Other than the name, there’s nothing minor about it

Eight years after a fire brought renovation efforts to the Minor House to a screeching halt, the Marshville Heritage Society is once again hoping to reopen the historic home to the public, and is seeking financial support to rebuild the 19th-century house. ~ Marshville Heritage Society photo

By Luke Edwards

More than 20 years after it was donated to the Marshville Heritage Society, the Minor house may soon be open to the public.

But before that can happen, community support and donations are being requested to help fund the rebuilding and restoration of the nearly 200-year-old home that was once home to the village’s postmaster and later a doctor’s office.

“It’s well on its way,” said society member and co-chair of the annual Labour Day weekend Marshville festival Margaret Robertson.

The road to opening the house has been a long and winding one, with a few speed bumps along the way.

Originally built in 1842 on the south side of the Feeder Canal, with an addition put on later in that century, the Minor House was home to several postmasters in the village. Later it became the office of Dr. Marshall. The Minor family, longtime supporters of Marshville and well known in the Wainfleet community, eventually came into possession of the building, with Gerald Minor calling it home.

After his death, the Minor family donated the house to Marshville, in 2005.

In need of some repairs, the society slowly but diligently worked away at renovations.

“It took us a long while to get going on it,” Robertson said.

But finally, in 2018 it was ready to be unveiled, with plans to open it up for that year’s Marshville festival.

The unveiling never took place, as mere days before the festival kicked off, a fire broke out at the house.

“It was tough to see, it was sad,” said Robertson.

Rebuilding efforts have since restarted, and Robertson said the goal is to have it at least partially open for this year’s festival. Volunteers have done some work, but they had to bring in professionals to get the home rebuilt.

“We’re making it as original as we can,” Robertson said.

More information on the project can be found online at marshvilleheritagesociety.org, where there’s also a link for donations.

Alternatively, donations can be sent to Lori Heemskerk at lori.heemskerk@outlook.com, or Marshville Heritage Festival, Box 54 Wainfleet, On. L0S 1V0.

Planning for this year’s heritage festival is also underway. Once again set for the Labour Day weekend, visitors can expect a familiar mix of music, food, and history as the village and society pays tribute to the area’s pioneer past. 