Niagara Apothecary facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Niagara Apothecary |
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Façade, with a mortar and pestle mounted on the gable
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| Former names | The Niagara Apothecary at the Sign of the Golden Mortar (1818 or later – 1820s) Starkwather and Brown (early 1820s) Niagara Apothecary and Cheap Cash Store (1820s) Niagara Apothecary (1829–1833) Randall's Drug Store (1898–1914) Coyne Drugs (1914–1921) Field's Drugstore (1921–1964) |
| General information | |
| Type | Museum |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| Address | 5 Queen Street |
| Town or city | Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 43°15′18″N 79°04′15″W / 43.25505°N 79.07089°W |
| Estimated completion | 1818–1820 |
| Renovated | 1970 – 13 May 1971 |
| Renovation cost | $38,000, equivalent to CA$265,000 in 2021 |
| Owner | Ontario Heritage Trust |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 1 |
| Renovating team | |
| Architect | Peter John Stokes |
| Official name: Niagara Apothecary National Historic Site of Canada | |
| Designated: | 28 November 1968 |
The Niagara Apothecary is a very old pharmacy in Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. It opened around 1820. Today, it is a National Historic Site of Canada and a museum.
Many people who owned the pharmacy learned their skills from the previous owner. In the 1960s, a group called the Niagara Foundation bought it to save it. Then, the Ontario Heritage Foundation bought it in 1969. They worked hard to fix it up. In May 1971, it opened as a museum.
The museum looks like a pharmacy from the time of Canadian Confederation (around 1867). The Ontario College of Pharmacy runs it. About 100,000 people visit it every year.
Contents
Saving a Piece of History
In the 1960s, people in Ontario wanted to save old buildings. They wanted to stop them from being torn down. In Niagara-on-the-Lake, many old buildings were still standing. This was because the town had not grown much since the late 1800s.
After World War II, new buildings started to appear. So, in 1962, people decided to create a group to protect local history. This group became the Niagara Foundation.
The Niagara Foundation asked for help to study the town's old buildings. Architect Peter John Stokes led this study. He was a top expert on old buildings in Ontario. He found many interesting places, including Field's Drugstore.
This drugstore had been owned by E.W. Field since 1921. Its outside had changed little since the 1860s. The inside, with its old shelves and layout, was still "remarkably intact." The Niagara Foundation worried the store might be sold. So, in 1963, they asked the Ontario College of Pharmacy (OCP) to help save it. The OCP agreed, thinking it could become a museum about pharmacy history.
Field retired in 1964. The Niagara Foundation and OCP rented the store. They also got the first chance to buy it if Field died. When Field passed away, they didn't have enough money to buy it. In 1965, a government minister promised that the province would buy the property.
Two years later, the promise had not been kept. So, the groups started their own plans to fix up the building. Canada's 100th birthday (the Canadian Centennial) in 1967 helped. It encouraged funding for similar projects. In July, the Niagara Foundation received a $15,000 grant.
In early 1968, the Ontario Heritage Trust (OHF) was created. Fixing up Field's Drugstore became its first project. The federal government agreed to pay half the cost. On July 10, 1969, the OHF bought the property from the Niagara Foundation.
Bringing the Past to Life
In 1962, Peter John Stokes had already listed Field's Drugstore as important. He wrote that it should be "restored if possible." He liked its front, detailed wood carvings, cabinets, and fancy plaster work.
In April 1970, the Ontario Heritage Trust and the federal government signed a contract. They agreed to fund the CA$38,000 project. Stokes was hired to manage the work. Not much was written about the pharmacy's history. So, Stokes used photos from 1905 and the building's existing features to guide the restoration.
The goal was to make the building look exactly as it did in the 1860s. They used the same paint colors and finishes. Missing parts were made using old materials and techniques. Things that didn't fit the historical look, like modern signs, were removed. The building was made stronger, and everything was cleaned or painted.
