When was Fulford Place built?
This magnificent 20,000-square-foot mansion was built in 1899-1901 for self-made millionaire and Senator George Taylor Fulford I (1852-1905) and his family. The house was designed by noted American architect Albert W. Fuller, with landscaping design by the prestigious Olmsted Brothers firm.
Who owns the building today?
Fulford Place and its collection were donated to the Ontario Heritage Trust by the Fulford family in 1991. Many items from the family’s collection are exhibited in the house just as they were over 100 years ago.
Are there still members of the Fulford family alive today? If so, how are they associated with this property?
There are still many descendants of George Fulford II and Dorothy Fulford Hardy who visit Fulford Place, donate family heirlooms to the collection and participate in special events.
Who are some of the most famous people to have visited Fulford Place?
The grand style of the Beaux Art house was ideally suited to the Fulfords, as they entertained Canadian prime ministers, British princes and the neighbouring well-to-do whose grand "cottages" lined the St. Lawrence River.
Some of their more famous guests included Prince Edward (later Edward VIII), British Prime Minister Stanley Baldwin, and Canadian Prime Ministers Wilfrid Laurier and William Lyon Mackenzie King. Dorothy Fulford’s 1904 wedding, for example, was the largest social event of George I’s period – with a guest list that included Sir Richard and Lady Cartwright, William and Mrs. Hoard (former governor of Wisconsin) and Lord and Lady Strathcona.
Is Fulford Place really haunted?
Some people think Fulford Place is haunted. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t. You be the judge. Mary Fulford was a proponent of Spiritualism – the belief that the spirits of the dead survive after their mortal life and can communicate with the living. Developed in the United States, Spiritualism reached its peak membership from the 1840s to the 1920s. Mary Fulford used mediums and an Ouija board to contact her deceased family members and friends. She had séances at the mansion with special guests such as Prime Minister William Lyon McKenzie King.
To learn more, join one of Brockville’s ghost walks, run by The Friends of Fulford Place, on Friday nights from early July to September each year.
How can I support Fulford Place?
Fulford Place has an active group of volunteers – The Friends of Fulford Place – who assist with tours and special events. To learn more about becoming a volunteer … Or discover how you can donate to Fulford Place and the Ontario Heritage Trust …