The Cottages

The Cottages. . Along the top of the bluff, from the area overlooking the CPR station to the southern end of Essex (formerly Norfolk) Street, were located numerous frame construction summer cottages. Only a few remain. One example can be found on the south side of the junction of Cobourg and Lighthouse Streets. One or two others are located along Essex Street, including one between Britannia Road and Cayley Street., Two of the cottages adjacent to the lighthouse were known as the "Craigie Cottages". They originated as the lighthouse keepers' buildings once attached to the lighthouse itself. Relocated in 1914, they were painted dark green to mask their former role when they had been decked out in brighter reds and whites., Judge Edward N. Lewis, who lived in the large yellow brick home on Essex Street between Picton Street and Elgin Avenue, owned the land along the Essex Street bluff. About 1900 he began erecting cottages. To reflect each unique design or location, he gave them names such as 'Wigwam', 'Gun Club', 'Verandah' and 'Cliff". Two across from his home had been the original Buffalo and Lake Huron Railway (later Grand Trunk) station on the other side of town. He placed each half of the original station at the extreme edges of his property to ensure that his view of the lake was not obstructed. They were later moved again and still exist. In the early 1940s, Lewis' daughter Julia began selling off the cottages most of which were eventually moved or demolished to be replaced by year-round dwellings.