Living in Aurora, Town of Aurora, Ontario » Friends of Petch House

Remebering Petch House, When In Bad Condition

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 19:54:35 +0000

Looks like the Petch log house restoration will be soon done and the house will have a new look, different look, but then the Petch log house had few different looks over the years anyway.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011

Now build on the concrete foundation, new cedar roof, wood siding soon to be installed, new windows still in the making, electrical wiring just in time for Christmas – a complete makeover. After that some tedious work inside the log house is going to take place. On the inside the house, the logs surface will be exposed.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011

I got lots of pictures. Petch house is probably my first and biggest photo documenting portfolio. There are hundreds and hundreds of photos on my computer, and when I view them sometimes it still feels like I missed something. Well, I do have a missing link – what happened between last August, 2011, until October of this year, 2012.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011

So what happened? I really don’t know what happened. Probably mainly stuff like design work, engineering drawings were prepared, rework/treatment drawings, orders for new materials, planning – all the fun things you cannot photograph.

The logs on the other hand were given special trimming and a ‘steam spa’ treatment. Pictures don’t lie, there was a lot of deterioration on some of the logs, therefore, unfortunately not all the ends made to the new re-stored house.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011, Roof Down

So I thought that I had photos posted here from the last August (2011) when they took down the Petch log house for restoration, but I guess not. They were donated to Friends of the Petch House, and since the site does not exist anymore, there aren’t any photos online.

Therefore, before I publish photos of the house ‘from ground up’, I will share some photos ‘going down’.

Petch Log House Dis-assembly, July 28, 2011

It is interesting to see that lot of faces I photographed last year will appear on photos from 2012. Its been a long journey for the house and I am glad to see and hear that those who fought for this project for a long time were given this restoration assignment.

Not to mention it is so nice to hear how every person on the Petch log house restoration project is and continues to be proud of their work. I wish I could remember all I have been told, but then my camera did the ‘remembering job’ for me in pictures.

On the side note, today when I visited the site, I saw the last areas of the external wood surface covered with the vapor barrier. I guess it is going to be hidden for another 100 or 200 years, unless … needs to be uncovered.

Aurora Farmers Market, In The Past It Was Old Post Office & General Store

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Tue, 16 Aug 2011 04:09:13 +0000

The Aurora Farmers Market is definitely not just a place to buy local but also it is a gathering place ‘Your Meeting Place In Aurora‘. Another place to buy, but there is more. A place where we meet others. A place where children have fun. A place where we escape.

It is so typical these days in Aurora to say I will be at the Farmers Market or I meet you at the market. ‘I hope we get a chance to meet up one day, maybe over a coffee at the market‘, once Matt Maddocks wrote me, and I hope so too.

I don’t know many people, but I know Katherine Belrose (Friends of Petch House) very well and we always got to chat on the market. Her Pioneer booth was exciting one last Saturday, and was well aligned with the Senior’s Day.

Now, where else would you meet, it is so simple, and most of us know the way to the market on Saturday morning. And if you don’t know where it is, on Saturday all signs lead to the Aurora Farmers Market.

Our Farmers Market definitely has a social component built in. It is really nice to see people chatting with each other. Vendors shop among themselves. People buy with enthusiasm. Re-usable bags are being filled to the top.

I great place for children to get out, visit the playground, cool off at the splash pad and then head out for a nice cookie or pop-corn treats, or even have full lunch.

On August 13th the market had a very busy day. It was Senior’s Day, a very eventful as you will see in my later post. Busy shoppers buying a lot of good healthy food, fruits and vegetables especially this time of the year at the peak of the farmer’s harvest. It is easy to capture the essence of the market with my camera, but this time it was in the air. A strong aroma of fresh veggies and herbs traveled throughout.

Aurora Farmers Market started in 2003. In the past it was the Old Post Office gathering:

‘From its opening on November 24, 1915 until its closure in 1967, the old Post Office played an important role as a focal point of activity in the life of Aurora. The central platform for mail deposit was a convenient stage for citizens to express their opinions on matters of local concern. Before the advent of home delivery, collecting the mail was an opportunity for neighbours to socialize. Its clock has chimed the hours for generations of Aurora citizens.‘ Source: Town of Aurora Website.

