CHARLES THOMAS A Stonemason's Legacy Restored
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'Reprinted with the kind permission of the Ontario Genealogical Society journal Families (28:2, 1989) and the author. What is a genealogist to do when he/she reads statements in popular and respected . publications crediting another person with an achievement that we know proudly belongs to a relative? What if such statements are often written as absolute fact, yet are contradictory to our own family history? What if every time one picks up a book or reads a magazine article about the subject in question, that glaring "mistake" is found? One might try to ignore the inaccuracies. But most family historians would do as much as possible to correct them. I was caught in just such a problem in the spring and summer of 1986. In my case the inaccuracy was a fully understandable case of mistaken identity. But because it appeared in print again and again, I grew increasingly frustrated. I decided to try to set the record straight.
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Victoria Hall, Cobourg, Ontario, circa 1860. This may well be the earliest photograph of Victoria Hall. The three-storey building to the extreme left is the Bank of Montreal, designed by J.H. Spring Ie. Directly behind Victoria Hall is the Market Building, apparently designed by IVvas Tully and constructed as part of the town hall project. (Art Gallery of Northumberland, NEC) thas alwaysbeen the contention in our family that my maternal too, was born in Wales. The story goes on to say that after the work on Igreat-great-great uncle, a Welsh stonemason and master Victoria Hall was completed, Charles Thomas left Cobourg and, some builder named Charles Thomas Thomas (1820-1867), executed the time later, was killed on a bridge building project in the United States. beautiful sandstone carvings on Victoria Hall in the town of Cobourg, At this point we had no details of the exact nature of his death. Ontario. Thomas' young niece Mary stayed in Cobourg. She was put under In the late 1850s,the Towndecided to erect an imposing and grand the care of a charwoman at the house of a prominent local lawyer. town hall. Noted Toronto architect Kivas Tullywas commissioned to census records indicated that Mary became a seamstress when she design a magnificent municipal building that, according to the local grew up. newspaper, would reflect "not only our present standing but future greatness as well." Cobourg enjoyed a pros- In July 1873 she married Thomas perous economic boom in that period. Tully James Wark (1845-1913); ironically, he was designed a Palladian-Classical Revival style the caretaker of Victoria Hall at the time. building that most architectural historians I thought it unlikely that an Thomas and Mary Wark lived in back consider to be his masterwork. Construc- architect of William Thomas' quarters in the building and raised a large tion began late in 1856.In September 1860, stature at the time would have family. Among the children was my grand- Victoria Hall was officially opened by Ed- allowed himself to work as a mother Clarice Wark-Romano (1892-1970). ward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward stonemason on a project designed VII). by one of his chief rivals. Since almost every noted architectural historian, including Peter John Stokes, An- The building was adorned with finely thony Adamson, and Thomas Ritchie, had detailed Ohio sandstone carvings, including already awarded architect William Thomas a bearded gargoyle, lyre ornaments, scrolls, Corinthian capitals, and the credit for Victoria Hall's stone work my only chance of convincing cut stone (ashlar) walls. The building fell into disrepair over time and them otherwise was to find solid original evidence to support our was inevitably threatened with demolition. In the early 1970s it was family's version of the facts. saved and its full restoration began. I began byexamining the fewsurviving original sources (day books, Dozens of architectural journals, heritage magazines, and his- architectural plans, etc.) related to the building's construction. These torians began paying a great deal of attention to this designated papers were of little help since, in every case when the stone con- national landmark. Several magazine articles and book chapters docu- tractor's name was mentioned, they referred to only a "Mr Thomas." mented its construction. When writers referred to the stone carvings I examined minutes of town council meetings from 1856 to 1859 and however, they confidently and consistently awarded the credit for the the Cobourg Star newspapers from the same period. Again, both work to noted Toronto architect William Thomas. One book on early sources referred to this "Mr Thomas" and, as such, were totally Cobourg, written in 1973, stated: inconclusive. The Cobourg Star for 7 July 1858 simply said:
