112 Maria St. BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger. 112 Maria St. BlackburnNews.com photo by Dave Dentinger.
Sarnia

Skilbeck Cottage Receives Heritage Designation

A plaque designating Skilbeck Cottage under the Heritage Act was unveiled Saturday.

A special ceremony was held at the house at 112 Maria St. at 1pm.

Past chair of the Sarnia Heritage Committee, Wayne Wager, says the designation recognizes homeowner Gerry Legaults' effort to help protect the historical site by rebuilding and refurbishing the home in keeping with the historical characteristics of the structure, after a devastating fire.

"There's an awful lot of properties here that people don't realize date back 100-150 years," says Wager. "We need to encourage people to protect these properties and save them for future generations to appreciate."

One of Sarnia's first businessmen, Robert Skilbeck, purchased the property in 1844 and then built the house.

In 1847, the first money-lending institution in the city was run out of the back room of the brick house because there was no bank in Sarnia until 1852.

The "Syndicate", as it was known, eventually was incorporated as "The Building and Investment Company", the oldest Trust Company in Canada.

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