Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site facts for kids
Ermatinger-Clergue Heritage Discovery Centre
|
|
| Location | Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada |
|---|---|
| Type | Museum |
The Ermatinger Clergue National Historic Site is a special place in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. It's a historic site and a museum where you can learn about the past.
What You'll Find at the Site
There are three main buildings at this historic site. These are the Ermatinger Old Stone House, the Clergue Blockhouse, and the Heritage Discovery Centre. The Ermatinger and Clergue buildings are believed to be the oldest ones northwest of Toronto.
The Heritage Discovery Centre was finished in 2014. This building offers more space for learning and fun activities. The city of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, takes care of the entire site.
The Ermatinger Old Stone House
The Ermatinger Old Stone House is the very first building on this site. It was built a long time ago, between 1814 and 1823. Many people think it's one of the oldest houses still standing in Northern Ontario.
A fur trader named Charles Oakes Ermatinger built this house. He lived there with his wife and children. He left Sault Ste. Marie in 1828. In 1957, this house was named a national historic site.
The house is made from local stone and wood. It faces the St. Mary's River. It was a very large and impressive building for its time. After the Ermatinger family moved out, the house was used for many different things. It was a mission, a hotel, a post office, and even a dance hall. The City of Sault Ste. Marie bought the house in 1965. They fixed it up, and then it opened as a museum for everyone to visit.
A historian from Sault Ste. Marie, named McNeice, started studying the house in 1956. She also researched the Ermatinger family. Her work led to a book about the family, which was published later by her daughter.
The Clergue Blockhouse
The Clergue blockhouse was once a place to store gunpowder. It was part of a trading post owned by the North West Company. Later, the North West Company joined with the Hudson's Bay Company. When the person in charge of the trading post left in 1867, the site was no longer used. Only the foundation of the gunpowder storage building remained.
An American businessman named F.H. Clergue bought the property. He turned the old gunpowder storage building into a home. He lived in the blockhouse from 1894 to 1902.
In 1979, the City of Sault Ste. Marie named the blockhouse a local historical site. In 1995, a paper mill nearby had plans that would put the blockhouse at risk. So, in 1996, the City of Sault Ste. Marie bought the building. They moved it from the paper mill to the Ermatinger Old Stone House site. This created a group of important historic buildings all in one place.