In May 1971, the new museum was ready to open. Pharmacists arranged the old items while workers finished up. Many important people attended the opening on May 14, 1971. The next day, the Niagara Foundation held a special event for the public.
Who Owned the Pharmacy?
The building is on land given to William Dickson in 1796. The first pharmacy was on Prideaux Street. Its owner, Rodman Starkwather, later moved it to Queen Street. In 1833, Starkwather sold his business to James Harvey. Harvey ran it until he died in 1851. Many of the glass bottles now in the museum are thought to have come from England during his time.
In 1852, Harvey's family sold the business to Henry Paffard. Paffard had learned from Harvey. In 1866, when he was also the town's mayor, a fire damaged his house and the pharmacy. In 1869, he bought the current building. He made big changes, like lowering the floor and adding black walnut counters. He also installed a fancy dispensary (where medicines were prepared).
After 46 years, Paffard sold the business in 1898 to his student, John DeWolfe Randall. Randall died in 1914. Arthur J. Coyne bought the business and ran it until 1922. Coyne also had a pharmacy in St. Catharines. In 1922, he decided to focus on that store. He sold the Niagara-on-the-Lake pharmacy to Erland Field.
However, Coyne kept about 200 old glass bottles. Field ran the business until 1964, when he retired due to poor health. He gave the Niagara Foundation and Ontario College of Pharmacy the first chance to buy the store.
The Niagara Foundation bought the property. In 1969, they sold it to the Ontario Heritage Foundation. In 1970, the Niagara Foundation and Ontario College of Pharmacy made a deal. The Ontario Heritage Foundation would restore and care for the building. The Ontario College of Pharmacy would restore the pharmacy items and run the museum.
What Was Sold Here?
In the 1800s and early 1900s, rules for pharmacies were not strict. So, many stores sold medicines, including bookstores. Pharmacies also sold other things.
The Niagara Apothecary sold many different items over the years. These included gasoline, postal insurance, and supplies for animals and boats. They also sold ice cream, soft drinks, and train or boat tickets. From the 1820s to 1840, they even advertised garden seeds. They also offered services like a telephone and photo supplies.
Inside the Old Pharmacy
The building is a single-story structure. It is made of clapboard (overlapping wooden boards). It is built in the Georgian style. The building sits right on the sidewalk of Queen Street, the town's main shopping area.
The outside has a mix of styles. It has a Palladian revival entrance and Italianate features. These include large display windows around the entrance, separated by decorative pillars.
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The inside looks like a pharmacy from the Confederation era. The counters and cabinets are made of black walnut wood. There is also a fancy wooden dispensary and a crystal gas lamp. The dispensary has a clock, a carved beaver, and two light globes held by female figures. Old Venetian blinds from 1866 hang from the windows.
The glass bottles, jars, and pots on the shelves are the same ones that Coyne took in 1922. He had sold some of them. Later, the Academy of Medicine in Toronto bought these. The Academy then loaned them to the Ontario College of Pharmacy for the museum. Coyne's wife sold the rest of the bottles to the Ontario College of Pharmacy. Other items in the museum came from donations or from the University of Toronto's Faculty of Pharmacy.
This building is special because it is the only one in town from the Confederation period. That's when the drug store moved to its current spot in 1866.
A National Treasure
The restoration of the Niagara Apothecary is seen as a great success in saving history in Ontario. It was named a National Historic Site of Canada on November 28, 1968. It was officially listed on the Canadian Register on March 25, 2008. A special plaque was put outside the building. Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother unveiled it on July 5, 1981.
In 1985, an expert named Ernst Stieb said it was "the most authentic restoration of its kind in Canada." The Ontario College of Pharmacy runs the museum. About 100,000 visitors come each year. In 1973, the American Association of State and Local History gave an award to the Ontario Heritage Foundation and the Ontario College of Pharmacy for their work.
The museum shows how pharmacies looked in early Ontario. However, it focuses on the historical practice of pharmacy, not just selling things. The name "apothecary" is an old term, but it helps show the museum's historical focus.