a vast amount of stone cutting has been accomplished .... The carvings on the spandrels of the chief entrance are exceedingly fine. They comprise the national emblems of the three United Kingdoms - the rose, the thistle, and the shamrock disposed on either side by an ancient lyre. These carvings, The design of Victoria Hall has been variously attributed to William Thomas together with the fine bearded face which forms the keystone of the arch are and to Kivas Tully. There is no doubt that Thomas was associated with the the work of Mr Thomas, contractor for the stone cutting and they certainly do building, since the local paper in 1858 noted the carvings ... are the work of Mr him very great credit.3 Thomas, contractor for the stone cutting ....1 To the best of my knowledge, historians relied exclusively on this William Thomas was the designer of St. Lawrence Hall, St. vague reference when crediting William Thomas. Making this claim Michael's Cathedral, and the Don Jail in Toronto, and Brock's Monu- more plausible isthe fact that WilliamThomas was an apprentice stone ment in Queenston, Ontario. It was my contention, however, that cutter in hisyouth and so might have had the necessary skillsto execute William Thomas had absolutely nothing to do with either the design the stone work on Victoria Hall. Historians have also referred to the or construction of Victoria Hall. Thus began several months of pain- general similarity in carvings on William Thomas' buildings and Tully's staking research to find·evidence clearly naming Charles Thomas as Victoria Hall. It was apparently not considered possible that the Victoria Hall's stonemason. newspaper might have been referring to another man in the building trade with the last name Thomas. I began the project by collecting all of the available information written about Victoria Hall and its builders. More importantly, I set As my research progressed, two points in my favour kept coming down on paper the full account of Charles Thomas' life as we then to mind. I thought it unlikely that an architect of William Thomas' knew it. Our version of the facts had always been that Thomas was stature at the time would have allowed himself to work as a stone- born somewhere in Wales, and that he became a skilled stonemason. mason on a project designed by one of his chief rivals, namely Kivas In the mid 1850s he arrived at Cobourg, C.W.accompanied bya team TUlly.4Architectural historians believe Tullywas inspired in his designs of Welsh stone cutters and his three year old orphaned niece, my for Victoria Hall by William Thomas' St. Lawrence Hall, constructed maternal great grandmother Mary Tomlin Thomas (1854-1937). She, some years earlier. In fact, many experts - including Peter Stokes - believe that Kivas Tully was determined to out-do Thomas with his Charles Thomas Thomaslbuilder/having resided in Ottawa/dying on or about Victoria Hall designs.5lfthis was indeed the case, whywould Tullyhave December 26, 1867/widow, Susan M. Thomas - used William Thomas in his own game of one-upmanship? There were flaws in the accepted historical interpretation. The will was processed in Carleton County Court.7 Naturally, I went to the Ottawa newspapers for 1867-68 in search of an obituary. Early in the summer of 1986 I made my first visit to the Archives In the Ouawa Citizen for 3 January 1868 I discovered: of Ontario in Toronto. I found the business papers of the general contractors for Victoria Hall, William and David Burnet, but they too THOMAS - At Quincy, Illinois on Christmas Day. Charles Thomas Thomas only made inconclusive reference to "Mr Thomas. " One such example isfound in a letter dated 7 May 1859 from the sandstone supplier, John formerly of this city. Worthington of Toronto, addressed to Wil- liam Burnet. Worthington wrote "Has I remember thinking how sad that he Thomas finished up his work, how does his died on Christmas Day and so far away account stand?,,6 It isfair to conclude that he was from home. But now at least I could con- the contractor for the stone work firm that he did die in the United States as Finally some