Auchmar

⚠️THE GATEHOUSE NEEDS OUR HELP TODAY⚠️

Friends of Auchmar sent out an urgent email asking for our help to save the GATEHOUSE:

We hope you agree with the attached letter, which the board has approved to request Designation of the Auchmar Gate House Lodge.

We ask you to please email the attached letter to the CITY CLERK and to all HAMILTON CITY COUNCILLORS, including the MAYOR, to request Designation of the Auchmar Gate House Lodge. (I have included the list of emails at the bottom of the message.)

⚠️Your letter must be received by the City Clerk and by the Hamilton City Councillors before Tuesday, 10am, June 2nd, to be on City Council's agenda Wednesday, June 3rd.

We also request and hope that you may be able to join us on Wednesday, June 3rd, at 9:30am at City Hall in the Council Chambers, where the Designation of the Auchmar Gate House Lodge will be voted on.

Ward Councillor Rob Cooper agreed to speak to the Designation of the Auchmar Gate House Lodge and to recognize the members of the Friends of Auchmar who are present.

Sincere thanks for your participation.
The Board of the Friends of Auchmar

⚠️ Current mayor of Hamilton, Andrea Horwath, is [email protected]

⚠️ Click here to find the emails for each Councillor - https://www.hamilton.ca/city-council/council-committee/city-council-members/city-councillors

June 2nd, 1866

"On this day, 160 years ago, the 13th Battalion Volunteer Militia Infantry and The Queen's Own Rifles of Canada were engaged in The Battle of Ridgeway.

Fought in the vicinity of the town of Fort Erie across the Niagara River from Buffalo, New York, near the village of Ridgeway, Canada West, currently Ontario, Canada, on June 2, 1866, between Canadian troops and an irregular army of Irish-American invaders, the Fenians."

After this battle took place and Buchanan had already stepped out of the military, he still had the two regiments at Auchmar, using it as a convalescent home.

They set up the ballroom in such a way that nurses could tend to the wounded soldiers.

💗

Stable Yard

The stable yard was always moving.

Horses.
Carriages.
Voices.
Work from morning to night.

This was the heartbeat of the estate’s outdoor life.

Mon, May 31, 1886

The Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada •
Page 2

Daily Spectator and Tribune

Hamilton, Monday, May 31, 1886

THE NEW DRILL SHED

In a few days—probably on Monday next—Sir Adolphe Caron will visit Hamilton. His business here will be to examine the ground on which the drill shed stood, to consult with officers of the Thirteenth battalion and the battery, and to form an opinion as to the character of the new sheds. The action of the government so far has been very gratifying to the people of Hamilton.

Within a day or two after the fire a meeting of citizens, called at the request of many gentlemen on both sides of politics, was held at the city hall, and resolutions supported by Colonel Gibson, and other officers of the battalion and by such leading citizens as Messrs. Brown, Wood and Mackelcan, were unanimously passed asking the government to take early measures to have the shed rebuilt. At first Ministers were disposed to insist on the aid of the city; but when they learned that the old shed had been wholly constructed by the people of Hamilton, they recognized the duty of the government to replace it at the public charge.

Any new structure must be of brick or stone; and it is earnestly to be hoped that the government will see the way clear to build one which, while giving the volunteers ample room for drill and comfortable apartments for armories, officers’ quarters, etc., will also be an ornament to the city. It will be on one of our principal streets, a street through which most visitors to Hamilton drive, and it is a matter of some pride to us that the buildings on that street shall be as presentable as possible.

Business is rapidly moving north on James street, and it may reasonably be hoped that in a few years all the old and unsightly buildings south of Stuart street will be replaced by substantial and ornamental business houses. A fine drill shed would do much to improve that quarter.

It is to be hoped that leading citizens irrespective of politics will unite to make Sir Adolphe’s visit to Hamilton pleasant, and to impress upon him the importance of rebuilding the shed as quickly as may be found practicable. A very few miserable snarllers are offended because the government is acting promptly in this matter. They would rather have a cause of complaint against the Conservative government than to see the volunteers in comfortable quarters next winter. It is satisfactory to know that decent Reformers are disgusted with these squawking Grits who would blame the government for delay in rebuilding the shed and are equally ready to blame it for promptitude.

Wed, May 30, 1962

The Hamilton Spectator
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada •
Page 49

BUILD MODERN RETREAT HOUSE

At Restful Mount Cenacle
By Dick Walker – Spectator Staff

Near Auchmar, the beautiful home of the late Hon. Isaac Buchanan, stands a retreat house which has become a haven for spiritual renewal for thousands of women.

For many years the Sisters of Social Service have conducted retreats at Mount Cenacle, and the peaceful surroundings have made it an ideal place for reflection and prayer.

More than 11,000 retreatants have attended retreats here since the Sisters began their work. Women from many walks of life have come to spend several days away from the pressures of daily living.

The Sisters conduct retreats regularly throughout the year. Groups include teachers, nurses, and members of parish organizations. Many women also attend privately arranged retreats for quiet meditation.

The present retreat house was formerly Auchmar, built by the late Hon. Isaac Buchanan for his family of eleven children more than a century ago. Since acquiring the property, the Sisters have adapted the old home for their work of teaching and spiritual guidance.

The grounds surrounding the house include gardens and fruit trees which are tended by the Sisters. During the retreat season these gardens help supply the kitchen with fresh produce.

The Sisters also prepare much of the food themselves. Each week the aroma of fresh home-made bread and buns fills the retreat house in preparation for the arrival of retreatants.

Because the demand for retreats has increased steadily over the years, plans have now been prepared for a new modern retreat building.

The proposed building will include sleeping accommodation for retreatants, dining facilities, meeting rooms and a chapel.

Architect Frank H. Buchner has prepared the design. His sketch shows a chapel wing and a two-storey residence building designed to harmonize with the natural beauty of Mount Cenacle.

When completed, the new building will accommodate approximately 44 retreatants each weekend.

The Sisters hope the new retreat house will continue to provide a quiet refuge where women may withdraw from the noise and strain of daily life and devote time to spiritual renewal.

📜 SERVANT SUNDAY

Dinah Wilson, Housemaid (1891)

Meet Dinah Wilson — age 20, immigrant, housemaid.

In 1891, while Agnes Buchanan and her daughter Elsie maintained their James Street household, twenty-year-old Dinah Wilson was doing the exhausting work that kept daily life functioning behind the scenes.

Born in Northern Ireland, Dinah immigrated to Canada at 18. She could read and write — an important skill for a servant — and very likely came seeking employment in domestic service.

Her day would have begun before the family rose.

Coal carried upstairs.

Fires lit.

Lamps cleaned and filled.

Hot water hauled from the basement.

Rooms scrubbed, beds made, dust chased from every corner.

Victorian housemaids performed relentless physical labour that few of us can truly imagine today.

Yet Dinah’s story did not end in service.

At twenty-two, she married Thomas Evans, raised a family, crossed briefly into Michigan, and built a life beyond domestic work.

Servants were often invisible in the historical record — but they were never unimportant.

Could you imagine carrying coal and hot water through a three-storey house every single day?

📖 From my upcoming book on the hidden lives and changing households of Auchmar House.
Available on Amazon - https://a.co/d/036QnWXo

Below is a photo of a Victorian housemaid.

These items (fish serving set) belonged to the Buchanan family and were used inside Auchmar during their lavish dinner parties.

These now belong to Elsie's adopted daughter's family.

Flashback from 1916 to 2020 in the kitchen garden.