Keepsake From a Pioneer Toronto Church

KEEPSAKE FROM A PIONEER TORONTO CHURCH A NICE PIECE OF CANADIAN HERITAGE - BUT IT'S NOT WORTH MUCH ON THE OPEN MARKET

PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF CANADA SPECIAL PRESENTATION TO ORGANIST

     If you want a bargain in antiques and collectables, framed heritage documents, old deeds, birth, marriage and death certificates, are priced low these days, as they have become burdensome on their keepers, and less than desirable by both paper collectors and home decorators. Most of these framed certificates are considered common fare, and seeing as there is no shortage of them on the market, prices can get a lot lower than they are at present. Facing facts, there are a lot more cheerful framed art pieces than hanging memorabilia tributes for non family members, in you living room, or above the dining room table. Even if it was a relative, it's not likely a home, condo, cottage or apartment resident, would appreciate the macabre while having a romantic dinner with candlelight. There are a few out of every thousand collectors, who would disagree, but those very few buyers would be broke, buying up all the framed documents available out there on the antique hustings. The re-sale sucks. So if you buy them, you should think a little less of profit margin, and how you are going to convince your significant other, it would look great on the kitchen wall; or anywhere else for that matter. There are a few exceptions, and I want to show you one of them. It is published above today's blog.
     There are thousands upon thousands of framed paper keepsakes, certificates, memorial and death records with fitting graphics, to celebrate membership in the Masons, Oddfellow and International Order of Foresters. These are in the form of vintage presentation documents, that you can find at antique shops across Ontario. They were picked up by dealers and assorted speculators, because of their perceived monetary value. They're old, elaborate, nicely colored with great graphics, that someone allegedly and hopefully would love to hang on the wall of their livingroom, den, bedroom or recreation room. Tell me, would you hang a death memorial, with heavy gilt adorned plaster frames, with all its melancholy, in your livingroom where you like to relax after a hard day at the salt mine? Not bloody likely! Right? How about a Mason's certificate of membership, if you don't happen to be a Mason, or the son or daughter of a long line of Masons. Same goes for many other fraternal organizations that provided its membership with huge documents of appreciation, in one for or the other, that were proudly framed by the recipients. And yes, it was the kind of honor one would hang in a livingroom for show, and be proud to have guests acknowledge it, upon their visitation to the old homestead. That was then, and for personal reasons, but in contemporary times, it's not a priority or even a mild desire. If it is an heirloom piece, well, that's neat. I like this kind of collectable, but most who inherit these framed relics, tuck them away in closets for a future generations to sort out, as once again, an estate will need to be dealt with.
     I could go out this afternoon, and within fifty miles of our store-front, buy ten, or as many as twelve, of these kind of framed certificates and documents, if I look hard enough. They're priced fairly high which is absurd, and the demand is about as close to zero as it can get without being zero. It doesn't mean they aren't significant pieces of heritage, and fraternal legacies, but putting a framed memorial document on the wall over the sofa, in the condo, would appeal to a tiny, tiny portion of the population of antique and collectable buyers. I love this stuff and there are a few occasions when the name on the certificate, or family, has a broader and more historical connection, than just the graphics of the framed paper. It takes some research muscle to find out the provenance, but I have made several major discoveries, that link the name on a fraternal organization's document, to a news maker in national history. It's rare but always a possibility. We are always copying names down from documents we see in these shops, to do some research at home; meaning that if there's a major connection we can make, we will buy it on the next time by the same shop. Believe me, it will still be hung on the wall exactly where it was before. Some of these will hang around for years attesting to the reality, they aren't sought after by home decorators, and the best chance for them, is to connect with fraternal organization collectors, members in good standing, historians like us, and well, unfortunately, those who wish to re-purpose the frame, which usually has a glass panel. I hate this above all else, because it means the antiquated certificate or document gets tossed into the garbage bin.
     There are exceptions, and big ones. I study all framed and hung documents, (and yes, even the piles on the floor), just in case it is a Civil War era piece of ephemera that the antique dealer, or vendor didn't know about, falling a tad short on research. You have to read carefully, even if it's a memorial certificate, that could tie into a major world event, such as World War. There are occasions when what you see isn't all you get, because just like contracts you sign, the small print carries a lot of important information. Document collectors and historians are always looking for these relics, that if, for example, were connected with war times, especially the American Civil War, they could be worth thousands of dollars.
