You may drive past it and never see it. This very private little house, largely hidden today behind tall greenery and lush gardens, is located next to another legendary horticultural masterpiece of the past — the Etherington gardens.
A portion of Kidd’s Creek flows right through this area making the 22 Thomson St. property a green thumb’s delight.
This was once the home of James Allan Scott and his wife, Marion. Mr. Scott was the grandson of J.G. Scott, founder of the Barrie coal company that would later be known as Scott Bros. which dealt in cartage, firewood, coal and the cutting of lake ice.
John George ‘J.G.’ Scott was born in 1853 in Galt, now Cambridge, Ont. His parents were immigrants from Scotland. J.G. and his elder brother, Frank, trained to be carpenters as their father had done.
By 1881, J.G. had married Jessie Hogg and had started a family. They had all relocated to Alliston where J.G. worked as an egg dealer. A decade later, he was in the same line of work in Barrie.
In addition to his egg business, J.G. Scott had been involved in the selling of wood and coal since his days in Alliston. After a few years in Barrie, he saw the opportunity to take over an existing coal company and jumped at the chance.
O.H. Lyon was another man who had tried his hand at a number of business ventures. He sold insurance, gave loans, dealt in marriage licenses, and ran a coal supply company from his office at 97 Dunlop St. E.
J.G. Scott succeeded O.H. Lyon in this coal dealership in 1898. Soon after, O.H. Lyon joined several investors in forming the Barrie Wickerwork Manufacturing Co.
The Scotts raised a large family in Barrie. Their sons, George and Cumming, headed east and went into the theatre business. The brothers managed the opulent Palace Theatre in Belleville until a series of tragedies put an end to their venture.
George Scott married May Haight in 1912 and their son, James, was born the following year. Two months after the birth of their baby, George was struck down by a perforated appendix. His 23-year-old widow followed not long after, a victim of tuberculosis. Their little son passed away before his second birthday.
In 1920, the Palace Theatre burned down. Cumming Scott returned to Barrie and went into the family fuel business with his brother, James William. A fourth brother, Frederick Scott, had become a medical doctor and had relocated to the United States.
In June 1905, James William Scott married Grace Charlotte Little at Kite’s Nest, the Allandale home of her brother, MPP Edward Alfred Little.
The bride was the daughter of William Carruthers Little, long-serving MP in this area. Mr. Little was 60 years old at the time of Grace’s birth, and her mother, Mr. Little’s second wife, was in her mid-forties.
Baby Grace was only nine months old when her father died. Grace’s mother outlived her husband by more than forty years and when she passed away in 1923, she was attended by Dr. A.T. Little, who was her stepson.
James and Grace were the parents of James Allan Scott who later became the resident of this home at 22 Thomson St.
James Allan married Marion Porter in 1934. The Barrie Examiner reported on their June wedding.
“Following the reception, the bride and groom left for their honeymoon at Limberlost Lodge.” This summer retreat near Huntsville, Ontario was brand new that year and still exists today.
“On their return, they will summer at Kempenfelt Bay, and later will reside in Barrie.”
Each week, the Barrie Historical Archive provides BarrieToday readers with a glimpse of the city’s past. This unique column features photos and stories from years gone by and is sure to appeal to the historian in each of us.