‘The Post Office officially opened on November 24, 1915. The building soon became an important place for people to gather and spend time with their neighbours and colleagues. The letter drop, located in the middle of the building, was often used as a platform for speakers. The welcoming addresses for soldiers returning from the First and Second World Wars were made from this platform. The chimes of the tower clock announced the time for the community then as it does today.‘ Source: Town of Aurora Website.

Nothing lasts forever. Times change. The General Store was once a gathering place too:

‘In 1951, the general store operated by Mr. Larry Rubin and his brother Lou became the Aurora I.G.A. Foodliner, a supermarket. There were incentives to visit the store: special prices, door prices and a draw for twenty-five dollars. The store had everything except a meat department, but that was soon added. Aurora then had one stop food shopping on Wellington Street East. This was convenient, but it did cut down on meandering, shopping and socializing along the town’s shopping district.‘ Source: ‘Aurora 1945-1965, An Ontario Town at a Time of Great Change’, by Elizabeth Hearn Milner, pg 50, 2007.

To conclude my photo journey of the Aurora Farmers Market on August 13th, let me say that – there is always room for a garden.

To view the gallery below, click on the thumbnail image, and then on the image to preview all photos from August 13, 2011, Aurora Farmers Market. More photos from the same day related to Senior’s Day and Pioneer presentation coming next.

Petch House, It Was A Lifetime Opportunity

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 04:37:37 +0000

Theoretically Petch House will never be the same. As of a last week August 4th, 2011 in the late afternoon, the house was totally taken apart and all logs and other parts of the house were moved to the storage on the local farm where it will be restored. In the future, it will have a new and restored look.

However, it will take a great skill to restore the house, as it took a great skill to built this house in 1840s, and in the future this will be definitely a historical event.

Petch House - roof off

I must say it was a lifetime opportunity to photograph the Petch house before it was labelled and dismantled. I was inside in the early spring. I many times visited from outside. I saw and photographed the gradual deterioration, especially of the logs on the corners. I saw embraced by nature and guarded by wildlife.

Petch House - log by log dismantling

Lastly I was able to photograph inside again when town went go ahead with the dis-assembly. I was inside once again by permission equipped with my camera, safety boots and hard-hat. Once the roof was removed, the logs inside got to see the natural light and beautiful wood log textures were revealed.

Then on August 3rd, 2011 I found a spot across the Leslie Street to witness and photograph the dismantling process of the walls, down to the floor. I had my little Matthew with me that day, so going closer to the site with a heavy equipment was a big no for us.

Petch House - last corner

To see the Petch house photographed at different stages of disassembly by Peter Van Nostrand, his team and with the help of town on August 3rd, 2011 and much more you can visit The Friends of Petch House the Restoration web page.

Petch House, August 4th, 2011, all done

Hope everyone enjoyed my little photographic journey of the Petch house last few months, but before you move on note something I just realized – the background. There was nothing else, but trees, lots of green trees.

So until next time … it may be quiet for a while.

Petch House, That Is Strange? Alive Again

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Sat, 30 Jul 2011 19:28:51 +0000

Three months elapsed since April 21_st, 2011 – my first visit inside the Petch house. Destiny of the 160 year old log house was then unknown, but was promising.

On July 28 of the same year I am inside the Petch house taking photographs again. It was different this time. The natural light, better for photography, entered through the windows and the roof, and from the corners of the heavily deteriorated logs. Much more was uncovered and there was much more to see. This time the house was giving off different sense of feeling – a positive one.

Embraced and nurtured by nature for many years, the Petch house was happy to have friends inside once again. Friends that were now effortlessly working to save the weak standing structure on the side of Leslie Street in Aurora.

Petch House, Deteriorated Corner, July 28th, 2011

The house is being restored by Peter Van Nostrand and his team. It is interesting to know that the Petch house is restored by someone who has deep roots in Aurora community. The house would not have survived one more year, so they say, and I was able to see it myself. The photographs do not lie.

