Heritage activists may have thought they had stacked the deck with several delegations arguing to save the Edwards log cabin in Fergus, but they were wrong.
On April 27, Centre Wellington councillors voted 4-3 to allow the demolition of the building at 240 Provost Lane to proceed.
The council chamber was filled not quite to capacity, primarily with heritage activists, but also with those interested in council’s decision.
Ian Rankine
Elora resident Rankine asked council to again defer a decision based on new evidence and requests presented that night.
“It is the function of engaged citizens to keep governments from falling into error – to scrutinize bad decision making processes and to question inaccurate evidence and thinking,” said Rankine.
He said his intent was to advocate for a deferral, “but ultimately historic designation.” Earlier in the day Rankine sent out documents recommending that the cabin not only be saved, but declared a National Historic Site.
Rankine argued that “restoration with integrity” has been a stumbling block and he questioned the validity of information in structural reports to council suggesting it was impractical to restore the building.
Highlighting reports by heritage activist Bob Jackson that claim restoration is both possible and cost effective, Rankine asked council to fully consider the critique of previous reports before making any decision – including peer reviews.
Rankine also questioned if there was a report exploring alternatives to demolition.
“New historical evidence finds that our imagined world of Fergus as a Scottish town by birthright is inaccurate.” Instead, Rankine states black and white Loyalists and the Scots were co-founders of Fergus.
“The Edwards cabin is the sole remainder of an age of wood architecture,” said Rankine, suggesting a vote to demolish is not in the public interest and demonstrates an “anti-heritage conservation bias.”
Beverley Cairns
Elora resident Beverley Cairns asked, “Are we a community or individuals living in houses beside one another? To me this is the crux of a lot of decisions. How do we see ourselves?
“As councillors you are required to make decisions which affect the whole community.”
She spoke of council’s creation of a Cultural Plan and noted that in a survey of local residents, the plan identifies the preservation of the township’s history and heritage as one of the top priorities of its residents.
“The people have spoken and told you what matters,” she said. She added heritage shows the roots of the community and enriches lives.
“Heritage is at the heart of today’s tourist industry,” she said.
Like others, Cairns spoke of the history of the building, stating, “This building has witnessed the pioneer history of this community.”
She asked councillors to put aside private priorities and listen to the people of Centre Wellington.
Jerry Prager
Elora author Jerry Prager spoke on the historical backdrop of the building relative to Loyalists, whites, blacks and First Nations prior to the founding of Fergus.
He has written two books regarding Ontario’s Underground Railroad. In his book, Laying the Bed: The Native Origins of the Underground Railroad, Prager focused on a largely unexplored topic – how First Nations people, some with connections to Guelph and area, fought slavery.
He spoke at length on the background of the Loyalist era.
Prager noted the military background of Richard Pierpoint’s and his peers’ and their involvement in the construction of Fort Mississauga and later in the Fergus community.
He suggested that in the 1820s blacks created a community long before there were any white settlers in the vicinity of Fergus.
“The Edwards home is one of the last log homes of that earlier period. The log home was almost certainly built by some of the men who built Fort Mississauga.”
He said these homes and native trails have great heritage and tourism value and, “We should be embracing … not erasing this history.” He considered this a rare commodity – “with actual history on our side.”
Daniel Bratton
Daniel Bratton started off by calling into question the ability of councillors to make an unbiased decision.
He said perhaps they should step away from making a decision “being no longer capable of persuasion.”
“Whereas Republicans south of the border reject climate change or gun control … I often have the impression that in Centre Wellington these rejections occur when it comes to matters of heritage.”
He said “here in Ontario the public good trumps individual property.”
Gary Bryant, Al Koop and David McCormick
Oldervoices Historical Walking Tours representatives Gary Bryant, Al Koop and David McCormick spoke on the economic benefits of keeping the cabin.
Bryant expressed hope that heritage sites would be preserved whole or in part as reminders of the community’s origins.
