Water Street Ghost Signs update
"Wm HELM, PETERBORO, 1873"
I learned the William Helm Foundry and Machine Shop was located on Simcoe Street where the city bus terminal now stands.
The Carriage Estate
William Metheral owned a substantial portion of land at the southeast corner of Aylmer and Murray Streets. Over several decades, the Metheral family expanded along with their business, and the four buildings they erected have all survived into the 21st century. In my research, I have often come across this type of progressive Victorian family land holding. I know of several other examples in Peterborough; it’s a common North American model. The patriarch purchased or received a grant of a generous parcel of land. On it they established their homestead and business. The family grew, and the sons helped build the business, which prospered along with the growing community. They built a slightly larger home. The adult sons, in turn, built prestige property; larger, more luxurious, status type dwellings on the land of the family compound. In this case, two of William Metheral’s sons each lived in one of the units, and the two other homes were rented out, generating additional income.
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