For many days the house was being aired and cleaned. The results are stunning. The house inside is beautiful again. Of course it does not look like any decorated house we live in now, but if you have sense and appreciation for the workmanship and the skill people had back than to build their own houses, the beauty is there.

The Petch house is definitely on the new journey. It will never be the same, meaning original, but it will be a stronger, renewed, restored log house that will survive many more generations to come.

It will never house a family again, but it will definitely have a valuable purpose in our town. I am so honored to be part of the project and photograph the restoration process that is in place now. This is all thanks to Katherine Belrose – it is a life time opportunity to be part of the historical event that is taking place here in Aurora.

Our experience and technicality of the restoration from July 26th-28th, are now published on the The Friends of Petch House website – Petch House Layers Tell Us Many Things by Katherine Belrose.

The Petch house will have a new location once restored. I will miss this log house, not for long, but still standing lonely on the one side of Leslie Street. The house will be gone, and never know, that beautiful country road view may go with it in the near future.

Petch House on Leslie Street

Later that day …

I wondered into the garage. I knew I put my sealed plastic container somewhere. I found it sitting on the shelf, the same shelf I placed my Petch box three months ago. This time I had a rusted nail from late 1800s and I wanted to include with my other collection, with the deteriorated log pieces I collected back then. They were just wet dark pieces of wood that fell on the ground and were about to fall apart even more if disturbed.

Piece of Deteriorated Wood Log

I gently opened the box, and I saw it to my disbelief to be alive again. The color of the wood chips changed and some sort of plant species was rooting itself to the wood chip which I have not seen before. Separated, but not far from the Petch house, the pieces were glowing and breathing the same way the Petch house was blooming on the day I photographed it, July 28, 2011.

The Petch House, A New Journey

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Sat, 09 Jul 2011 05:19:38 +0000

The Petch house is getting a lot of attention in THE AURORA and The Banner lately. Lengthy articles are written. Columns are filled with letters to the editor. The Petch house itself is being prepared for the move.

Fenced Petch House

The chain link fence now surrounds the house. Little by little, patched up areas are being cleaned off the outside walls or surface of the logs – evidence of contrast between faded and darker wetter surface areas. The corners are now strapped and supported, especially the one which were slowly sliding out and deteriorating. Not sure, but the inside is probably being cleaned out as well.

Petch House, Strapping

After sitting on the lot on Leslie Street, just south of Wellington Street East for many years now, the Petch house starts a new journey. Its destiny for a while was in a jeopardy. There is a hope, but what’s next? A battle to determine if the house should really be placed in the Community Arboretum beside the Aurora Town Hall.

Petch House, Back

Aha, the plan and the location requested by the Friends of Petch house was clear – in Petchville near the Stronach Recreation Complex and the Urban Wildlife Park to be authentic as possible. Now we are in the pulling-a-rope-mode again. Why can’t we just help the Friends of the Petch house to follow their plan and vision, instead of altering. I see costly battle in the horizon.

Petch House, Facing Sun

I personally met Ms. Katherine Belrose who is the driving force behind saving the log house. Because of her motivation, courage and personal investment both time and monetary, the town should grant her full control to lead the project. Her vision and path is clear. Her interest is pure. She is the person to trust right now.

Petch House

This is something to think about. The Petch house is a relic of our town and it should be preserved. The proper location for the house to grow its new roots is also an important factor in its new journey.

The Richness, The Beauty, The Petch House

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Sat, 04 Jun 2011 03:55:50 +0000

I find beauty everywhere and I found beauty in the Petch House that once housed many families here in Aurora grounds. An old decaying log house now embraced by nature is standing alone and waiting for the day that will be alive again.

The Petch House at Sunset, Aurora

Days are passing by and the process of natural and yet accelerated decay is taking over. The deterioration from the last time I visited the property is more prominent. Everything with time is decaying. It is a natural process and cannot be stopped, but it can be slowed down.

