Auchmar

Good morning! Hope everyone had a great weekend! Today we learn more about the Christmas traditions in the Victorian era.... Christmas Cards The Penny Post was first introduced in Britain in 1840 by Rowland Hill. The idea was simple, a penny stamp paid for the postage of a letter or card to anywhere in Britain. This simple idea paved the way for the sending of the first Christmas cards. Sir Henry Cole tested the water in 1843 by printing a thousand cards for sale in his art shop in London at one shilling each. The popularity of sending cards was helped along when in 1870 a halfpenny postage rate was introduced as a result of the efficiencies brought about by those new fangled railways. Turkey Time Turkeys had been brought to Britain from America hundreds of years before Victorian times. When Victoria first came to the throne however, both chicken and turkey were too expensive for most people to enjoy. In northern England roast beef was the traditional fayre for Christmas dinner while in London and the south, goose was favourite. Many poor people made do with rabbit. On the other hand, the Christmas Day menu for Queen Victoria and family in 1840 included both beef and of course a royal roast swan or two. By the end of the century most people feasted on turkey for their Christmas dinner. The great journey to London started for the turkey sometime in October. Feet clad in fashionable but hardwearing leather the unsuspecting birds would have set out on the 80-mile hike from the Norfolk farms. Arriving obviously a little tired and on the scrawny side they must have thought London hospitality unbeatable as they feasted and fattened on the last few weeks before Christmas!

This is the first photo I took yesterday when I stepped inside Auchmar. . The way the sun was shining in the kitchen window just caught my eye. . Thank you all for the birthday wishes! ... . See more

Picture this corridor in the mid 19th century full of action, men in their suits and women in their ballgowns. Photo - Leanne Pluthero 2020

Good morning! Today is my birthday and I wanted to jump on to say thank you to everyone for making it such a great year despite all the Covid stuff. You guys are always so eager to learn new historical facts and I love that I have all of you to share it with!... Here's to another year of research on Auchmar!

This is what hard work looks like! . Look at the wear and tear on the back servant stairs at Auchmar. . This staircase dates back to 1853 and is one of the most Original areas in the house! ... . The servant life is how I got interested to history at a very young age after seeing the basement at Dundurn Castle in grade 3. So to be able to document these stairs to add to the Servant Life at Auchmar report. I’ve gotten to know the names and lives of all servants at Auchmar and to see this wear on the stairs is just incredible. See more

Auchmar House written by Evelyn Grayson Buchanan - Granddaughter to Isaac and Agnes Buchanan She refers to herself in this story as Eleanor... Written in 1965 A Memoir of the Imagination Like most things that concern women, this story begins with a man. Let us then begin at the beginning, It was a fine day in the year 1852 when two men climbed to the top of the steep mountain path and came out on the top of the mountain that lies to the south of the thriving village of Hamilton. It was still a small village, although growing so rapidly that before the middle of the century it would be incorporated as a City. Hamilton, who had fought in the war of 1812 and now lived in the house at the top of John St, this was his second house, as he had formerly lived in a log cabin which he had built to shelter his wife and babe when he brought them there from their former home at Niagara on the Lake. The latter seemed too near the enemy frontier for safety, George thought. This was one of those crystalline clear days that Upper Canada was famous for and the blue sky overhead and the fresh cool breeze tempering the bright hot sun, and all combined to make a strong mans blood flow swiftly. "Look! John, I tell you look, there!" The short square finger of Isaac Buchanan tapped the arm of his friend John and then pointed straight out over the valley below with the wide waters of Lake Ontario stretching away fast by North as far as one could see. The two men had climbed the steep path up the hill from James Street south, that was just beginning to dry up from the winter snows and heavy spring rains. Now they stood on the brow of the mountain ledge that some miles farther to the southeast formed the drop over which the great waters of Niagara Falls swept. From their vantage point they could look for miles across the wide valley that before many years was to become famous as one of the greatest fruit growing areas in the world. As yet it was still as god had made it through the ages. Beyond this wide valley stretched the waters of the lake. Today those waters were as blue as the sky overhead. The whole western end of the lake, some seven miles of it indeed, was shut behind a sand bar that rose up out of the lake and made a quiet, peaceful harbour of the bay which it enclosed. Out on the lake there were white caps to to be seen, but in the day the water was calm and several small sailing craft scudded down before the brisk wind. Photo - 1860 Description: A photograph of downtown Hamilton taken from the Niagara Escarpment with a view of various roads and buildings and the harbour. Landmarks include St. Paul's Presbyterian Church. A label attached to the photograph states: Street cutting diagonally across the centre of the photo is MacNab Street South". hamilton public library

Doors, doors and more doors! This is the main corridor leading into the kitchen and servants area on the left and the servants yard on the right.

Amazing afternoon today!

A look in the corridor down in the cellar. Photo - Wanda

This movie was filmed all over Hamilton but if you look closely, you'll see a lot of Auchmar too! https://youtu.be/U82heDabn5k

Happy 155th birthday to Elsie Buchanan. Elsie did far more for young mothers in Hamilton that most people will ever know! https://business.facebook.com//a.109578/2439553422793625/

A tour in the kitchen, servants hall and back servant staircase.

