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A perfect portal: the historic design of ‘Hall House’ Entering the narrow country lane of “Vanaheim,” just east of Shelburne, I paused between two perfect bonsai to clear the highway from my mind and focus on the ‘time passage' that lay ahead. Moving forward along the soft curves of the lane past stately spruce and lovely maples, some delicate, some majestic, all so obviously cared for by a meticulous mind, my eyes fell upon Hall House. The painstakingly preserved, red brick Victorian home, once a coaching inn according to its owner, stood on a grade overlooking a large, spring fed pond on the west, surrounded by the gently rolling green fields of a diminishing number of un-severed 100 acre parcels left in Mono Township. Blue spruce trees proudly stood row on row and in the yard before them, perfectly weathered, petite picket fences. Slightly south of the house, a matchless whale bone sculpture rose in reverence to the cloud covered skies like an eternal flame. Even on a dull and drizzly day the beauty of the place was soul lifting; like stepping into a descriptive passage of an L.M. Montgomery book - Canadian history captured and bound safely between the shelter and secrecy of the trees. I stood on the side porch steps staring at an adamant looking little sign that read, “For service ring the bell.” My hand drifted to the side expecting to come upon a push button - a foolish thought that might have been left at the road. The arrow clearly pointed right …I tilted my head back and looked again, and discovered with delight, a few yards away on the snow soaked lawn, a hefty iron bell suspended in silence, waiting patiently in its moorings. After some effort on the pull-string, the big bell broke the magical stillness distinctly clanging its heavy frame just once. Feeling like I had just passed a test, I hopped happily back to the steps on dampish feet, peered through the glass porch door and further to the open inner door. There I saw Dr. Wilfred Goodman, tall and distinguished at 92, lean forward from a favourite thinking spot by the fire and wave me into Hall House. The heritage designation of Hall House by the Township of Mono under the Ontario Heritage Act was completed last month when the designation plaque was permanently placed upon its original double brick wall. According to Kirsten Ball secretary of the Mono Heritage Committee, “The main house was built in circa 1870…even today, the exterior remains largely original. It is a good example of an early Ontarian Victorian farmhouse built by a man of means.” The home was built for Coaching Inn owner William “English” Hall. The prosperous inn, which began providing travellers with overnight lodgings across the road in Amaranth in the 1830's, afforded William the money to purchase a large amount of land at the intersection of the four townships: Mono, Amaranth, Mulmur and Melancthon. The intersection became known as Hall's corners, and the log inn became a popular stop-over on the road from Owen Sound to Toronto, known for its entertaining host, “a popular raconteur” said Dr. Goodman, “always ready with good food, good whiskey and a good story.” The Mono property where Hall House stands stayed in the Hall family for over 100 years. Dr. Goodman believes William Hall moved from the log building across the road in Amaranth and ran his inn from Hall House in Mono where he lived until his death in 1883. When Dr. Goodman bought the property in the early 60's there were many signs indicating this was the case, including four bedrooms on the ground floor and six upstairs and the Hall family table in the basement where he believes the nine children could eat separately from the guests. A specialist in Otolaryngology at the University of Toronto, Goodman was raised on a farm in Manitoba, but the desire to be on the land ran deep, “I had dirt under my finger nails,” he said, “I had to have a farm.” Today he still manages a tree farm on the property. Hall House was in bad shape when Wilfred Goodman bought it as a weekend home with his wife Gwen and their five children - a leaking roof, a foundation full of holes, treeless grounds overgrown with weeds, and a marsh filled pond. “It takes a bit of an unusual character,” said Wilfred, “to take on something like that.” Still, Goodman saw its potential and said his real motivator for the purchase was the “history” behind the home, “If I hadn't bought it, a bulldozer would have moved it.” The strong winds that blew across the barren property inspired the name Vanaheim, “home of the four winds” in Nordic mythology and a tip of the hat to Dr. Goodman's parents who had emigrated from Iceland in 1890. Wilfred and Gwen started refurbishing in 1963, committed from the beginning to return the house to 1863. They spent thousands of hours over the next 25 years to bring it back to authenticity. At the time of purchase, everything in the house was painted in several coats of dark brown paint, but Wilfred removed it inch by inch, returning it to its original natural pine. Gwen, who passed away in 2002, “was very knowledgeable about the house,” said Wilfred, “she had an eye for all things old and new.” She found period pieces, such as four Queen Victorian chairs to bring the house back to life as it was in the 1860's. “Gwen engineered the whole house” he chuckled, “I did the work.” In reference to heritage preservation, Dr. Goodman said, “Not everything can be kept – there has to be a reason. There are lots of houses that were built in the Victorian area, but few are left and I don't think there is another like this one in Dufferin County –everything is authentic.” As for the future of Vanaheim, he said, “It is unknown, but I hope it will stay in the Goodman family and Vanaheim will continue”…a perfect portal to the past. By Marni Walsh  Photo courtesy of the Goodman family |
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