Name/Title
John Henry Smith residence & farm 390 Main St. WestEntry/Object ID
P2000-01-01-35Description
John Henry " California" Smith residence & farm, 390 Main St. West.
The two-and-a-half-storey stone residence was designed in the Italianate style and was constructed between 1876-1878.
Known as John Henry 'California' Smith because of the personal fortune he made in the 1849 California Gold Rush. John Henry Smith later founded a successful gold mine in Colorado. Upon his return to Grimsby, John Henry had his house built on land that was originally part of his grandfather's estate. John Henry and his wife lived in the house for over thirty years, until their deaths. The house remained in the family and came into the possession of the Geddes family, relatives of the Smiths. Dora Geddes was a great-great granddaughter of Loyalist settler John Smith and she lived in the house for over thirty years, until her death in 1947. Once divided into apartments, today this is again a private home that is Designated under the Ontario Heritage Act and was formally recognized on the National Register of Canadian Historic Places in 1978.
Today this is also referred to as the Smith Geddes home.
Photo, undated is captioned "Prosperous orchards in Niagara district viewed from the Niagara escarpment." Source thought to be from the government of Canada photo series of farming taken in the area in the 1920's.
Copyright expired.Collection
AgricultureLocation
* Untyped Location
beige Filing CabinetCondition
Overall Condition
Photo repro mounted on card.