“When demolitions occur, buildings often seem to vanish without a trace,” he said, noting this year marks the 30th anniversary of demolishing the 1868 Fergus Drill Shed and Armory (now the Melville United Church parking lot).
“I don’t think anyone is celebrating that anniversary,” he said because there is nothing left to indicate anything of importance was once there.
Bryant said that on the historic walking tours of both Fergus and Elora, “we try to take participants back in time to remember what was once there.” He said imaginative solutions should be considered to connect the past with the future.
Al Koop said the question before council was “why should we care?
“We’re speaking of a tiny, primitive cabin of logs on a side street that very few people are aware of, formerly inhabited by a grave digger and logs which have not seen the light of day in over 100 years.
“Yet this seemingly insignificant cabin is the last monument to our pioneer forbears. As far as we know this cabin never played a large role in community life … When we look for evidence of the old wooden settlement of Fergus this is all that remains.”
Allan Brown
In contrast, Allan Brown, vice president of the Guelph Black Heritage Society, recognized it would be unfair to place all of the restoration costs on the current property owners.
He spoke of a stone building in downtown Guelph next door to the Guelph Farmers’ Market that was constructed by black slaves that had fled to Canada via the Underground Railroad.
In the past three years the building has taken on new life and part of a thriving arts hub. He noted there were benefactors who came out of the woodwork to make Heritage Hall to emulate the Canadian spirit of openness.
Brown said two distinct groups played a role in the founding of Fergus: black Loyalists and the Aberdeen Scots.
He saw this as an opportunity to create one station on what he envisioned as a multi-stage Wellington County Underground Railway tour that would create economic spin-offs for both Centre Wellington and the county.
“It would help provide an accurate story of the development of both Fergus and Wellington County.”
Council response
Mayor Kelly Linton noted council does have experts on staff regarding planning and heritage.
Steve Kitras
Councillor Steve Kitras tore into arguments made by some of the heritage activists speaking on the issue.
Part of his speech outlined his reasons, as requested by Rankine, as to why he voted in favour of demolition – and rejection of a heritage designation.
While he thanked Rankine for the passion, Kitras said in talks with residents of the community, “they have supported the demolition of this building.”
Kitras said “the heritage lobby is very articulate, influential … but suffers from a rhetorical and ideological defensiveness which reduces their perceptiveness of this issue to their side only.”
Kitras said this view blurs the full impact of forced heritage designations onto living, breathing taxpayers in Centre Wellington.
Specifically he spoke of the financial impact on Ben and Henrietta Gansekoele and their property rights.
He took issue with arguments of the “common good” versus the Yankee ideology of property rights and the potential “Mississauga-fication” of Fergus and Centre Wellington.
Kitras said the oversimplification of works into “them” and “us”, are aspects of “ideological and utopian intolerance” and not “common sense” reasoning to ground the common good as a goal.
That heritage is a social good and should be preserved is not disputed, he added.
“Private property though is not a Yankee invention,” Kitras said, noting it began over 800 years ago with the signing of the Magna Carta in England.
“We inherited this tradition with the founding of Fergus.”
Kitras considered “Bratton’s insulting characterization that (council) are raving biased Neanderthals as a sign of black and white thinking and a vilification with those who disagree with one’s position.
“I voted for the demolition because the physical evidence presented to council and my own personal investigation of the property … convinced me the property was neglected for too long.”
He said restoration costs would be onerous on the owners, who would never be able to sell the property to recover their costs. He was also concerned a process that should have taken 60 days (by law) has lasted several months.
He asked “why should (the owners) pay $140,000 for a property and another $100,000 (or more) to make a museum so tourists and heritage enthusiasts can feel self satisfied and enjoy the leisure of walking by it?”
Kitras then commented “I truly believe that if Adam Fergusson, Mr. Edwards and even Capt. Pierpoint [witnessed the discussion they]would say in unison with fine Scottish common sense – Are you bloody insane, laddies?’
He remained concerned with an ideology where money is no object.
