149 Morganston Road, Morganston

(1850s)
Roll No. 1411-011-040-06850-0000 – Cramahe Township Ontario

Folk Victorian

So sheltered by mature trees is this house near Morganston, that it is difficult to determine its age or architectural style from the road.

Closer inspection reveals a substantial “T” shaped Folk Victorian clad in stucco and painted a colour that emulates the ubiquitous red brick found throughout Northumberland County.

The Folk Victorian is often wooden clapboard or board and batten and examples of this architectural style range from no adornment to heavy embellishment. There is delicate gingerbread trim in the gable peaks of this house, harking back to its Victorian era.

The Folk Victorian windows are usually tall and narrow which is a nod to the Italianate style common to this area. Coming up the driveway, one is greeted by the back facade but the
“T” shape is immediately evident. This house, like all Folk Victorians, has a door on the gable end giving entry to the parlour (for visiting VIPs), and there is a porch to protect from the elements. Many Folk Victorians have an enclosed version of this porch. There is also present the kitchen door in the cross gable end. (the “L” or in this case “T’)

The Folk Victorian style, which was prevalent from 1870 to 1910, began as an orderly, less elaborate version of the classic Victorian and initially they were found in remote/rural areas, made of local materials with or without adornment. Later they became very popular and today can be found in every neighbourhood of rural areas and cities.

History or Associative Value

James Morgan and his brother John immigrated to Canada from their native Ireland with their parents in about 1824. They both purchased land south east of what would be known as Morganston in 1855/56. James almost certainly built this house but the actual build date isn’t known. James Morgan married Catherine Baker in 1853 and had 8 children, all of whom lived in the house which he owned from 1855 until 1902.

Additional Historical and Genealogical Information

149 Highway 27, Morganston, Ontario Cramahe Township, Concession 8, Lot 16

The hamlet of Morganston sits at the junction of Concessions 8 and 9 and Lots 16 and 17. 3891 Highway 25 sits in the northwestern corner of Lot 16 of Concession 8, on the southeastern corner of the intersection of Highways 25 and 27. It is the southeasternmost house in Morganston.

The 100 acres of the northern half of Lot 16 were granted by the Crown to the Canada Company on 17 February 1837. The Canada Company was a private British corporation incorporated in 1826 to aid in the development and colonization of Upper Canada with an emphasis on the Crown and Clergy Reserves.

There is a gap in history for this property. The next available record was the sale of 30 acres of it by Cramahe farmer Matthias Strevel (1799-1862) in 1843. There is no record of its transfer from the Canada Company to Strevel.

The northernmost 70 acres in Lot 16 changed hands several times during the early 1850’s. Strevel and his wife Sarah (née McNary, 1805-1863) sold them to George Lapp (1820-1887), a Brighton Township farmer, on 10 June 1852. Lapp and his wife Jane (née Richmond, 1828-1915) passed them on to Jabez Proctor Powers (1803-1886) on 4 March 1854. Powers was a physician residing in Colborne. The 70 acres next passed from Powers and his wife Louisa (née Ford, 1812-1892) to Stephen Peter Eddy (1818-1892), a Haldimand Township farmer, on 15 December 1854. Eddy and his wife Jane (née Findley, 1824-1904) finally passed the property on to James Morgan (1811-1905) on 19 March 1855. Morgan, who at the time of purchase was a wagon maker in Port Hope, but later was a farmer in Cramahe Township.

Morgan passed the property on to his son John Francis (“Frank”) Morgan (1863-1924), another farmer, on 31 October 1902. The younger Morgan retained it until his death, at which time it went to Frank’s nephew Percy Albert Moore (1899-1986).

James Morgan and his brother John (1809-1894) immigrated to Canada from their native Ireland with their parents in about 1824. They both purchased land in Lot 16 of Concession 8, southeast of what would be known as Morganston in 1855-1856. James almost certainly built the house at 149 Highway 27, but it is unclear when exactly this occurred. He owned the property from 1855 to 1902.

James Morgan married Catherine Baker in 1853 and had eight children, all of whom must have lived in the house: Richard Henry (1854-1934), Emma Esther (1856-1924), Anna (1858-1947), James Edward (1859-1885), John Francis (1863-1924), Millie L. (1864-?), William Joseph (1870-1871), and Lillian May (1872-?).

Frank Morgan married Myrtle Maud Alice Tuttle (1878-1966) in 1902. They had four children: Keith Francis Werden (1905-?), Kathleen Beulah Pearl (1907-?), Olivia Almedia Alberta (1912-?), and James E. (1915-1989).

Castleton, ON K0K 1M0, Canada