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Glasgow/Smyth Building 241-251 Water St. W., Prescott, ON
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Glasgow/Smyth Building 241-251 Water St. W., Prescott, ON
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This stone building was one of many inns on Water Street in the days of the forwarding trade, and it is the only inn to survive into the 1990s. The exact date for the erection of this 2 storey Georgian designed building, with its gable roof and dormers in the attic, is difficult to determine. It could have been built as early as 1817, since William Murphy bought the property in that year for £25 and sold it later the same year for £200. One would suspect that a substantial stone structure with two identical wings and an arched carriage way could well account for the eight fold increase in property value. On the other hand the Canadian Inventory of Historic Buildings gives the date for the construction as 1840-42.
The first record of an inn on these premises dates from tax records in 1856. These indicate that an inn was operated by John Gibson in the part of this Water Street building which he rented from Samuel Glasgow. By that time the building had been split between two owners. Glasgow acquired the west wing in 1843 and Alexander Smyth the east wing in 1844, both men dealing with the previous owner Ebenezer Bacon.
By 1856, with the passing of the forwarding trade, Water Street was in decline and King Street had become the focus of business activities. This handsome building is a reminder of the days when Water Street was the centre of commerce in Prescott.
The east wing of this building was connected
to the Smyth Building on King Street and was the location of newspaper printing since 1890.
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