Now for the full story...
Welcome to the Abraham Hoover House. This is the first stop of York Unknown: A Digital History Haunted Tour.
Let’s explore the Abraham Hoover House, one of the four heritage sites on York University’s Keele campus. The house is still located in its original location, on the southwest side of campus, near the Stong Pond [1]. Back when the house was still in use, it had white shutters and the battens were painted sky blue. It is no longer painted blue, but is now stark white, with no warm detailing. The house looks barren now, like an unattended relic of the past. It is now boarded up with wood on all of the windows - to keep something out? Or to keep something in? It is unknown…
The house is located on the east bank of the Black Creek that flows through the west side of campus, and which served many uses among people that have inhabited this land for centuries. The Hoover family were from Pennsylvania and were German Mennonites [2]. The Abraham Hoover House was first built by and named after a pioneer in North York, Abraham’s father Christopher, in the year of 1826 [3]. It was converted in 1848 from a log house to the style of home it is today. Christopher and his wife Maria Troyer first built the house, where together they raised 14 children. When the house was first built in the 1800s, there was only a small population that were living in the community [4]. When the Hoover house was first built, it was seen as quite different from the other houses in the neighborhood, as it was a high-rise house with modern designs on the outside [5]. The Hoover family lived in the house for many years until 1903. The Hoover house was significant in the later reunion of the Hoover family in Alberta [6]. Due to this reason, the Hoover house has significant heritage attached to it. The government, scholars and historians have been trying to find information on the house for many decades. This has included interviews with the descendants of the Hoover family, to hear the first-hand and passed-down stories of real people who lived in the house [7].
As Todd (a historian, and a researcher who interviewed granddaughter of Abraham Hoover about their living experience in the Hoover House) explained, there were more livestock than people living in the community [8]. The granddaughter of Abraham Hoover remembers what the family did for fun when they lived in this house. People would play games, have supper together, and milk the cows on the lawn. But despite the seemingly simplistic life of a pioneer, the days could get quite lonely. Many people were not prepared for this level of loneliness that early settlers experienced [9]. Social problems due to loneliness or lack of money occurred often among pioneers, often causing issues around alcohol usage and drunkenness [10]. What could this loneliness and addiction to alcohol do to families? We are not suggesting that Abraham Hoover, or any of the Hoovers, felt these hardships. But they were common of pioneers of their time, so anything is possible...
The walls of the Hoover house must also recall a time when the immediate area it was positioned on was called, Kaiserville [11]. Peter Erlin Kaiser is a historical figure, who was a settler from Germany who had immigrated to the area after the American Revolutionary War. Kaiserville was the first name of the area, which was later renamed: Elia [12]. Peter Erlin Kaiser was the first settler in the area. He died in the year of 1824 and is now buried on the grounds of York University. There are not many details about Kaiser and Kaiserville in historical sources. It is recorded, however, that Peter Erlin Kaiser died on lot 24 Concession 4, York Township and was then buried under a cherry tree on the east bank of Black Creek [13]. The cherry tree was an important mark for his interment, which can be called Kaiser’s grave [14]. When the research was first conducted by historians, they reached out to the government to find out if there were any remains that could be found. Thus, a search was conducted to find the grave, but nothing was found.
According to records from the City of Toronto, up until the 1930s, the house was under the ownership of Abraham Hoover. The Hoover house has also been known at one time as the Passy House [15]. After living in it for years, in the 1930s it was sold to Mrs. Hart and Claude Passy before eventually being purchased by York University [16]. When the Keele campus was established in the year of 1965, the Abraham Hoover House served as housing for faculty members on campus [17].
There are many unknowns around the Hoover House and Kaierville, firstly from the appearance why does a forest still surround the house? Is it simply for protection from wandering, curious students? Or is the forest there to hide the house completely? Why did York not advertise the heritage sites for people that are interested in heritage tourism? There is so much potential for tours and living history in these houses, but this opportunity has not been taken. Why are these houses not shown during campus tours, and celebrated much like the heritage buildings on the University of Toronto’s campus? York has a great history program, yet many of the students do not have the opportunity to learn about the founders of the land they visit every day for class.
Within the Clara Thomas Archives, there is information recorded about when faculty members used the Hoover House after selling it to York. For instance, professor John J. Conway, the first Master of Founders College from 1965 to 1970, [18] and Bob Richards and family, an employee of York University in the year of 1974 [19]. Were they ever scared by the loneliness that surrounded them, considering the fact that they were the only individuals living in such a big house? In addition, does the school actually secretly know about Kaiser’s grave, and exactly which cherry tree it is under? Perhaps they are just protecting it from wandering eyes... What if students have been relaxing during their lunch break by sitting against the very tree this important historical figure is lying beneath? It is up to you and your interpretations. Tell us what you think and let us know in the comments…
* Disclaimer: This blog is not in association with York University or Black Creek Pioneer Village.
[1] [1] Baldwin, Elmer. “History of the Mound Builders, Indian Tribes, French Explorations, and a Sketch of the Pioneer Settlers of Each Town to 1840, with an Appendix, Giving the Present Status of the County.” (1877). https://scholar.google.com/scholar?q=History+of+Elkhart+County%2C+Indiana%2C+Together+with+Sketches+of+Its+Cities+...+and+Biographies+of+Representative+Citizens+%3A+History+of+Indiana%2C+Embracing+Accounts+of+the+Pre-historic+Races+...&inst=1709063167195785279#d=gs_cit&u=%2Fscholar%3Fq%3Dinfo%3AE7Gk7mtYjfoJ%3Ascholar.google.com%2F%26output%3Dcite%26scirp%3D0%26hl%3Den.
[2] “Hoover family reunion.” Clara Thomas Archives.
[3] "Public notice-Heritage Land" City of Toronto. (n.d.). https://www.toronto.ca/involved/statutorynotices/archive2009/dec/hl_121809_1.htm.
[4] Borough of North York Historic Sites, York University. 1971, 32.
[5] Todd, M. "The Hoover House" York Profiles Online. (1998). http://www.yorku.ca/yul/profiles/past/nov98/current/features/article2.htm.
[6] “Hoover family reunion.” Clara Thomas Archives.
[7] ibid.
[8] Todd, M. "The Hoover House" York Profiles Online. (1998). http://www.yorku.ca/yul/profiles/past/nov98/current/features/article2.htm .
[9] Hart, Patricia W. Pioneering in North York: A History of the Borough. Toronto: General Pub. Co., 1971. 52.
[10] ibid.
[11] "Inventory of the York University historical collection" Clara Thomas Archives. http://archivesfa.library.yorku.ca/fonds/ON00370-f0000450.htm.
[12] ibid.
[13] ibid.
[14] ibid.
[15] "Public notice-Heritage Land" City of Toronto. (n.d.). https://www.toronto.ca/involved/statutorynotices/archive2009/dec/hl_121809_1.htm
[16] "Inventory of the York University historical collection" Clara Thomas Archives. http://archivesfa.library.yorku.ca/fonds/ON00370-f0000450.htm
[17] ibid.
[18] “Hoover family reunion.” Clara Thomas Archives.
[19] ibid.