Building date: C. 1850-57, demolished after 1975 when purchased by Telephone City gravel company.
Original use: Residence
Corner structures:
Mortar application and content:
Types and uses of stones:
Types and choice of windows:
Structures with similar masonry details:
Masons who worked on building:
Unique features: Cobblestone foundation.
Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is Google Earth confirmed; 43°11'24.69"N 80°22'40.22"W.
City of Paris and Brant County Maps.
It's possible that the Nimmo House was the first cobblestone building in the Paris area.
During last fall Mr. Capron disposed of the land east of the race, by Auction Sale. The lots realized prices ranging from $150 to $300; there are a few still in the market, which Mr. Capron will sell at very reasonable rates. The rising ground which bounds the flats to the east is very beautifully situated, commanding most picturesque views of the town and neighborhood. A terrace of suburban residences has been projected in this locality by Mr. Nimmo, who possesses a tract of land here;... Circa 1857 - Page 15, "Paris in 1857. Prepared for the Information of Visitors". To the Provincial Agricultural Exhibition, Held at Brantford, in the County of Brant, C. W., courtesy County of Brant Public Library Digital Collections, Paris Museum and Historical Society.
The Nimmo House, aka Bethel House: James Nimmo arrived in Paris in 1833 and by 1836, he had purchased from the Crown, a large acreage on the 2nd Concession, Brantford Township. It was on Lot 15 in the 1850s that a cobblestone Regency cottage was built on a ridge overlooking the Grand River. The French door on the vestibule which was built out from the house, the French windows and the cobblestone gave the house a welcoming feeling. Because the basement was fully finished in brick, it accommodated six rooms, one containing a fireplace with irons and strong hooks in the ceiling. "The historic cobblestone house had a variety of tenants and owners before it was sold to Telephone City Gravel in 1975, and, unfortunately, torn down. There is a photo of it in the Whiteman's Creek Tweedsmuir History." Courtesy "Herons and Conbblestones" Page 41, A History of Five Oaks and the Bethel Area Of Brantford Township, County of Brant, written and published by members of the Grand River Heritage Mines Society, Jean Farquharson, Editor and Compiler, Paris, Ontario, May, 2003. Editor's Note: A thorough internet search for a "Whitman's Creek Tweedsmuir History" was unsuccessful. Also found to be spelled Whitemans, that search was unsuccessful too.
Cobblestones of Paris, by Paris Museum and Historical Society. Portion of pamphlet that applies to the Nimmo House.
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