progress was made. I considering what the Assessment we had always believed, and now we also tracked down three separate original sour- Roll, Poll Book, and Deed knew where. ces confirming that Charles T. Thomas did list as his occupation while indeed live in Cobourg during the period of In the Ottawa TImes issue for 28 in Cobourg. Victoria Hall's construction and that he December 1867 I finally landed upon that worked as a stonemason. The Poll Book for piece of evidence for which I had spent the South Ward of Cobourg dated 31 Dec- months searching. I found a wonderfully ember 1857 listed: detailed obituary chronicling the career of Charles T.Thomas, includ- ing his work in Cobourg (see below). It clearly states that Charles Thomas was a stonemason and builder and, most importantly, that he was a subcontractor working on the construction of the Town Hall in Cobourg. The Assessment Roll of the Town of Cobourg dated 1859 listed him in the West Ward as: It is fair to conclude that he was the contractor for the stone work considering what the Assessment Roll, Poll Book, and Deed list as his occupation while in Cobourg. The obituary also gave me a wealth of fascinating new information about a relative our family really knew little about. Additional research into the information found in his Finally, a deed made between Charles Thomas and Thomas Scott, obituary has been fruitful. His employer in England was Thomas the town postmaster, registered 1 June 1859 listed: CubitI's & Company, one of England's most powerful building firms in the Victorian era. Thomas began working for them in the late 18305. Charles Thomas Thomas of the Town of Cobourg in the County of Northum- Cubitt's were responsible for erecting the east front of Buckingham berland and marble cntter of the first part ... Palace in the 18405. In 1845 Cubitt's built Osborne House on the Isle of Wight for Queen Victoria and they also planned Belgravia Square Thomas and his wife Susan (the first reference to him having a in London. I later learned that while in Bermuda, Thomas was Fore- wife) were selling property to Scott for 270 dollars. Unfortunately, this man of Works on the construction of the British Royal Naval Dock- new evidence could not confirm that Thomas was working on Victoria yards.s And Charles Thomas was a contractor on the construction of Hall while living in town. Brock's Monument at Queenston Heights, C.W (1853). Incidentally, this monument was designed by architect William Thomas. For several weeks after my research stalled. Sources and leads seemed to dry up and I still had no information on Charles Thomas' While in Cobourg, Charles Thomas was also contractor for the life after his three-year stay in Cobourg. On a hunch, I went back to stone work on a beautiful Bank of Montreal (later to be the Post the provincial Archives. I knew Thomas died in the United States some Office) being built at the same time as Victoria Hall. The bank was time after his stay in Cobourg. I speculated that either he and his wife designed in the Italianate style by Montreal architect James Howard moved to the U.S., in which case I would probably never track him Springle and dressed in Ohio sandstone.9 The Departmental Buildings down, or perhaps they continued to reside in Ontario and he merely referred to in his obituary are the East and West Blocks of the took a temporary job in the States when killed. Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, constructed between 1859 and 1867. This must have been Thomas' next project after Victoria Hall. If the latter was the case, then his remains would almost certainly have been returned for burial. If he had a will it would have been I have also learned the details of Charles Thomas' death in 1867. probated in the Ontario Surrogate Court. The Archives has micro- He was master stonemason on the construction of stone foundations filmed copies of the Court Clt:.rk'sindex of individual probate applica- for a massive iron bridge over the Mississippi River near Quincy, tions (alphabetically by year). I hoped the index might provide me the Illinois. This was the first iron bridge erected over that river and was year of Thomas' death, where he had resided in Ontario, and possibly designed by Thomas Curtis Clarke, a partner in the Port Hope con- even his will. I scanned all the names beginning with the letter T after tracting firm Jones, Haycock and Company; this was the same firm 1860 (the year Victoria Hall was completed). To my absolute surprise that hired