    There are others that, because of graphics, original art and colorations, are far more palatable to the home decorator. The certificate of thanks, to a long-serving organist at a pioneer Presbyterian Church in Toronto, is hand-colored and printed, with interesting maple leaf illustrations, making it a nice relic of Canadiana as well. The writing on the hand decorated document pre-1914, reads as follows: "The Presbyterian Church of Canada - Mr. A.E. Miller - We the members of the Board of Managers of St. David's Presbyterian Church, St. Clair Avenue, Toronto, wish to place on record our appreciation of your service as organist in the past, and trust that we shall have the pleasure of seeing you presiding at our organ for many years." The nicely framed document is signed by Church Managers including John Barron, S.E. Drinkwater, A. Donaldson, John G. Scott, Ebenezer Scott, T.H. Arthurs, David Dougan, Neil L.B. Paterson, Richard Bruce? (Not sure of spelling of last name).
     The church, under construction in 1906, after a period of Sunday meetings held in a nearby farmhouse, to satisfy the needs of neighborhood Presbyterians, was officially opened to the congregation on April 9th, 1907. The property on St. Clair Avenue was secured by the Presbyterian Church, sensing the congregation would soon increase with a proper house of worship, and a small, but adequate building, as seen in the photograph above; which was constructed on the rural lot with train tracks running directly in front. In only seven years, the members of the church demanded a bigger facility, and money was loaned to the congregation to build a new structure. Work was suspended shortly there after, due to the restriction imposed by government, at the outbreak of World War I. When the war ended in 1918, work resumed to complete the church, which opened in 1919. This building, with numerous revamps over the decades, lasted until 1999 when the property was purchased, the contents dispersed and the building removed. A time capsule from the original cornerstone revealed a collection of legal documents regarding the property, newspaper articles, and a listing of the war dead, who, from the early years of its service to the neighborhood, were members of the congregation. It is no longer a Presbyterian Church. The document I have in my possession shows an original photograph, probably just prior to its removal, in and around 1914, of the wood framed church building, showing rail lines crossing in front, and hydro service at the side. There is a barn on the bottom right side of the photograph, and a farm house and nearby barn, in the distance; just above, on the right side, closer to this side of the church structure. There is a more thorough history of the church available online, to show its chronicle of changes experienced during the 1900's up to the final days of 1999. It would have, of course, become a century building in 2019. The original church structure only had a seven year heritage of service to its congregation.
     Not only is this the kind of folk art Canadiana that has a well rounded heritage connection, to not only Presbyterians, and the citizens of Toronto, but also looks rather pleasant hanging on a wall. It has a considerable amount of damage, but it has been properly conserved, and secured in its present frame, to last another hundred years. This isn't a valuable piece but it is a relic of Ontario history, that deserves to be maintained in this state; not ripped from its mount, so that some buyer can harvest the frame and its glass. You would be horrified to know how many important documents like this, with a little bit extra in terms of audience appeal, are destroyed each year, by those who have inherited them, or purchased them at shops and auctions, simply for framing. I remember once at a local Thrift Shop trying to convince a manager, who had interpreted the store policy, to mean that it wasn't acceptable to sell some religious and iconic pieces they received as donations. I saw a beautiful century-old graphic in a mirrored frame, at the back of the shop, positioned to be priced by staff. I waited patiently for the piece to get its price tag, because the manager reacted badly to anyone requesting a price, on articles obviously being processed behind the counter. I held my opinion on the matter, and when I came back, the next morning, hoping it had been priced and placed out for sale, I was shocked to discover the manager had insisted the depiction of the Virgin Mary be removed from the beautiful frame. Only the frame was for sale. I immediately reacted, and with some hostility, as to why they had ripped out the art work, leaving only the frame. She informed me, with a gruffness of attitude, that it was store policy, that these iconic images could not be sold. So I did what comes naturally in my profession. "Well then, can you give it to me, so that I can buy the frame, and then put the picture back when I get it home?" She informed me that it had been thrown out, and was no longer available. I even offered to pick through the garbage pail, to liberate it from a horrible fate. I was pretty sure the answer was going to be a flat-out "No," and I wasn't wrong. Well, they were wrong, and what they had thrown out was worth more than the frame, and considering they liked to make money, it reflected badly on their protocols, which to me, made less sense the more they explained them. This repeats thousands of times each year, all over God's half acre, and there is no way of backtracking to save them.
     Please, consider giving these items away, to someone interested in their content, and print heritage, if at any point, you face the dilemma of what to do with these antiquated documents and certificates. There may come a time, when they become more significant as decoration, but in the meantime, they're
easy to find out there. But please, love them for more than just the frame.