Arson blamed for Pickering fire Another home on federal lands goes up in flames Mar 25, 2011 - 09:37 AM Kristen Calis PICKERING -- Investigators say arson is the cause of the most recent fire on the federal lands in Pickering. Pickering firefighters were called to a blaze at 350 Concession Rd. 7 just before 2 a.m. March 20 when a motorist passing by saw the flames and called it in. "It was fully involved by the time the fire department got there," said Pickering fire inspector Steve Fowlds, adding the floors were already collapsed on the arrival of six fire trucks. Following an investigation, there was no question as to how the fire started, he said. "We know it was an arson," he said. Pickering historian John Sabean said the Turner-Winger house was built in the 1860s or 1870s, possibly earlier. "It's what we call 'Ontario classic,'" he said of the brick, central-gable, storey-and-a-half home. The home sat on land expropriated by the federal government in 1972 for a possible airport, which hasn't been decided on yet. Since then, residents have been renting from the government, and many homes have been vacated and boarded up over time. Mr. Sabean said the home was empty when he wrote a report on it six or seven years ago. Although Transport Canada provides security for the abandoned homes, he's concerned that the vandalism on the lands will continue as long as the homes are vacant. "The more houses that are emptied and boarded up means the fewer eyes there are in the area to observe any mischief that might be taking place, whether it's theft, arson, damn explorers or whatever it may be," he said. Mr. Fowlds said it's important that people remember someone could be badly hurt by these fires, whether it's the individuals who set the fire, possible squatters living in the home or firefighters. "I really hopes this stops sooner rather than later," he said.

Really...I mean. I WANT to be immature and say "TAKE THAT, TRANSPORT CANADA! Pffft! Build an airport on these lands!"...however it isn't satisfying or funny when it's a historical location gone up in flames. It's just a damned shame.

OMG...I'm so upset.....I LOVE this house. I haven't taken Concession 7 home lately as the soft road has been hard on my little car, but tonight I will - I want to see her....I hope she is ok!


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HA! I KNOW this house! This is the one? DAMN! I was here back in, probably mid-November some time experimenting with my SLR. I used it as a subject! Holy crap man, what is wrong with people!

And I know what you mean about those roads being hard on little cars ;) I drive an import coupe...far too cute and prissy for my UEing habits! hahaha I need a Jeep, dammit.

Holy jeez, what a shame, though. I'm gonna have to drive by this week and see what's left of it. I'll try to remember to take some photos and share them here. I think my sis and I are going out exploring Thursday anyway, as she has the day off school. Perhaps, if I remember, we shall pop by.

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I"m crushed....last night I spent a couple hours sitting in the rubble....
it smelled of campfire......so sad...

The crackles of the pile kept me company while I mourned this beauty...

"I am above the weakness of seeking to establish a sequence of cause and effect, between the disaster and the atrocity."


Good bye 350...

b00-urns

We visited this evening!

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Posted by fedge

he called us damn explorers!!!

Posted by CravenMorehead he called us damn explorers!!!

LMAO omg I was thinking the exact same thing when I read that! I was actually kind of insulted!


...and ok, I apologize but please let me have this moment of immaturity; WHY does this face look like it's doing something dirty!? LMAO I'm sorry I had to! I noticed it when my post was spellchecking and the emoticon graphic showed up and it made me laugh! XD

Just documenting the location, not trying to win any photo awards. Gloomy day, I was racing the rain. There was not very much cover from prying eyes either.

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Shame, isn't it?

Some more information for those who are curious...

A map created in 1877 which shows the house and gives the name A. N. as the occupant:

http://www.histori...unty+1877/Ontario/


From the 1871 census (Taken 4 years after confederation, and one year after the latest date assumed that the house was built), this was the only result in Pickering under the search terms A* N*:

http://www.collect...6td01h3cs2uru09jl2

NELSON, ALEXANDER
Sex: Male
Age: 31
Place of Birth: ONTARIO
Religion: Canada Presbyterian/C. Presb.
Origin: SCOTCH
Occupation: FARMER
District: ONTARIO SOUTH (048)
Sub-district: Pickering (A)
Division: 1
Page: 75
Microfilm reel number: C-9973
Reference: RG31 — Statistics Canada

Alexander Nelson was born somewhere in Upper Canada in 1940, if he was indeed born in Ontario County then it was only three years after the Mackenzie Rebellion. There would still be a lingering hate towards the elitist monarchists giving choice lands to their peers and to the Anglican church (but not other denominations).

It is a question of why someone with such a small property be a farmer? My only suggestion to this is that he worked the fields of Andrew Lapp (A then, 48 year old, German Presbyterian) his neighbor, from which he received his property to build from.

As mentioned earlier, there was a masonry mark of J. PRICE (John Kerr Price was a bricklayer at the Don Valley Brickworks). Price was aged 40-50 when the house was made. It is unknown whether he made the 40KM journey to lay the bricks or only baked them.

Another curiosity I found was that a search of the 1881 census does not show a 41-42 year old Alexander Nelson, suggesting an early death or an emigration some time between the years 1877 (the time the map was made) and 1881 (the time the census was issued).

It also stated that he was married, but to whom? One theory that I had was that he moved on to his spouse's land, as there was no one with the same last name as him in the area. However, that was quickly debunked with a search of his neighbours. The answer to this question will come with a visit to the local cemetery, as it is customary to bury spouses together (barring divorce, of course.)

Additionally Amberlea Presbyterian Church was not formed until 1875, and it is in southern Pickering, there has to be another church that predated it in the northern portion of Pickering.

I thought I saw an abandoned church on **PM ME FOR LOCATION** (it is near Altona) across the street is a cemetery which may unlock more about who occupied this house that was burnt down.