Shifting

Nature took over. Nature embraced this little log house and added unprecedented natural beauty. It is now home to squirrels, birds, ants and many more. Why not? Survivors will seek shelter. It’s there and it is serving its purpose as it once served purpose a long time ago providing a shelter to many families.

Seeking Shelter

Tiny, tiny plants are growing on the logs and feeding on the nutrients from the deteriorated logs, once trees. A fundamental principle in physics states that mass is conserved, it cannot be created or destroyed, thus with the help of sun energy, moisture and the wood nutrients, a foliage is now carrying the Petch house history within. The cycle of life will continue, and this property will be forever marked.

Alone

Let the Petch house be a nutrient to our community. I think it is misunderstanding when one says history will repeat itself. Absolutely not in my opinion, history is irreversible. The moment I take a photo of something, it becomes a snapshot from the past. As much as I will try very hard to duplicate exact, it is nearly impossible. Everything may look the same, but the time is different.

Let us think about this – the differences in history now and history then. The art of making, building, producing or manufacturing of everything around us has accelerated exponentially with advancements in technology. We don’t think about it, but every minute millions of millions of everyday items are made mechanically. Skilled trade is fading. The art of making is fading. House made today is just another production house.

It may take 1000 years and not 100 years for the simple family house built today to gain a historical value. Not to mention, because everything is built so fast, it can have the same fast down fall, thus never to be of historical value. Only the giant architectural structures will be in front of line in our future history books, but what will that represent in our society.

Sometimes we think of history as dates and events. But history is in everything and is part of our lives. We learn from mistakes. Mistakes are past, mistakes are history. History is our teacher.

The Petch House Treasures

How this house could possibly be a nutrient to our community? The answer is simple, over many generations it preserved family values. The house was built with love and with intention to raise a family. It endured happiness and sadness. In those days, the sole goal of the family was to survive by building a shelter and farming to put food on the table.

Look around you today – do we have the same intentions. Our shelters today hardly ever are passed on from generation to generation. Our ‘ready’ food on the table comes from a local supermarket packed and cooked and ready to be microwaved. Our houses are filled with objects that are not unique anymore; they are really one of the millions and millions of things produced. In my eyes, the Petch house is a representation of stability – something our community and society lacks and needs today. Let us then learn from the history – from Petch families and their traditions, let the house be our example.

Petch House Log Cross-section Reveals Rings

What else can we learn? Few evenings ago I visited the Petch house for the third time and aftermath my head was filled with thoughts written here. It was a beautiful sun set on the horizon and the direct shine on the Petch house helped me to uncover the little things one may not see it at first glance – the age of the logs and art of making them. The age rings of the tree are very prominent and their age can be approximated. The center of the ring being closer to the edge shows that tree was first split into two halves and then each was squared.

Hook in the Log

Can you see that I am hooked, but I am not the only one out there? The media picked up on the efficient and strategic effort to save the house by The Friends of the Petch House. More history is being uncovered as per their recent post Petchville Treasures and my previous post Inventions From Aurora, Plow Attachment By J.A. Petch. The house has rich history as it is unvailing in front of our eyes, and don’t forget the beauty. The intricate patterns and textures on the Petch house can really captivate the eye of the observer, but that is a story for another time.

Petch House Textures

Inventions From Aurora, Plow Attachment By J.A. Petch

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Tue, 03 May 2011 06:13:49 +0000

Motivated about the recent historic Aurora’s J. Fleury’s Sons advertisement printed in The Auroran [Week of April 26, 2011, pg 4], I thought I look for patents that were filed by residents or businesses in Aurora. Bingo! I found one that has connection to the Petch House. The invention is the Plow Attachment that was filed with patent office in the United States back in 1893 by John Arthur Petch, of Aurora, Canada.

Plow Attachment, Patent No. 499,577, dated June 13, 1983

Arthur John Petch, of Aurora, in the county of York, Province of Ontario, and Dominion of Canada, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Plow Attachments.

According to the Friends of Petch House website Arthur John Petch (1848-1916) born in the Petch house was a son of Issac and Emma Petch; and was 45 years old when filed patent for his invention.

Source: Plow Attachment, Patent No. 499,577, dated June 13, 1983.

