By John Francis, Bruce Peninsula Press (with notes from Rob Davis)
There was a gathering at the St Edmunds Bruce Peninsula Museum on June 21 as the historic Davis Cabin was formally opened and dedicated. The cabin was originally built a century and a half ago at the head of Little Dunks Bay near Tobermory but had sat vacant for more than fifty years before it was moved. The cabin is presumed to have been built by Abraham Davis in 1870. His great-great grandson Rob Davis was emcee at the dedication ceremony.
Moving a tiny cabin a couple of kilometres to a new location sounds easy, doesn’t it? But the actual job was challenging in many different ways.
The cabin would have been completely lost long ago but for the diligence of Fathom Five Provincial Park Superintendent Stan McLellan, who recognized its historic importance and facilitated repairs to preserve it. Decades later, it was once again in danger of collapse until Bruce/Fathom Five National Park Superintendent John Haselmeyer had a metal roof installed in 2015.
Over the next several years, discussions began with Parks Canada, the Municipality and the Museum Committee about relocating the cabin to the Museum Property on Highway 6. An agreement in principle to proceed was established subject to funding availability.
In 2021, a Trillium Grant application was submitted that was approved in 2022 with an ambitious completion date of October 2022.
The cabin was originally built without a proper foundation; in fact it probably had a dirt floor at first. The lowest logs on all four walls were badly rotted, as was the floor. If the cabin was going to last at its new location, it would need not only new logs at the bottom of all four walls; it would also need a proper foundation and a new floor.
Foundations are expensive and require careful planning. Fortunately, the Trillium Foundation were helpful and understanding when the October deadline came and went.
Many other problems came up along the way, Rob Davis explained, but the community came together to solve them, one by one.
Stan McLellan — still involved in the project, fifty years later — did background research about the cabin’s origins. John McLean, who owned the property adjacent to the cabin, offered support, encouragement and access to the site. Jack Schenk did the preparatory work for the relocation including site plans, excavation and advising on materials and costing. Brandon Golden (whose ancestors have been in Tobermory as long as the Davises) handled the project for Parks Canada and made sure responsibilities and deadlines were met. Jeff Munn handled site clearance, tree removal, excavation and the initial landscaping. Pat Boyle did much of the concrete work for the foundation. C&T Structural Movers moved the cabin to the museum property, placed it on its foundation and replaced the lower timbers. Roy Warder brought his portable sawmill to Tobermory for the milling of the floorboards for the cabin. He used the trees that were taken down in preparing the site. Pete Dean helped with site preparation and stored the milled floorboards for three years before they were installed. Longtime contractor Gene Munn came out of retirement to help with constructing the deck and preparing the cabin for flooring. Gene’s son, Jody Munn, donated his own and his crew’s time plus materials to build the deck. Timber framer Tim Casson supplied and installed the replacement timbers. Rob Groves did the electrical installation. Mike Marcotte built a replica fireplace and chimney, using local stone. McAfee Construction installed the cedar shake roof. They are also constructing new doors, which will be replicas of the originals. Parks and Facilities Manager Mark Coleman arranged funding extensions, sourced suppliers and worked hands-on in many of the finishing tasks.
Emcee Rob Davis welcomed Mayor Milt McIver and three members of Council, longtime Trillium Director Shirley Johnstone, MPP Paul Vickers. Davis also acknowledged Museum Committee Members Terry Milligan, Cele Eadie, Judy Caulfeild-Browne, Shirley Johnstone, Karen Phillips, Debbie Thornton and (Deputy Mayor) Rod Anderson. Davis also acknowledged the hard work of longtime committee member Ruth Bainbridge, who passed away before the project was completed.
The cabin’s full history will be explored in a future issue of this newspaper. The Davis Cabin can be visited any time the St Edmunds Bruce Peninsula Museum is open (11am-4pm daily through July and August).
