This ongoing series from Barrie Historical Archive curator Deb Exel shows old photos from the collection and one from the present day, as well as the story behind them.
77 Owen Street
One of Barrie’s original streets, Owen Street, was named for Admiral William Fitz William Owen, a British Naval Officer and hydrographer.
Beyond scientific charting of the Great Lakes, Owen made lengthy recommendations on potential improvements between Toronto (called York at the time) and Lake Huron, by way of the Nottawasaga River (Nine Mile Portage).
But it was his surveying and mapping of about 30,000 miles of shoreline on the eastern and western coasts of Africa in the 1820s, as well as mapping the Bay of Fundy and Saint John River in New Brunswick, where he settled in 1835, that really distinguished Owen in the history books.
Once you cross McDonald Street, heading north on Owen Street, you are entering The Grove, one of Barrie’s historic neighbourhoods and one of the oldest residential areas in the city. Even on a block filled with appealing heritage homes, such as neighbour Lilac Villa, it would be hard to miss the striking red brick Victorian-styled house at 77 Owen St.
The earliest land transactions for this property appear to have been conducted between the Hon. James Patton, one of the founders of The Herald newspaper in 1852, and lawyer Hamilton Douglas Stewart, son of former attorney general for the island of St. Vincent, Charles Douglas Stewart. Hamilton established a practice on Owen Street in 1871, which still exists today. The law firm is now one of the oldest in Simcoe County.
This Owen Street ‘Ontario farmhouse’ was likely built about 1875 to 1880, and it seems rather fitting that a farmer and his wife, James and Susannah Kavanagh, would occupy this welcoming home.
Born in Ireland in 1842, James moved to Canada with his parents. He married Susannah McBride, who was born in Barrie but whose parents James and Alice were also from Ireland, in 1870. The couple had six children. They purchased their Minesing Station farm in 1882 for $500 and it remained in the family until 1954.
In 1918, James retired from farming and they moved to Barrie, into the house at 77 Owen St. What a lifestyle change that must have been! In 1900, the community of Minesing Station had only one grain elevator, three sawmills, a railway station and about 120 residents. Even by 1920, there was just one school, a store, a grain elevator, a butcher, two sawmills and one Sunday school for non-denominational services. What a difference to live in bustling Barrie with all its conveniences and abundance of available stores and services in nearby downtown.
It’s unfortunate that James would only briefly enjoy his well-earned retirement and lovely town home. He passed away of old age at his Owen Street residence just two years after settling in.
His widow, Susannah, continued to live in their ‘new’ home. She kept busy with service and membership in organizations such as Christian Mothers’ Society, League of the Sacred Heart and the Alter Society. She faithfully attended St. Mary’s Church, just a short distance from where she lived. Ten years after her husband died, Susannah also went to rest, at her home on Owen Street.
The former Kavanagh home has weathered the decades very well. True, it has lost a few of its original features, but it has also some ‘modern’ modifications as well, emerging a fine and beautifully cared for heritage home.
