The first house built in this location was built in 1846 by John Beamer Bowslaugh, who donated the land on the lakeshore for the Ontario Methodist Camp Meeting Ground (currently Grimsby Park). The house was destroyed by fire in 1874, and was rebuilt as it appears today. It has been restored by the present owner John Allen. Notice the barn which has an off grain cupola. This is said to have represented the owners Pro-Confederate sympathies.
The widow's walk was built around 1920. A widow's walk is a railed rooftop platform, originally designed to observe vessels at sea. The name comes from the wives of mariners who would watch for their spouses to return. In some instances, the ocean took the lives of the mariners, leaving the women as widows; they would often thereafter gaze out to sea wishing that their loved ones would return home and hence the name widow's walk was born.
Private Residence, not open to the public.
Grimsby Historical Society and archives located at the Carnegie Building, available for visit or phone on Monday, Wednesday, Friday 8:30 am - 12 noon.
Near corner of Main Street East and Park Road, Grimsby
A Tour of Grimsby's Desginated Heritage Sites
Phone: | (905) 309-0796 |
Bowslaugh House
245 Main Street East
Grimsby, Ontario
L3M 1P5
Latitude: | 43.185711795842 |
Longitude: | -79.529971020263 |
UTM easting: | 619459 |
UTM northing: | 4782487 |
Grimsby Historical Society,
Grimsby Archives,
Carnegie Building
25 Adelaide Street
Grimsby, Ontario
L3M 1X2
Tel (905) 309-0796
Email ghsarchives@becon.org