“The Paddy Walker Historical Society was founded for the express purpose of saving this old inn,” says Brad Kirkconnell, the organization’s president. “It’s the town’s oldest building and the oldest standing hotel in Bruce and Grey counties.” The society bought the building in 1998 for $35,000 that Kirkconnell says they raised largely by knocking on doors and “pulling on the heartstrings of the community.”

Built by Paddy Walker, an Irish immigrant in the mid-19th century, Walker House was an inn that rapidly became the centre of the community developing where the Penetangore River meets Lake Huron. Descendants of the Walker family continued to operate the building as a hotel well into the 1900s and retained ownership until 1942. The second owner, Mrs. Gains, was still living in Walker House when it was almost destroyed by fire in 1995. Three years and a pending demolition order later, the abandoned, dilapidated building caught the attention – and imagination – of Robert Cottrill, the inaugural president of the Paddy Walker Heritage Society. He convinced 11 of his fellow citizens to get involved and help save it.

Together they raised the funds and recruited the trades people needed to do some of the structural work and replace the roof - the first thing that had to be done to avoid any more damage. “Around the same time, we received our first OTF grant for $55,000, which allowed us to install new plumbing as well as an electrical heating and cooling system,” Kirkconnell says. The society then set its sights on local businesses to raise money for the hammers and nails.

The battle to save Walker House galvanized the greater Kincardine area, involving residents in fun and fundraising events.

“What we were trying to do was really labour-intensive,” he continues. “We took 27 truckloads of garbage and debris out of the building. Then, we organized a program to try and locate different skill sets.” The society began to spread the word about the project throughout the community and tapped a few key people on the shoulder.

“Before long, we had people coming to the site, knocking on the door and asking if we could use their help,” Kirkconnell recalls. “Retirees would come in through the week, and working people would take over on weekends. A core group of eight volunteers have been working on the restoration every Monday, Wednesday and Friday for more than eight years now." He estimates that close to 250 people have donated over 75,000 man-hours to restoring the building so far; many, many more have contributed to fundraising, landscaping and organizing events.

“It’s an astounding level of participation for a town of about 9,000 people,” says Mary-Jo Sullivan, grants associate with OTF. “That sense of commitment and community support is a pivotal consideration when we’re trying to decide what projects to fund. When you have people coming together like this, they’re bound to be successful.” 

Today, the restoration of Walker House is practically complete, and the focus has begun to shift to operations and sustainability – challenges that the latest OTF grant is helping to address. Ideas about how the building would ultimately be used may have been a little fuzzy at the inception of the project, but after five years of hosting classes, antique-appraising sessions, displays, exhibits and parties, Walker House doesn’t need to justify its existence anymore. It’s needed as a vibrant community resource!