structure by the Town of Gravenhurst in 1983.

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Loyal Orange Lodge No. 1301 was built on a lot in the historic downtown area next to the town hall and fire station of the day. The lodge was built after these buildings burned, coincidentally, in 1897. The original inscription on the upper part of the two-storey brick building can be read from the street to this day. The Orange Order is an international Protestant fraternal organization based primarily in Northern Ireland, with a significant presence in the Scottish Lowlands and lodges throughout the Commonwealth. The Orange Institution was founded in 1795, during a period of Protestant-Catholic sectarian conflict, as a Masonic-style brotherhood sworn to uphold the Protestant faith and a Protestant King.

Founded by Ogle Gowan in Brockville, Ontario, the Canadian Orange Order played an important role in the history of Canada when it was established in 1830. Most early members were from Ireland, but later many English, Scots, Italians, and other Protestant Europeans joined as well. The Orange Lodges were community cultural centres, as they hosted numerous dances, events, parades, and even the teaching of step dancing.

Long a focus of social life in rural communities and a religious and political power in Ontario, the Orange Lodge declined after World War II. Some of the most popular public Lodge activities were the July 12 parades down Muskoka Road. These continued into the 1960's, even after the virtual demise of the organization.

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An archway has welcomed visitors from the south to Muskoka since 1874. The first arch, made from pine boughs and flowers, was erected to mark the visit of the Governor-General the Marquis of Dufferin. This first arch was at the intersection of Hotchkiss Street and Muskoka Road. The second arch, called "Lumbermen's Arch", welcomed train passengers to the Muskoka Wharf. It was erected in 1885 by the Mickle Dyment sawmill company. The Gateway Arch advertised Gravenhurst as the Gateway to Muskoka Lakes.  

Since then, thousands of tourists, arriving first by train and later by car starting in the 1920s, have passed beneath the five different arches erected in Gravenhurst. The current arch at the southern end of town was erected in 2009 after the roadway was widened, requiring its predecessor to be removed. It is one of a few civic archways to survive in Ontario. Wording from an earlier version has been faithfully reproduced on it.

The Gateway Arch was designated a heritage structure by the Town in 2009.

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The fire station had been manned on a volunteer basis for most of the 20th century. The municipal office moved to its present location on Pineridge Gate in 2010. Today, the former town hall continues as Gravenhurst Fire Station No. 1, as well as the Ontario Provincial Police’s Community Policing Office. A provincial plaque commemorating the founding of Gravenhurst is on the street corner, and an exterior wall hosts one of the Town's heritage murals. The Mayor's Garden blooms outside in the summer. 

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