Thomas to work on the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa.lO I found his name under the year 1868. The application listed: On 26 October 1867, Thomas was overseeing the lifting of some massive boulders by a makeshift derrick. The derrick collapsed and rocks fell on Thomas, crushing his left leg. He was taken back to his Obituary boarding house in Quincy. The leg was amputated. He appeared to A short time since it became our painful duty to record a sad accident rally for a time, but "fever" eventually set in. Charles Thomas died at to our late fellow townsman, Mr. Charles T. Thomas, which rendered midnight, Christmas Day, 1867. He was only 47 years oldY His body necessary the amputation of a leg. Subsequent to the amputation he was returned to Ottawa for burial in Sandy Hill Cemetery. suffered very greatly, and afterwards a fever set in which ended in In the summer of 1986 I submitted my initial findings from this death on Christmas Day. The remains will be brought to this city for project to Janet Weatherston at the Canadian Inventory of Historic interment, arriving next Tuesday morning. The funeral will be at- Building, Canadian Parks Service, Ottawa asserting that Charles tended by the Masons and members of the SI. George's Society, of Thomas was the contractor for the stone work on Cobourg's Victoria which due notice will be given. The deceased gentleman was, during Hall and not WilliamThomas as widelyaccepted. This was part of her the erection of the Departmental Buildings in this city, Chief Super- response: intendent of Works, under Messrs. Jones, Haycock and Co., and in that capacity earned for himself a high reputation for zeal and in- The Ottawa Times obituary notice is ... a happy find, and seems to set the tegrity. He was a skilled and experienced stone mason, several years matter to rest. I have ... filed your information in our own research files; from of his life having been passed in the employ of Messrs. Cubit and Co., now on, at least, we'll be able to give Charles T. Thomas his full due when we the eminent contractors of London, England. write about Victoria Hall. Mr. Thomas was for sometime Superintendent of Public Works under the Imperial Government of Bermuda, which place he left for Canada More recently I have learned that while in Cobourg, Thomas established a stone and marble works. He advertised in the local about the year 1852; since then and up to the moment of the sad newspaper that he could design and carve gravestones, monuments, accident resulting in his death, he was engaged as subcontractor in the marble mantle pieces, and washstands "in the New York style ... cheap erection of many important buildings on this continent. The present for cash." He also offered to supply Ohio cut stone dressing for national monument at Queenston reared by a grateful people to the buildings and prepare estimates for "all kinds of buildingwork.,,12One memory of the "Gallant Brock," was erected under his supervision, so such monument, a magnificently carved sandstone tombstone with a was the Montreal Bank and Town Hall In Cobourg, the latter con- St. Patrick's Cross, is located in Cobourg's St. Peter's Anglican Cem- sidered to be one ofthe handsomest buildings In the Dominion. The etery. It was carved byThomas in August 1858 to mark the grave of a young man named Thomas Lloyd. Charles Thomas stamped his name subject of our notice was in every respect an excellent man. In business in the lower right-hand corner of the baseY he was strictly correct in all his transactions; as a husband and father, most affectionate, as a philanthropist, his peer was not to be found in While engaged in a related project, I stumbled upon an interesting this city. In his death the St. George's Society experience the loss of a bit of history in the Ottawa newspaper_ On 1 November 1864 the most indefatigable member, and with us, they mourn over the sad contractors on the Parliament Buildings hosted a gala luncheon in the event which has removed him from our intercourse, and deeply sym- half-built Centre Block for the delegates of the Quebec Conference pathize with his bereaved widow and afflicted family. (Canada's future Fathers of Confederation). John A Macdonald, AT. Galt, S.L. Tilley, and the like were present. As Chief Superintendent Ottawa Times, 28 December 1867, page 2 (boldface by the author) of Works, Charles T.Thomas was also present.14
