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7. JESSE KETCHUM’S TANNERY |
| Ketchum
brothers were Americans of Welsh descent from Spencertown, New York.
They were members of a large family which had intermarried with the
presidential Adams family of Massachusetts(1). Seneca Ketchum (1772-1850), the eldest, moved to York in 1796 to earn his fortune(2).
Jesse (1782-1867), the second son, was placed on a farm in New York
State from which he promptly ran away from in order to join his brother(3).
When Jesse met up with Seneca in York, he discovered that his brother
had indeed become a success. Seneca was a landowner and the proprietor
of a tannery, of which Jesse later assisted in managing. On the eve of the War of 1812, an American named Van Zandt sold his property on the southwest corner of Yonge and Lot (now Queen) Streets to Jesse Ketchum(4). There, on the southwestern corner of Yonge and Newgate (now Adelaide), Ketchum opened his tannery. The structures required by Ketchum demanded an enormous amount of space, and as a result the tannery engulfed the block bordered by Yonge, Newgate, Bay and King Streets(5). As described by John R. Robertson in his Landmarks of Toronto, Volume 1, 1894 edition, the tannery consisted of a chain of sheds. There were rows of deep vats, mounds of leather tan, and hemlock bark which, at times, became a makeshift playground for children. A horse-powered mill ground the bark for processing. The entire scene was intensified by the smell emanating from the piles of hides waiting to be cured on the currier’s blocks. Ketchum’s tannery was one of the most extensive and lucrative industries in York. He complemented this commercial success with acts of humanitarianism. For example, whenever an employee married, Ketchum generally gave the newlyweds land for a home, and sometimes the financial support for its construction(6). Ketchum’s benevolence also extended to the religious and educational communities of York and early Toronto [site 8]. A true success story, J esse Ketchum arrived a seventeen year old runaway, and left Toronto as a wealthy and respected member of the community he helped create. |
Notes
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