16 MAIN STREET - THE NICHOL HOUSE AND BAKERY

The Nichol house at 16 Main Street, now the home of Ron Davis & family, was described by the 1996 U.C.W. house tour to be the second oldest house in town, Dr. Parkin's house on Forsyth Street having been declared the oldest. It was the home of Mark Nichol, and later, his son Charles and his wife, Ida. Charles & Ida had three children: five year old Clayton and nine month old Nary, both died of flu during the terrible epidemic which ravaged many families in Canada and Europe during the years of the first world war(1914-1918). Their only other child, Claude, married Helen Kelly.

Helen was in possession of the 1866 deed in 1996 when the ACW house tour took place. She was herself an occupant of the house for approximately thirty years with husband Claude and their two children, Joanne and Jim. Although Helen Nichol advised at the time there was no evidence of a bakeshop there, Mrs. C.A. Bleecker, in a1933 article, entitled "Marmora in 1885", wrote,

"There were also two bakeries, one on the site of Mr. Charles Nichol's home (on Main street) and another, Mason's Bake Shop downtown. "

1953 Anne Vanvolkenburg with Nichol house in the background - 16 Main Street

A second reference to a bakeshop came from an article written by Arthur Sweet, himself a baker, and published in January 1967.

"One of the oldest is the home of Mrs. Charles Nichol, and it is unique in that some of the descendents still occupy it. The grandfather, Mark Nichol, and later his son Charles, had a bakeshop there, and part of the equipment was still in the house when Mrs. Nichol was married. The oven, which was of stone and brick construction, remained at the rear of the building until only a few years ago. Mrs. Nichol is over ninety-two years of age."