This stone house, completed by February 1837, was first occupied by Dr. John Hutchison, Peterborough's first permanently established physician. A native of Kirkcaldy, Scotland, Hutchison had come to Upper Canada by 1818 and practiced in the Rice Lake area and at Port Hope before moving to Peterborough in 1830. Already a magistrate, he became one of the settlement's leading citizens. The house is believed to have been built by voluntary labour and public subscription to induce him to stay in Peterborough. During an epidemic in 1847, Dr. Hutchison contracted typhus while attending sick immigrants and was one of thirty-three victims in Peterborough. In 1969, the house was bequeathed to the Peterborough Historical Society.

Location

On the grounds of the house, now a museum, 270 Brock Street, Peterborough

Themes

• Buildings and structures