LANARK COUNTY — Behind the elegant stonework and stately verandahs of Lanark County’s grandest homes lies a swirl of romance, tragedy, and scandal. That’s the story local historian Arlene Stafford-Wilson uncovers in her latest book, Lanark County Mansions: Spectacular Homes and Fascinating Families.
This is Stafford-Wilson’s 13th book in her Lanark County series. She grew up on a small farm in the county, is an honorary life member of the Lanark County Genealogical Society, and in 2024 received the Perth Heritage Architectural Conservation Award for her archival work. Her research doesn’t just document the past, it animates it.
The scope in this book is sweeping. From the McMartin House in Perth to the Caldwell Mansion in Lanark Village, from Carleton Place’s Burgess Mansion to Almonte’s Thoburn home, and even the Gile Mansion in Smiths Falls, Stafford-Wilson profiles these landmark buildings and the families who lived there: the Burgesses, Caldwells, Thoburns, Codes, McIntoshes and many more.
To show just how alive these stories feel, I’ve paired each mansion’s tale with a playful “real estate listing” blurb. The twist highlights how Stafford-Wilson’s storytelling makes these heritage homes read like properties with character, and baggage, you won’t find on MLS.
In Smiths Falls, Glenwood Mansion at 22 Chambers St. rose as a symbol of industrial wealth. Alexander Wood, of Frost & Wood farm implements, “spared no expense designing his magnificent home and it truly was a reflection of his wealth and stature in the community” (p. 48). Its grand ballroom dazzled, but the ending was dark: “A gasoline fueled fire-bomb destroyed the historic Wood mansion and resulted in the loss of life of four residents” (p. 50).
Listing blurb: Three storeys of sandstone elegance, ballroom included. Comes with one of the most notorious arson cases in Smiths Falls history.
Then there is Perth’s Kininvie Mansion, at 50 Herriott St. This Edwardian dream home was built in 1906 by Thomas Alfred Code for his wife Jennie. Stafford-Wilson writes, “Touched by both romance and tragedy, the architectural splendour of this Edwardian beauty continues to delight onlookers today” (p. 68). Tragically, Jennie passed away just a year later.
Listing blurb: Six fireplaces, manicured lawns on the Tay River, steam heat piped from Code’s Mill. Comes with one great romance, and one heartbreak you can’t renovate away.
Almonte’s Thoburn Mansion, at 161 Union St., tells a different story. Completed in 1887, it was “considered one of the most impressive residences in town” (p. 121). William Thoburn parlayed his flannel mill fortune into politics, serving as mayor and later as a Member of Parliament. The home’s lavish weddings, Stafford-Wilson notes, were “the talk of the town” (p. 123).
Listing blurb: Two-and-a-half storeys, hot-water heating ahead of its time, and a ballroom that doubled as a campaign office. Comes with political aspirations built right into the walls.
And then there’s Carleton Place’s Burgess Mansion, at 249 Lake Ave. E. is easily the most scandal-filled of the lot. Stafford-Wilson writes, “This family seethed and fumed together in an angry cauldron under the stately roof of the Burgess mansion” (p. 15). With contested wills, political feuds, marital breakdowns, and whispers of affairs, it became a stage for public drama.
Listing blurb: Brick elegance, circular driveway, dining room for 50 guests. Price includes generations of family feuds, contested estates, and enough gossip to keep the neighbours busy for a century.
That’s the brilliance of Stafford-Wilson’s storytelling. She does more than catalogue architecture. She resurrects the people who built and occupied these houses; the fortunes, politics, and secrets that shaped Lanark County itself.
And for local readers, there’s another draw: the appendix of names. Stafford-Wilson includes families in this book from Adams to Wylie. For anyone with local roots, this book doubles as a genealogical treasure hunt.
It’s the kind of book you’ll want to linger over. Which brings me to this: how do you love your books? Do you keep them pristine, never bending a corner or cracking a spine, the kind of reader my mother admires? Or are you like me, folding pages, scribbling notes, highlighting lines so you can come back to the juicy bits? My mother would call that monstrous, but I call it living inside the pages.
Lanark County Mansions almost begs for that kind of reading. There are many stories you’ll want to return to, whether it’s the grand romances, the whispered scandals, or the tragedies that echo in stone. Whether you treat your books with kid gloves or dog-ear the corners, this is one worth keeping close at hand.
Stafford-Wilson will launch her book on Saturday, Sept. 20 at The Book Nook and Other Treasures, 60 Gore St. E. in Perth, from 12 to 3 p.m. It’s a chance to meet the author who has spent decades proving that the walls of Lanark’s old homes do more than stand — they speak. Have a listen.
SIDEBAR:
The Mansions Featured in the Book
Stafford-Wilson’s tour covers some of the most recognizable estates across Lanark County, including:
- Bates Mansion
- Bell House
- Burgess House
- Caldwell Mansion
- Cornell House
- Craine Mansion
- Elmcroft Mansion
- Findlay House
- Gile House
- Glenwood Mansion
- Haggart Mansion
- Hart/O’Donnell House
- Henderson Mansion
- Inge-Va Mansion
- Kininvie Mansion
- Matheson House
- McMartin House
- Nevis Estate
- Old Burnside
- Roclyn Mansion
- Shaw Mansion
- Soper House
- Summit House
- The Glen Mansion
- Thoburn Mansion
- Victoria Hall
- Waddell House
- Ward Mansion
- Wilson House
- Stafford House
Learn more about the Author on her website.
Related story: Stafford-Wilson book launch is always a hit for The Book Nook in Perth
