John Haggart, a Scottish stone mason, came to Canada in the 1820s and worked on the Welland and Rideau canals. In 1832, he purchased this property, which included the Perth settlement's first mill, and established a milling complex. He built this house in 1837, an early hip-roofed regency design in stone. In 1854, the property passed to his son John Graham Haggart. A vigorous politician, the younger Haggart was mayor of Perth before serving some 40 years as Member of Parliament for South Lanark. He was Postmaster-General, 1888-92, Minister of Railways and Canals, 1892-96, leader of the Ontario Conservatives in the House, and a top contender for the party leadership in 1895. He died in Ottawa in 1913.

Location

On the grounds of the Haggart-Shortt House, 41 Mill Street, Perth

Themes

• Industry and trade
• People
• Politics and law