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Having colour added to an old photo just brings it back to life! . Here is little Deb, it’s her diary I refer back to many times. She lived at Auchmar with Elsie and Marie from 1915-1926. . This is a private family photo of Deb inside Auchmar just over a year old with a little doll that Evelyn Grayson bought for her. ... . See more

This cellar room in the basement would have been filled with homemade beer back in the day!

A look down the 80 foot corridor on the main floor.

Have you ever wondered about the Servant life at Auchmar!? Here you can see every documented servant! https://business.facebook.com/notes/auchmar/servant-life-at-auchmar/3005490136199948/

Growing up at Auchmar Isaac, Agnes and the four older Buchanan siblings welcomed Harris into the family on Thursday, April 10th, 1851. Harris was born in Birkenhead, England. They would move to Canada when he was just a year old....Continue reading

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The door inside the family dining room that leads to the Butlers pantry, here you can see the wear and tear from all the servants using their feet to open the door. Photo - Fred Gundel

Hey guys! Happy November! . I got called into work today but plan to get some posts up for you all this week from Evelyns book. . Have a great day.

This is what the Barton Building looked like when it was first completed in 1875, this sat across the street from Auchmar, Isaac Buchanan actually sold the west lot of his property to the Government so they could build the Asylum for the Insane.

When you find hidden treasures in the basement!

Growing up at Auchmar Today we take a look at Margaret Douglas Buchanan, the very proper sister of the Buchanan's. Margaret who went by Maggie, was born on her mother Agnes' 24th birthday in Inverkip, Renfrewshire, Scotland....Continue reading

"One evening when the deaconess and the mistress had gone to a meeting and the child was safety put to bed and all the girls playing games in their own sitting room at the east end of the house, Eleanor slipped quietly down the long narrow corridor with its gothic arched ceiling, to the big old drawing room. Seating herself at the piano she played, as she had done dozens of times before in her visits to this house. Gradually her thoughts drifted to her grandmother who had bee...Continue reading

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Growing up at Auchmar Good morning, todays post will be a little different. Today we are looking at Robert Andrew Washington, the only Buchanan child never to see Auchmar as he passed away just a few months before his father would buy the property. "Robert Andrew - who was born in New York - although he was four - he only had one birthday, he was a leap-year baby. There was an oil painting in the Morning room that I used to think Jane had painted of him - but if so it must h...Continue reading

https://business.facebook.com/Auchmar/posts/2893766847372278?__tn__=-R

More drone shots from Alix!

Good morning everyone. 130 years ago today! Here is a photograph of Margaret Edna McQuesten (1885-1935) with a section of a letter her mother Mary McQuesten wrote to her other daughter Hilda while staying in East Liberty, Pittsburgh, Penn with James Isaac Buchanan, Elsie Buchanan and Jane Buchanan.... "Miss H. Elsie J. Buchanan and Mary were attending a WFMS conference in Pittsburgh. Mary was secretary of the WFMS at this time. They may have been staying with Elsie's brother, James Isaac Buchanan, a successful Pittsburgh businessman and millionaire. Miss Elsie Buchanan was a charter member of the WFMS in 1876 and held the office of secretary for a number of years until 1884 and from 1893-95. In June 1890 she travelled to Washington for a WFMS meeting and delivered an account to her auxiliary in Hamilton (Latoszek 6, & notes). Her obituary states that she was a "woman of cultivated tastes and charm of manner." Her mother, Agnes, was also a member of the WFMS." - Whitehern Archives The letter " Oct 13 1890 To: 6108 Walnut St. Hamilton Ontario From: East Liberty, Pittsburgh, Penn. My dearest Hilda, Many, many happy returns of your birthday! I am sorry I cannot be there to do something to make the day happier, but I hope you will be able to do something, and if there is any one you would like for tea, if Lizzie has not made any thing1, you can go to Crawford's and treat yourselves 2. However cheer up and be as merry as you can, you are very quiet at home, but when I see the homes of so many children here in busy, dusty Pittsburgh, I feel we cannot thank God enough for such a beautiful home. Yesterday we went to church and Sabbath School, we took Edna with us up to the Bible class, they have a particularly fine teacher and it is quite wonderful to hear them recite all the books of the Bible; there are over 130 in the class. It poured when we came out of church, but Edna walked along under her umbrella. Miss Buchanan 3 wants us to stay for a meeting on Friday & we cannot start on Saturday, so if we hear no bad news from you children we will not start till Monday. Edna sends her love & I enclose a little present with my best love & kisses. Your loving Mama, M. B. McQuesten" Whitehern Archives.

Alix took these drone shots yesterday at Auchmar!

Growing up at Auchmar Good morning everyone! Let's hope Facebook doesn't eat this post. so many of my posts have gone missing lately. Today, we are going to look at Jane Buchanan, the eldest of the daughters....Continue reading

https://business.facebook.com/Auchmar/posts/2875891845826445?__tn__=-R

Besides being an old house, it is a beautiful house and it has had beautiful things take place within. - Evelyn Grayson

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Happy Thanksgiving!

Went for a little visit today and got some amazing drone footage by @steelcityshutterbug

https://business.facebook.com/Auchmar/posts/2961440957271533?__tn__=-R