Remember This? 115 Upton Road

From the archives of the Sault Ste. Marie Public Library:

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Remember This — 115 Upton Road

As the population of Sault Ste. Marie grew, the eastern side of the town began to be developed. 

Construction began on empty lots and the home located at 115 Upton Road is a wonderful example of one of those residences.  On May 22, 1902 Martha J. Stewart purchased two lots of the Simpson subdivision from William L. Beers a local hotel keeper for $750. 

On August 4 of that same year a third lot was purchased in order to accommodate the house.  By June 19 Martha Stewart’s husband, Edward Stewart, the manager of the International Lumber Company had begun excavating for his new residence. 

The house was originally estimated to cost $3,500 but the cost soon escalated to $6,000. 

The contractor was Thomas McKissock and by July of 1902 he had the frame of the house built and the concrete basement completed at a cost of $1,000. 

This home measured 58 feet by 34 feet and was built in the form of a cross.  

Built in a combination of both Classical and Gothic style architecture, it is the verandah that is the most prominent feature of the house. 

It features columns that support the verandah consisting of eight inch square posts with chamfered corners. 

A distinctive feature on the column is the sphere located in the middle of the column and then capped with a shorter column which supports the roof of the verandah, making it an unusual feature of the house.  

The Upton house was built during the year prior to the collapse of the Lake Superior Corporation, which devastated the local economy, so in order to keep costs down Edward Stewart used red quartered stone and siding and shingles instead of stone.  

The house has had a long history of owners through the years. 

The Stewarts lived in the house until 1908 but continued to own the home until 1911. 

During this three-year period there were a number of tenants who lived in the home but in 1911 the Stewarts sold the house to Archibald D. McLean, the manager of the Canadian Bank of Commerce for $7,500. 

In 1918, Archibald McLean sold the house to Michael Paris, a local merchant for $7,500, the exact same price McLean had paid for it.  

In May of 1923, Michael Paris died and his widow, Maria Paris continued to operate their family grocery and butcher business, and lived in the home until 1925. 

At this time, she sold it to Robert A. Campbell, an electrical engineer and Robert George Campbell, the City Clerk. 

By 1947, Jane M. Campbell widow of Robert George Campbell sold her half of the house to Robert A. Campbell for $3,000. 

Robert Campbell maintained ownership of the property until 1967 when he sold it to Margaret Anne and Lawrence Fred Barnett. 

The property changed owners again in 1971 when Patrick Lawrence Rooney and Ione Anne Rooney purchased the property.  They then subdivided the property in 1979 but left the house unaffected. 

In the years since 1971, there have been many other owners who have become a part of this home’s long history.  

The house was designated as a Municipal Heritage site on October 24, 1983. 

It has been updated over the years with modern siding added and the original second floor south-east balcony was enclosed.  Even as these renovations were being completed, it was important that there was no loss of the historical integrity and character of the home.  

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