A Photo Journey To The Petch House In Aurora

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Tue, 03 May 2011 03:06:22 +0000

Just before the Easter weekend I had my first photo journey to the Petch house – yes, I was invited inside. It was very interesting and inspiring journey to be part of – to explore the 167 years old family house built in Aurora. I like the old log houses. There is so much character in them even though they look very simple – one might say. The condition the Petch house is now, is not the best. There is nothing fascinating about it if you just look. The house been renovated many times over 100 years so we may never really know the original look inside. However, if you look closely then you will find many interesting treasures to admire.

Petch House, Leslie Street, Town of Aurora

Someone said treasure? Yes, I was hoping to find a real treasure, but not this time. However, let me take you and show you some of the things that can be seen now in the Petch house. If the house gets a new place and new purpose for years to come, then it will have to be taken apart, mainly for safety reasons because the bottom support is in a bad condition, and structurally poses safety issues. According to the Friends of Petch House the house is not going to be a museum because it does not have a collection of artifacts, however, it is going to be used for community events and educational programs.

Interior Wood Log Walls of the Petch House With Contrasting Wall Paper

As you can see the house was built from the thick and long wood logs. You can see the same log on the outside and inside. The light wasn’t very good for taking pictures, but if you look closely you can see the rough chiseled marks. Not sure if chiseled is the right word to use, but one can definitely see that the uneven surface is definitely worked by hand. Aha, contrasting wall paper on the above picture. I thought it would be interesting to see the difference in wall decoration then and now. I am sure it all started with bare wood walls.

Interior Wood Log Walls of the Petch House

The same uneven surface is also seen on the top beam on the side wall, in the room that was probably a kitchen, to support the cross beams. However, the cross beams that run across the ceiling looked much more refined – little too perfect. But then, as the house will be examined further in the future by experienced crew, we will know more then about the beams.

Ceiling Support Beams, Petch House

The shown before contrasting wall paper is probably from 1980s, but then we found this (see below). It looked like painting, however, it was a definitely some sort of wall paper which we observed on the second floor. Well, that wall paper definitely is not ordinary wall paper, it has much more historic look and a feel. I was able to capture couple of nice undamaged areas. Again, probably from early 1900s, but this to be determined yet.

Wall Paper Sample Inside The Petch House

When I first time visited the Petch house by myself, I only saw the outside. I was kind of surprised to find modern features, one of them being electrical wiring, but then the house was always occupied, until recent few years. The original site of the Petch house was where the current Rona store is. The house itself has one main floor and the second floor. There was also a basement, but at this moment the house sits on the iron beams so there is nothing underneath. On the second journey, when we first time came inside, surprise, surprise, the entrance door on the side was swinging. We found broken lock. I guess we will never know the purpose of the break in.

Outside Log Structure Of The Petch House

The outside log is a photographer dream. There is so much abstract there. The old rusty nails add sense of security to the whole structure. However, the logs below are slowly deteriorating and shifting apart. Now the cycling weather condition is not helping at all. The inside is also exposed to weather conditions. Lets hope that some hidden treasure inside the house is well hidden and preserved, otherwise there will be none. To conclude, probably there is no treasure, but for Aurora the Petch House is a treasure by itself, and must be preserved.

Outside Log Structure Of The Petch House

I would like to extend special thank you to Katherine from the Friends of Petch House, who made the arrangement for my photo journey. If you want to learn more about Petch House, you can visit the Friends of Petch House web site or even better you can meet the volunteers in person at the Aurora Farmers Market on May 7th, 2011.

Petch House, My First Visit

Anna Lozyk Romeo — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 05:43:16 +0000

In couple of days I will explore the insides of the Petch House located on Leslie Street, Town of Aurora, and I will be allowed to take some pictures. Stayed tuned for an update and my experience of a life in early 1800s.Too bad that someone already lived there, and not everything is original, but still I am excited. My first visit was about a week ago. I walked around and too few nice pictures. The front has the Flying Club sign – it kind of sucks, because just did not belong there on my photo.

Petch House, Town of Aurora