145 William Street - Sumner House

The Sumner House was built in 1831 by William J. Sumner, where he lived with his wife Phoebe Butts Sumner and their family

William Sumner was a neighbour of William Chisholm in Nelson Township. He was proprietor of the Grove Inn, at Hannahsville, as that part of Nelson was then known.

William Chisholm built an inn, the Oakville House, at the corner of Lakeshore and Navy, and leased it to his friend Sumner around 1831. Sumner bought the Inn in 1834.

Several years ago, the Oakville House was torn down and a new building with a similar facade was erected.

In 1831, William Sumner bought adjoining lots on William and Navy Street and built this house the same year. It passed into the possession of his son William Chisholm Sumner, and was purchased in 1855 by his brother, George Johnson Sumner.

George Sumner, carpenter, Chief Constable and Diarist, lived there until his death in 1911. The home remained in the family into the 1920s.

George Sumner's diaries, covering many years, are owned by the Historical Society and have been transcribed.