Barnum House
Eliakim Barnum came to this area in 1807 from the United States and began a thriving milling business, a tavern and distillery. With success, he was able to build this house — one of Ontario’s finest examples of neoclassical architecture. The house remained in the Barnum family until 1917. In 1940, the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario acquired the property and opened it to the public as the province’s first period house museum.
Location:
On the grounds of the house, County Road 2, at the western approach to Grafton
Themes:
Buildings and structures
Plaque text:
A superb example of a prosperous Upper Canadian home, this elegant classical building was erected about 1819. Though its interior has been modified several times since, the façade remains essentially unaltered. In the first historic house restoration undertaken in the province, the structure was refurbished by the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario in 1940. Since 1982, its continued preservation has been entrusted to the Ontario Heritage Foundation.