1 Peter John Stokes' chapter on the restoration of Victoria Hall in Victorian Cobourg- 6 Archives of On tario. A 19th Centwy Profile (Belleville, ant: Mika Publishing, 1976), p. 35. Mr. Stokes 7 I never did locate Charles T. Thomas' will. I later discovered that there was a devas- was one of the skilled restoration architects responsible for Victoria Hall's rebirth. tating fire in the Carleton County Court House years ago that destroyed such 2 Thomas Ritchie, Architecture Canada Magazine, May 1967.'Other historians attribut- records. ing the stone work to Toronto architect William Thomas include: 8 Bennuda Pocket Almanac, 1851.
Anthony Adamson and Marion MacRae in their fine book Comerstones of Order 9 Cobourg Star, 18 November 1857 and Jim Leonard, "Thomas Curtis Clarke, An Out- (1983); Howard V. Walker in an article he wrote on William Thomas in the standing Civil Engineer from Port Hope, Ontario" (unpublished MS, 1988). FeblMar 1984 issue of Canada Century Home; Stephen Beszedits in his book 10 Jim Leonard, "Thomas Curtis Clarke." Eminent TorontoArchitecls of the Past (1983); and Town Halls of Canada, an En- 11 Quincy Daily Herald, 27 October 1867 and 27 December 1867. vironment Canada-Parks publication (1987) by Margaret Carter et aL 12 Cobourg Star, 3 August 1859 (in the Baldwin Room, Metro Toronto Reference 3 Cobourg Star, 7 July 1858. Library). 4 Eric Arthur, in his book St. Lawrence Hall (Toronto: T. Nelson & Sons, 1969), p. 13 The Cobourg Star of 15 September 1858 noted: 145, also questioned this unlikely scenario, writing: "This beautiful monument consists of an upright block of Ohio free-stone, most ad- It is true that earlier in the century, the architect [William Thomas] was only emerg- mirably carved by Mr Thomas, whose ability as a Sculptor has already been dis- ing from the building trades, but it is unlikely that Thomas, the colleague of such played upon our Town Hall ... we cannot but express our sincere hope and desire Toronto worthies as Lt Col. Frederick Cumberland, Thomas Fuller, who designed that the erection of this truly ornamental monument may be the means of introduc· the Parliament Buildings in Ottawa, Sir Sandford Fleming ... or John G. Howard ing a better and more tasteful style of gravestone than at present encumber and dis- who gave us High Park, would have added stone-cutting to his practice as an ar- figure our public cemeteries." chitect 14 Jim Leonard, "Thomas Curtis Clarke." 5 Peter John Stokes, Victorian Cobourg - A 19th Century Profile, p. 33. ..lynch &c. The Ministers 1;lllllJVl~U\j';I,;".'illj ~u ~u':' ~':'''''''.''7.::,';-~:;-.::''' . I '.: -etask ho Willi a8immIDg~:..·,.;·,:;"Jo·/"'if~-'!'fi~I'{;.~._;>~euPON~,~::JJ:~l"~~'u~J~~~~~t~4'." 'pi.~d thclrUSll:ll plllceM on'. ()~l motion oruon:'.1\tr~CHAut~.AV:i~2: _'::!~li.,~A't~R,~~,,~·*-"i,,~YJJi~r,9~r,~!1ligsm~J . JlI~~geg and clergy above Ollded,' by' tho .' Hon:i A-,~.t.()~,~e,.Gene~lJ,Y" ~,,:thO:~, ,t~~.4U8~.~laTkP~~F,' ~~~~r.9',,n#,,",.~om,Ji!!~,"~s,r, ~' 'lmouatou with tlcntg iu' tho Hot so the'.1 adJourncd,-';:'~'>:~:, ':~,~~ P!Els.i~~a~.,i,9.(~·th..!'.}!~~iC!l,.q!,,~,H~~I~,:~ • • • •• " ,J' "", .'" '4.~"""''''' . :.~in~ tliC{posvor, lini$ter.. '" lofer 'li1f.~( Ig~. 8hortly beforo three ...... -whicJ1i~"Jfe,i;l ~lon ,/,;;J':Pi>- .•• , lency, Llellt .•GuvelllQr Stl~~ ODI'l'UAll Y;'NOT'ICE~wIth;t1104!fo; '>~lt'lo' C. ,8 clUriagl.l. uraw~l -by fom Al"~ t: '; '. <,' ':~tb'·~':~~~J;:~·~~:;"~· i ~BEiiLi~r~~ ~~:A:ge c ,;;0 • . " '. '!l JOr. lme Slneo I '. ecame, our " a n u :i Zolvereln'11fii"'\vliicU~all~tJlo' ~ ~2 ~~clved b! th~ ~:\Ild of tl~e duty·to reco'rd n sad Aecident·tf'o·ti~~!f f~J~a~~.~s§u~h. ~:g~~.··t.Y~~~i~~. ~.~~b!E!P! tt; {rom Cl\~taln ,Pl\tterso,n II 10\V townsman, Mr, Chartes T. 'l'homBS, w eli', -,t~~firsI o AND ever, are very serious for historic ,CONTROL cemeteries. Focusing on pUblic safe- There are approximately 5,000 ty alone, these recommendations kno'wn cemeteries in Ontario. Of could mean the destruction of histore thes~, almost 2,000 have become in- 'J; ic markers, their connection to gra- active and been abandoned by their of#. vesites, their genealogical value and Beverley Street at 50 Baldwin Street, Toronto. Photo owners, ~lter~1?yfalling, under pro- their contribution to the scenic and courtesy of the Ontario Heritage Foundation vincial legislation, to the ownership historic character of graveyards. , and control of~municipalities. A'ROLE FOR HERITAGE Cemeteries are governed by the ORGANIZATIONS Cemeteries Act, which,is regulated Heritage organizations can play a by the Ceme~eries,Branch of the On- significant role