Restoration to continue at Manor House

Alycia Douglass
Restoration to continue at Manor House
The Sir John Johnson Manor House Committee is seeking help from the community to help complete their restoration.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Ontario – With the help of funding from Parks Canada, Williamstown’s beloved Sir John Johnson Manor House has recently undergone a massive overhaul.

The restoration project is expected to wrap up in October, but there is still a great deal of work left to be done. With the project expected to cost 1.4 million dollars, Parks Canada made a 500 thousand dollar contribution to the project.

The Sir John Johnson Manor House Committee started a GoFundMe campaign in an effort to crowdsource the remaining 900 thousand dollars, with $1,400 currently in the pot.

“We know that it may take some time to reach our goal, but we’re going to try to get there by continuous, ongoing fundraising,” said Committee President, Ellery Lafave. “The community has been extremely supportive, and we will continue to engage with them through various events to show our history.”

The manor house is one of Ontario’s oldest-surviving houses, and required major structural and exterior repairs to ensure structural soundness. With windows, wood elements and roof being top priority, the library was temporarily relocated during construction.

Lafave says the committee hopes to eventually restore the second floor to a historically-accurate suite with three bedrooms, which would be available to rent to the public, with revenue going towards upkeep of the site.

“We would love to host more speaking and musical events in the future,” said Lafave. “But now, it’s up to the committee to raise the money.”

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