By Joanne Rodgers, Bruce Peninsula Press
At 11:00 p.m. on 13 December 2024, the Lion’s Head Fire department received a call about a fire.
The fire at the former Colonel Clarke’s Tavern, a well-known historical landmark, took close to 11 hours to extinguish, with 27 firefighters on scene from the Lion’s Head, Tobermory and Wiarton departments.
Jack Burt, Fire Chief of Northern Bruce Peninsula Fire Services, says the cause of the fire is still under investigation but is not regarded as being suspicious.
The building has been a private residence since the tavern sold approximately 20 years ago. No one was at home at the time of the fire and there were no injuries.
Photo: Originally built as the Handicraft House and home to two tame bears, the building’s new owners turned it into Colonel Clarke’s Tavern around 1960. It became a private residence when the tavern closed, about 20 years ago. Photo taken April 2024.
Stokes Bay and Area Family History facebook page (Pam Burley)
Photo: Former Handicraft House (Colonel Clarke’s Tavern) north of Stokes Bay, April 13, 1969, Lindsay Township.