Location: 528 Glen Tay Road, Glen Tay Hamlet
Legal Description: Lot 2, Concession 21, Bathurst Ward
This residence, which dates from the mid-1850s, is recognized for its 19th century neoclassical architecture, and for its connection to the first owners, the prominent Adams family, after whom the hamlet of Glen Tay was originally named. The Adams family made major contributions to the economic, social, and religious life of eastern Ontario and, later, western United States. Subsequent owners of the property have included several of the most influential builders of historic Bathurst Township and Lanark County, including the Dodds family, one-time partners in the hamlet’s mills and cheese factory, and the Chaplin family, founders of Chaplin’s Dairy and owners of the hamlet’s general store.
Notable architectural features of the home, in addition its one-and-a-half-storey, centre-hall design, include its domestic stone construction and the enclosed, elevated front porch, an element not common to the area’s 19th century neoclassical homes. The building has a full-height basement, said to have provided lodging for labourers working in the hamlet’s milling complex. Architecturally, the building remains the most impressive heritage residence in Glen Tay, and an excellent example of 19th century neoclassicism.
Under Joshua Adams and later owners, Adamsville/Glen Tay became a thriving industrial community, with grist, oatmeal and woollen mills; a sawmill, tannery, blacksmith, wagon factory, and cheese factory; and various post offices and general stores. At one time, the industrial complex is said to have employed 400 people, and the woolen mill received international awards for its tweeds.
The families of Joshua and Elizabeth (Chipman) Adams arrived in Upper Canada following the American Revolutionary War and settled in Bastard Township. In the War of 1812, Joshua served as a captain with the 2nd Regiment Leeds Militia, and saw action along the St. Lawrence. For his service, the family received 800 acres in the newly formed Perth Military Settlement, and a city lot in Perth, on which they built one of the town’s first inns. Joshua served his community as justice of the peace, township councillor, county warden, and Methodist church trustee. The family owned numerous mills, farm, and other rural properties, as well as a lumber hauling business. Their 13 children, and numerous grandchildren, continued the family tradition of service throughout this region and western United States. Of note were their son Alvah, a Methodist minister and founder of the Doran’s Rapids mill; their son Arza, a pioneering leader in the Church of Latter Day Saints (Mormons), and their grandson J. E. Carroll (Carl) Adams, owner of the Ritchie Sawmill, on Noonan Side Road, for many years.