S1 | Rewind Design | E7 Patty on Rose Point - Part 1
Patty on the Point
A whimsical farmhouse named Ettrick on Georgian Bay circa 1894.
Welcome to Rewind Design A Cottage History Podcast with your host + Local Interior Designer, (me!) Katy McNabb. Today we will be putting the spotlight on a historical Parry Harbour cottage. Join me, as I navigate the waters and go back in time to explore this whimsical farmhouse on the bay.
This episode of Rewind Design is so exciting for me: not only is it close to home, but Patty’s family history dates back to the 1800’s when Parry Sound was only accessible by steam paddle boat. This story of perseverance and adventurous spirit is so compelling, true to this area and the generation of people that came here. This episode will be split into 2 parts, as after I met with Patty, I realised just how much history this property held and how there would be no way to fit all into one hour! Patty initially reached out to me via email with the following message:
“Hello Katy,
Our house (cottage) is on the northeast-ish side of Glenn Burney Marina. It was built by my great, great grandpa in 1894. It was the first house on Rose Point (actually, my grandpa bought the land from Mr. Rose. Grandpa and his children informally started calling it “Rose Point” and it stuck). My ancestors lived here until 1916 or so, then it became a summer home. It has been handed down through the generations ever since. Let me know if I can be of any help to you. This is a wonderful idea! My guess is that you’ll be inundated with everyone’s love for this area.
Thank you, Patty”
Part 1 From Ettrick, Scotland to Parry Sound, Canada
Rose Point to the right of the Swing Bridge
Painting of Ettrick on the Rock has become a tradition!
1890 Deed showing transfer of property from Annette Rose (widow of Martin Rose) to Patty's great, great grandpa, Frank Hogg.
The story begins in a similar fashion to my own history, with Patty’s ancestors hailing from Scotland and Germany, the same mix of cultures I am also from. Curiosity compelled me to read further and further into the pattern of emigration to Cottage Country, how did Patty’s family find their way here? How did they end up in a Farmhouse on the undisturbed Rose Point in the most beautiful protected part of the South Channel? How did they end up on the infamous Waubano Paddle Steamer which transported passengers across the rough seas of Georgian Bay from Collingwood to Parry Sound before there were railways or roads. The story dates back to 1894 when Patty’s now summer cottage was built by her great, great grandparents (Frank + Mary Hogg) to use a a year long home while he was working for the Midland and North Shore Lumber Company from. This original farmhouse was the first house on Rose Point in Parry Sound. He purchased approximately 150 acres of land stretching from the neighbour's property to the girls' camp. Frank Hogg bought the land from Annette Rose, who was the widow of Martin Rose, picked a nice spot, and built the house. His oldest daughter Wilhelmine (Patty’s great, great aunt) wrote about how Rose Point got its name in her autobiography: "...the prettiest point we called Rose Point. It attracted the eye of W.F. Thompson, a hotel man, who bought it and built a summer hotel on it. He wondered what to call it, and Dad said, "We call it Rose Point," and Mr.Thompson said, "Good. Rose Point it is," and there it is today on any map of the vicinity..." Patty’s ancestors lived in this home until around 1916 when they moved south to the states and landed in Cleveland, and then to Florida, using this Rose Point home as a summer residence from then on.
Patty mentioned that her great, great aunt, Wilhelmine (also known as Billie) had written an autobiography outlining her life experience and her early memories of living in Parry Sound and Georgian Bay. The book is aptly named “Early Settlers in Ontario, Canada” By Wilhelmine Ramsay Hogg Sias. So, of course I became curious and needed to get my hands on a copy of the book, so I ordered a copy and it arrived at my door days later. Not only is Wilhelmine’s story extremely fascinating and captivating, but she is a talented writer with beautiful flowing text that I could not stop reading. so, I’ve decided to dedicate this episode to her, and will be reading the following chapters from her auto-biography.
Chapters read in Podcast:
“Georgian Bay” Pages 54-58
“Parry Sound” Pages 59-61
“The Move To Parry Harbour” Pages 116-121
“Autobiography of Colene Childs” Pages 169-170
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Excerpt credit (Wilhelmine about Rose Point):
Sias, Wilhelmine Ramsay Hogg. Early Settlers in Ontario, Canada, The Hogg, Ramsay, and Breimer
Families. 2nd ed. Edited by Peggy Sias Lantz, Woodmere Press LLC, 2014.
Listen to the Podcast below!
Stay tuned for Part 2 to hear Patty’s story and see current photos of the 1894 Farmhouse in 2 weeks!
All photos are kindly supplied by The Hershey Family Collection of Parry Sound Photographs.
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If you would like to support this podcast, please follow along to patreon.com/rewinddesign. If you would like to support the show in other ways or share your own story, please send an email to katy@rewinddesign.ca or give me a call at 416 822 7489. Your donations help to run the podcast and costs associated with recording equipment and travel. 10% of all donations will be donated to the Georgian Bay Land Trust. Thank you so much, your support means everything.
Katy McNabb xo