this year by: • New Minister of Culture ,tario Ministry, of ,Consumer and ,I. reviewing 'and commenting to Commercial'Rdations (MCCR).The MCCR on Bill 31, which includes c Cemeteries Act is concerned mainly many clauses on repair and mainte~ and Communicotions ' with regulatinlr cemeteries as pusi- Tombstone, designed and nance that could affect the preserva- Christine, Hart, M.P.P. for the To- After, practising with the firm of ~ion of historic cemeteries. As writ- n~ss,ppc.ra.t(on~1,PJ'()t~~~nKC(m~- . "carv,4 ~'by.;stiJ.n'e··lrtiz~(}Ij·C.T. ronto riding of York East was first 'Weii&Fouldslmd'ascorporate'coun Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada President MarkFram 221 Russell Hill Road, No. 302 A Note from the Editor/Note du redacteur Toronto, Ontario, M4V 2T3 Past President by Gordon Fulton 59 Douglas Franklin office (613) 237-1867 30 Renfrew Avenue res. 236-5395 Ottawa, Ontario, K1S 1ZS Vice-President Stuart Lazear office (613) 564-2617 Charles Thomas: A Stonemason's Legacy Restored City of Ottawa, Planning and Development res. 741-4233 by Jim Leonard 60 111 Sussex Drive Ottawa, Ontario, KIN 5A1 Treasurer Kate MacFarlane Canadian Parks Service Western Living, Western Homes* Ottawa, Ontario, KIA OH3 by Sheny McKay 65 Secretary Joanna Doherty 49 Morgan's Grant Way Kanata, Ontario, K2K 2E8 Bulletin Editor Thunder Bay's First High-Rise and its Terra-Cotta Gordon Fulton Symbolism* Heritage Canada P.O. Box 1358, Stn. B by Patricia VeNoort 75 Ottawa, Ontario, KIP 5R4 Members-at-Iarge (east to west) Charles Henley 8 Battery Road St. John's, Newfoundland, AlA 1A4 Jim St. Oair University College of Cape Breton, P.O. Box 5300 Sydney, Nova Scotia, BlP 6U Dr. C. W. Eliot University of Prince Edward Island 550 University Avenue Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, CIA 4P3 Allen Doiron Provincial Archives P.O. Box 6000 Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5H1 Howard Shubert office (514) 939-7000 Canadian Centre for Architecture res. 485-1542 1920, rue Baile Montreal, Quebec, H3H 256 Anne M. de Fort-Menares 100 Quebec Avenue, Ste 608 Membership fees are payable at the following rates: Student, $10.00; Toronto, Ontario, M6P 4B8 Individual!Family, $25.00; Organization!Corporation!Institution, Jim Johnson office (204) 983-3088 $40.00; Patron, $20.00 (plus a donation of not less than $100.(0). There 185 Waverley Street res. 452-0377 is a surcharge of $5.00 for all foreign memberships. Contributions over Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3M 3K4 and above membership fees are welcome, and are tax·deductible. Please Frank Korvemaker office (306) 787-5875 make your cheque or money order payable to the SSAC and send to Box Saskatchewan Parks, Recreation and Culture res. 586-1405 2302, Sation D, Ottawa, Ontario KIP 5W5. 3211 Albert Street L'abonnement annuel est payable aux prix suivantes : etudiant, 10,00 $; Regina, Saskatchewan, S4S 5W6 individuellfamille, 25,00 $; organisation!societe!institut, 40,00 $; Diana Thomas office (403) 431-2344 bienfacteur, 20,00 $ (plus un don d'au moins 100,00 $). II Y a des frais Historic Sites Service, Alberta Culture res. 466-9742 additionnels de 5,00 $ pour Ies abonnements etrangers. Les contribu- Old SI. Stephen's College tions au dessus de l'abonnement annue! sont acceptees et deductible 8820 112 Street d'imp6t Veuillez s.v.p. faire Ie cheque ou mandat de poste payable it Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2P8 l'ordre de SEAC et envoyer it C.P. 2302, Succursale D, Ottawa (Ontario) Jeannette Hlavach KIP 5W5. 2725 West 6th Avenue Vancouver, British Columbia, V6K 1W9 Don Lovell Public Works and Highways Government of Northwest Territories Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, X1A 2L9 The Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada is a learned society devoted to the examination of the role of the built environment in Canadian society. Its member- ship includes structural and landscape architects, architectural historians, urban his- ISSN No. 0228-0744 torians and planners, sociologists, folklorists, and specialists in such fields as hentage Produced with the assistance of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council conservation and landscape history. Founded in 1974, the ~iety is cu.rrently the sole COVER: Thunder Bay's Whalen-Hydro Building, ca. 1930.(The Thunder Bay Historical national society whose focus of interest is Canada's built envIronment lD all of Its Society Museum) See page 78. manifestations.