Kitras said the Gansekoles would be willing to sell for $160,00 by May 1 – but no one has made an offer.
“I sincerely hope those who have shown so much passion, make an offer to have their dreams come true,” said Kitras.
Mary Lloyd
Councillor Mary Lloyd continued to endorse saving the cabin.
She agreed the original intent of the owners was to restore the building “and I am saddened by the fact they have now asked for a demolition permit.”
Lloyd said she did take the township cultural plan seriously and she noted visitors are awed by the amount of heritage buildings that still remain in the area.
Lloyd considered this “as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to act on history today.”
Steven VanLeeuwen
“What I find amazing is the amount of history coming out as a result of this conversation,” said VanLeeuwen.
Equally amazing to him was that in its history “it has never been a key piece of the story.” He felt council is being told if it allows the hidden, rotting building to be taken down, it’s history will also disappear.
“Let us not step out of the aspect of reason,” said VanLeeuwen, adding her considered it a very unreasonable request to ask the owners to build a replica building.
Kirk McElwain
Councillor Kirk McElwain said council has information on the quality of the building and a pile of history of which he was unaware.
He considered this as one of the most difficult decisions in his time on council. Like Lloyd, he still favoured the idea of finding a means of keeping the cabin intact.
He said highlighting local heritage aspects does help economic development.
Don Fisher
Councillor Don Fisher said it would be wonderful if there was a community effort to take over the building to preserve the heritage and history.
“In my view the only opportunity to make that happen is to refuse the demolition permit and to put a heritage designation in place.”
That would allow those with an interest to come forward. He did not favour demolition.
Fred Morris
Councillor Fred Morris said “there is no doubt this is a difficult decision.” He said “it is not always possible or feasible to preserve the past.”
“When we look at a situation like this where if the house is to be preserved, it has to be rebuilt.”
Morris said he was hard-pressed to support a designation – “because there is nothing left to preserve.”
He asked “do we want to ask that this be rebuilt so the building can be pointed at to illustrate what life used to be like. It is not going to be what was there. It is going to be a recreation of something old. Is that really worth the hassle?”
Morris said he too would like to be able to make this a stop on an Underground Railroad tour, “But some part of me says that is just a dream, an ideal, something we would like. Is it fair to ask the owners to do it?”
Morris said he remains a proponent of property rights.
“We have to respect that. I don’t think forcing the owners is a good idea.” He asked “who really cares about this house?”
While those gathered in the council chambers did care, Morris said residents he has talked to on the street have asked “why are you even talking about this?”
Morris disputed accusations of having an anti-heritage bias.
“I’m the guy who during the past council, continually questioned how we let rural properties be destroyed by neglect.” He said there are rural homes now uninhabitable because they have been neglected for such a long time, there is no hope of restoring them.
“I’ve done my best during my term of council to defend heritage – when it makes sense,” said Morris.
Kelly Linton
Mayor Kelly Linton said council is neither anti-heritage nor pro-heritage.
He thanked to community members who spoke to the issue and said 240 Provost has a fascinating history, “but the reality is that this log cabin is in terrible shape.”
He noted the structural report states there is no practical way to restore the building because of the damaged logs.
Linton agreed with Morris that even if restoration was attempted, it would end in the construction of a replica log cabin, and, “I think it unreasonable to designate a replica building.”
Linton spoke to museum representatives about working with the owners and Heritage Centre Wellington on preserving some of the logs and artifacts from the building, “but I do think it is unreasonable not to let the demolition permit to move forward.”
He too did not favour another deferral, stating, “I think this has gone on far enough.”
Linton again pointed out the different mandate of Heritage Centre Wellington versus that of council.
Final vote
In the end, council voted to allow the demolition to proceed.
Councillors Fisher, McElwain and Lloyd were opposed while councillors VanLeeuwen, Kitras and Morris favoured allowing the demolition to proceed.
The final vote cast, which ended the tie, was by Mayor Kelly Linton, who voted in favour of the demolition.
