Fulford Place

Sip tea on the sweeping veranda of this magnificent Edwardian mansion overlooking the mighty St. Lawrence River. Experience the baronial feel of the Honduras mahogany ceilings and panelled walls in the dining room, library and grand hall. Marvel at the original tapestries, paintings and furnishings that made Fulford Place an ideal residence in which to entertain royalty and prime ministers.

Senator George Taylor Fulford made his fortune from "Pink Pills for Pale People" – a patent medicine he manufactured in Brockville and sold around the world. Fulford recognized the commercial potential of the readership developed by mass-circulation newspapers and built his business on saturation print advertising. He constructed Fulford Place, a 20,000-square-foot Edwardian mansion between 1899 and 1901. The original grounds were designed by Frederick Olmsted of the Olmsted landscaping firm, which also designed Central Park in New York City.

Original tapestries, paintings, statuary and ceramics collected on the Fulfords' world travels are on display throughout the period rooms and are featured in special exhibits. The grand style of the Beaux Art house was ideally suited to the Fulfords, as they entertained Canadian Prime Ministers, British princes and the neighbouring well-to-do whose grand "cottages" lined the St. Lawrence River.

In 1987, George T. Fulford, the son of Senator Fulford, donated Fulford Place to the Ontario Heritage Trust. The contents of the mansion were later donated by his heirs and descendants. The Trust undertook an extensive restoration of the site with funds from the provincial government and opened it to the public as a house museum in June 1993. Seasonal exhibits in the gallery feature exotic works collected by the Fulfords on their world travels.