Locust Mount: Part II

I woke up this morning pretty grumpy. I hadn't slept well and I was thinking of all the things I needed to cover with the students in my tutorial today. Little did I know, my day was about to get significantly worse. Stumbling up the stairs on my way to the shower, I was quickly intercepted by my mother. "Gracie" she said, "There's been another fire at Locust Mount. I wanted to tell you before someone at school did."

I'm sure people out there are laughing (and I didn't even mention my mother's offer to fashion me a black-armband). How can a house mean so much? But it really does to me! Let us ignore my obsession with this particular house for a moment - though I should mention that I love this house so much that in high-school I fashioned a scrapbook in its honor; Locust Mount came to represent something bigger.

After years of watching the house slowly deteriorate, this past summer I had finally decided that I should make my peace with the fact the house was going to disappear and say goodbye. After acquiring my commemorative brick (which was no simple feat in a house that had been stuccoed), I informed all those close to me that I no longer wished to drive by the house and would appreciate it not being mentioned. It was then that a miracle happened.

The company who owns the house, Drewlo Holdings, agreed to restore Locust Mount due to city incentives. "(city's incentives) benefit the community by saving heritage structures without imposing the total financial burden on the individual property owner," a company press release stated. Now I was guarded in my previous post about Locust Mount, I wasn't ready to openly admit the house was safe at last but inside, I was thrilled. I finally thought that London had turned a corner. No longer would all of my beloved houses be torn-down, things were starting to change. The widely shared desire to restore Locust Mount made me feel like I had a real future in this city, not simply heartbreak after heartbreak. And now it feels like that's all gone.

The fire this weekend did a huge amount of damage. Started by an open-flame of some kind - most likely caused by one of the homeless individuals who have recently been calling the mansion home - the already damaged house may now be considered beyond repair. A house that was already on the brink has now been pushed passed it. My feelings about the whole situation are perhaps best summed up by what was described as a "heartbroken" Counsellor, Judy Bryant, "[Locust Mount] was a very important piece of the soul of this city."

Locust Mount may still be saved. Drewlo Holdings has yet to release a statement concerning their intentions with the property. It doesn't really seem to matter anymore. Perhaps in the end this case will simply make me feel more dedicated to the cause of Public History; but today, I think I would prefer to just wear a black armband and stare at my brick.

Images From:
1 - Heritage London Foundation. "Buildings on the Brink." http://www.heritagelondonfoundation.org/Buildings_on_the_brink.htm.
2 - O'Brian, Jennifer. "'Open flame' Sparked Fire." lfpress.com. November 12, 2007. http://lfpress.ca/newsstand/CityandRegion/2007/11/12/4649339-sun.html (accessed November 12, 2007).

Locust Mount: Part I

There has been another fire at Locust Mount. All restoration plans are now uncertain. At present I’m too disheartened to write more. Stay tuned for part two.

The Secret History

I have a secret; a part of me hates Public History, a lot!

Let me explain.

Ever since I was little, I have loved dozens of hidden history spots in London. These places might be houses (big surprise), ruins, fencepost's, boarded-up wells...anything really: that was old, in my opinion beautiful, and most importantly, hidden from the general public. I like driving through the city and thinking of the secret history that only I know.

Don't get me wrong. Places like Eldon House and Fanshawe Pioneer Village are great! I like that they get people interested and involved in local history and help create awareness surrounding heritage preservation but in my mind, they've always been like that. I was never alive when Eldon House wasn't a museum, or when the buildings at Fanshawe were largely in their original locations. If I had been, I think I would end up hating them. Something is lost in their transformation from historic entities into historical artifacts. They seem to lose their context, and tend to become - in some ways - less real.

Now the rational part of me knows that Public History is extremely important. Were it not for places like Eldon House, which completely captured my imagination at a very young age, I know I wouldn't be in the same place I am today. Furthermore, without Public History, a lot of my once secret places would be gone. Buildings that I've always admired would be ugly modern condos, completely impractical one-way bridges would be replaced, and unused graveyards would become overgrown and disappear. It takes public awareness for there to be ANY interest in many of these sites. Without interest, there would be no action and my secret history would be gone for everyone, including me! In the end, I suppose that Public History is a lesser evil than no history at all. Still, in an ideal world, the historic spots I love would remain my little secrets.

There, now you all know that I've been living a lie; I hate the "public" part of Public History.