First phase of million-dollar Griffin House restoration set to be completed this spring

At the top of a long, curved hill overlooking the Dundas Valley, the 19th-century home of a Black settler who escaped slavery is getting a million-dollar renovation.

The Griffin House, designated a National Historic Site in 2007, is undergoing a multi-year restoration project funded by the federal government.

Restoration of the foundation of the early-1800s clapboard home - the first phase of work - began in the fall and is expected to be completed by April, the city's heritage resource management staff said in an email.

The second phase (exterior restoration, new porches, and an improved ramp and path from the driveway) is expected to be finished by the end of 2024, followed by work to the interior, community consultation and interpretation development before its anticipated reopening in spring 2026, the city said.

The building will have had foundation, woodwork and window restoration, fresh paint, new stoops, repairs to correct previous problems with water infiltration, decay, animal damages and vandalism," the city said.

The city says the project was delayed by three months due to slow processes."

The Ancaster structure is historically significant because of its association with Black settlement in pre-Confederation Canada at a time when a major influx" of Black immigrants travelled north along the Underground Railroad fleeing slavery and restrictive laws in the U.S., Parks Canada says.

Enerals Griffin and his wife Priscilla, Black immigrants from Virginia, settled in the 733 Mineral Springs Rd. home in 1834. It remained in the family for more than 150 years, according to Parks Canada's website.

The Hamilton Conservation Authority purchased the 18-hectare property from the Griffin family in 1988, and it was opened to the public in 1995.

Because of its location in what was a predominantly Euro-Canadian area," the house, built around 1827, conveys the diversity of the Black settler experience," according to the Parks Canada website. The house is also a rare" example of typical early 19th-century Upper Canada architecture, the website says.

The house is small, consisting of a dining room and living room on the main floor, and two bedrooms on the upper floor," reads the existing plaque.

The project received nearly $1 million in federal funding through the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program in December 2020.

Kate McCullough is an education reporter at The Spectator. kmccullough@thespec.com