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This brick building was Gottlieb Eckardt’s wheelwright and carriage-making shop. Depending on the source consulted, it dates from c.1835, c.1840 or c.1845. Gottlieb Eckardt, one of the sons of Berczy settler Philip Eckardt, was a supporter of William Lyon Mackenzie at the time of the Upper Canadian Rebellion of 1837. He was arrested following the Rebellion and jailed for a period of time before being pardoned. His son, Hewlett (or Hulet) Eckardt was involved in the family business and took over after his father’s death in 1852. The wheelwright shop became a blacksmith shop operated by Hewlett Eckardt in partnership with John Stevenson. Stevenson purchased the shop in 1875, a few years after Hewlett Eckardt had left Unionville for California. Some of the blacksmiths that followed John Stevenson at this location included George Caldwell, Arnold Martin, Alfred McPherson, Alfred Marks and Lorne Smith. |