Fulford Place facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fulford Place |
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| Location | 287 King Street East Brockville, Ontario |
| Built | 1899–1901 |
| Built for | George Taylor Fulford |
| Original use | Private residence |
| Current use | Historic house museum |
| Architect | Albert W. Fuller (house) Olmsted Brothers (garden) |
| Governing body | Ontario Heritage Trust |
| Website | Fulford Place webpage |
| Designated | 1992 |
Fulford Place is a beautiful old mansion in Brockville, Ontario. It was finished in 1901 for Senator George Taylor Fulford. He was a Canadian businessman and politician. Today, Fulford Place is a historic house museum. It shows what homes looked like during the Edwardian era. The Ontario Heritage Trust takes care of it. In 1992, it became a National Historic Site of Canada. This means it's a very important historical place in Canada.
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History of Fulford Place Mansion
George Taylor Fulford made a lot of money selling a product called "Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for Pale People." He bought the rights to these pills in 1890. With his new wealth, the Fulford family decided to build a grand mansion. They chose a spot in Brockville, right by the St. Lawrence River. Many other rich business people had beautiful homes there too.
Building the Grand Fulford Home
In 1898, the Fulfords started planning their new estate. It was built on the King’s Highway, at the east side of Brockville. An architect named Albert W. Fuller from Albany, New York, designed Fulford Place. The house was decorated in a fancy style called Beaux-Arts style. This style often includes grand details and impressive designs.
The mansion was built between 1899 and 1901. It had 35 rooms and was very large, covering 20,000 square feet. That's a lot of space!
Entertaining Guests at Fulford Place
George Fulford was an important person in business and politics. Because of this, Fulford Place was often used for parties and gatherings. The house had special rooms for entertaining. There was a huge main hall and a dining room big enough for over thirty guests.
It also had a large veranda, which is like a big porch. Ladies would gather in a fancy drawing room decorated in a rococo style. For the gentlemen, there was a Moorish-style smoking room next to a billiard room.
The Famous Gardens of Fulford Place
The outdoor areas at Fulford Place were designed by the famous Olmsted Brothers. They were well-known landscape architects. The formal Italianate garden has been restored. It is a rare and important example of a private garden designed by the Olmsted Brothers.
Over time, the property became smaller. George Taylor Fulford II had to sell some of the land. This helped him pay for the house's upkeep. He owned Fulford Place until he passed away. Then, he gave it to the Ontario Heritage Foundation, which is now the Ontario Heritage Trust. Later, his wife and son donated all the original items inside the house.
The Fulford Family Story
George Taylor Fulford was born in Brockville in 1852. He went to business school in Belleville. There, he met Mary Wilder White, who would become his wife. Mary was a well-known person from Wisconsin. She and George wrote letters to each other for ten years before they married in 1880.
They had three children: Dorothy Marston Fulford (born 1881), Martha Harris Fulford (born 1883), and George Taylor Fulford II (born 1902). In 1900, George Fulford became a Senator. He was chosen by the Prime Minister, Sir Wilfried Laurier. This made George both a businessman and a politician.
Sadly, in 1905, George Fulford died in a car accident. This happened while he was on a business trip. He was the first Canadian to die in a car accident. His daughter Dorothy married Arthur Charles Hardy in 1904. Martha married twice before she died in 1910. Mary Fulford lived at Fulford Place with her son George until she died in 1946. George Fulford II and his wife Josephine Weller lived there with their three children: Martha, Dwight, and George III.
Fulford Place as a Museum
The Ontario Heritage Trust worked hard to restore the house. They opened it to the public as a historic house museum in 1993. The museum shows how the house looked during the Edwardian era. This was possible because old photographs of the rooms existed. They also had many original items, not copies.
Some of the original items include a special butterfly Steinway piano. George Fulford gave this piano to his wife, Mary. There is also a beautiful Tiffany Dragon Fly Lamp. This grand and richly decorated mansion is a National Historic Site of Canada. It is a popular place for tourists to visit in the Brockville area.
The museum works with several groups. These include the CMA, the CHIN, and the Virtual Museum of Canada.
Fulford Place in Film
Fulford Place has even been featured in a movie! The TV movie Little Gloria... Happy at Last (1982) used the mansion. Several rooms, like the drawing room and bedrooms, were filmed there. The outside of the house was also shown. This movie was about the real-life story of Gloria Vanderbilt.
