15 Mountain St - Glen Williams
15 Mountain St., Glen Williams
A saw mill was built on the property by Benejah Williams, who purchased the land in 1825, followed by a flour mill on the Credit River. The success of the mill allowed him to buy 200 acres, which he used to establish the village of Williamsburg, which became Glen Williams.
Williams divided his land between two of his sons, with Jacob receiving the land with the saw mill. When he died in 1853, his brother Charles built a six-room Georgian brick house next to the mill for Jacob’s widow, Frances Williams. She lived there until 1875 when the home was sold. It was sold several times over the next 40 years.
In 1921, Jack Thompson began operating the Thompson & Wilson Beverage Company, which specialized in ginger beer, from the property owned by his sisters.
It was later owned by Thomas Earl, an aerospace engineer who filed a patent for a Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft. He sold the home to another aerospace engineer, Arthur Bragg-Smith. Bragg-Smith was one of the founders of Avian Aircraft in Georgetown following the cancellation of the Avro Arrow in 1959.
The Town staff report notes it “is typical of Georgian Revival architecture, emphasizing symmetry and balance.” Despite renovations to the property “it has preserved its architectural integrity and continues to stand in its original location for over 170 years.”
A saw mill was built on the property by Benejah Williams, who purchased the land in 1825, followed by a flour mill on the Credit River. The success of the mill allowed him to buy 200 acres, which he used to establish the village of Williamsburg, which became Glen Williams.
Williams divided his land between two of his sons, with Jacob receiving the land with the saw mill. When he died in 1853, his brother Charles built a six-room Georgian brick house next to the mill for Jacob’s widow, Frances Williams. She lived there until 1875 when the home was sold. It was sold several times over the next 40 years.
In 1921, Jack Thompson began operating the Thompson & Wilson Beverage Company, which specialized in ginger beer, from the property owned by his sisters.
It was later owned by Thomas Earl, an aerospace engineer who filed a patent for a Vertical Takeoff and Landing aircraft. He sold the home to another aerospace engineer, Arthur Bragg-Smith. Bragg-Smith was one of the founders of Avian Aircraft in Georgetown following the cancellation of the Avro Arrow in 1959.
The Town staff report notes it “is typical of Georgian Revival architecture, emphasizing symmetry and balance.” Despite renovations to the property “it has preserved its architectural integrity and continues to stand in its original location for over 170 years.”