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Just the facts

• The City of ���߲ݴ�ýsaid in a  the property at 919 York Rd. beside the old legion building had heritage value, and that a stone gate at York Road, a farmhouse and a detached stone shed had attributes that met their criteria for designation in 2021.
• They said the house, shed and gate are linked to the history of pioneer settlements in former rural areas, but also the history or the Ontario Reformatory at 785 York Rd. It was purchased by the Province of Ontario in 1910 for reformatory staff who watched for escapees, or what they called “go-boys.”
• The was in operation officially from 1911 to 1972, and the site became the ���߲ݴ�ýCorrectional Centre until its closure in 2001. The farmhouse has been vacant since.
• owned lot 4 Concession II-C, land that became part of the city and 919 York Rd., as shown on an of Wellington County at ���߲ݴ�ýMuseums.
• The Matthews farmhouse, what the city now calls the main structure, was built in 1860 by Robert and Stephen Matthews, who were both farmers and stone masons. states a census showed Robert and wife Jane Matthews, along with their five children, lived there in 1861.
• shows that Matthews and his wife were born in Cornwall, England, and had at least six sons and one daughter who lived in Guelph. Matthews died in 1895 and was buried here. His father was named Stephen, as was his younger brother. Matthews’s younger sons’ names, Charles and George, later showed up on the lot on maps of the area.
• Their house is an early example of mid-19th century rural farmhouse construction that used heavy timber log and fieldstone (limestone and granite), according to the city. It is a one and a half storey building with a raised basement, and exterior stone walls. Other heritage attributes include the sloping “hip roof,” and small gable roof dormers and original door and window openings including stone sills.
• City council granted heritage designation to the property in 2022, which the property owners (Brodie Limited) appealed. The appeal was recently settled, and the property will be stabilized and potentially integrated into the Ontario Reformatory Heritage Conservation District boundary, according to the testimony of Stephen Robinson, senior heritage planner for the City of Guelph, at the .

Are you curious about an old house in Guelph? Or do you own one you’d like to share about? Nominate it now for “This Old House in Guelph” by sending an email to jstruthers@metroland.com.