In his 1828 obituary, John Breakenridge, a Niagara barrister and son of a United Empire Loyalist, was noted for having built “several of the most elegant and tasty houses in town.”
Those homes, and the story behind the couple who built them, is the subject of the Niagara-on-the-Lake Museum’s next lecture, “Pride and Residence,” on Thursday, July 18 at 7:30 p.m.
Author, consultant and realtor, Brian Marshall, who writes The Lake Report’s popular “Arch-i-text” weekly column, will tell the story of Breakenridge and his wife, Mary Warren Baldwin.
Together, they built a trio of houses: the Creen House on Simcoe Street, completed in 1817; the Breakenridge-Hawley House on Mississagua Street, completed in 1819; and the Breakenridge-Ure House, 240 Centre St., completed in 1823.
This was a couple whose rising fortunes in the first quarter of the 1800s were reflected in these three landmark residences.
But who were they and what happened to them? Especially Baldwin, who, in 1828, was left an early widow with five children to raise?
The presentation promises to offer a glimpse into the world of 19th-century Niagara and Upper Canada, and a dramatic tale of success, struggle and a legacy, which still graces the streets of Niagara-on-the-Lake today.
Marshall is also the author of “The Heirloom Guide,” about understanding architectural history.
His Neighbourhood Walks series for the NOTL Museum explored the stories behind the bricks, evident in more than 200 years of architectural change in the town’s heritage district.
Admission to NOTL Museum lectures is free for museum members or $10 for non-members.
Registration is required as space is limited. Call 905-468-3912 to save your seat.
