29 BURSTHALL STREET

THE HENRY REGINALD PEARCE HOUSE

"Henry Reginald Pearce is moving into his handsome new residence on Bursthall Street this week"                 

Marmora Herald    April 12, 1906

Henry Reginald Pearce,  known as "Reginald"  was a prominent citizen of Marmora,  being one of the sons of the infamous Thomas Pearce.  He spent his entire life in Marmora except for a few years when he attended Ridley College,  was in the army, and lived in Belleville.

Upon the death of his father in 1894,  Reginald,  along with his brother,  Frank,  took over the businesses of the Pearce Company,  and continued the Pearce tradition of serving their community.  Reginald purchased the lot at 29 Bursthall Street from the Pearce company for the sum of $200.00 (with a deed erroneously dated March 28 1006)   and hired Ed Shannon (a builder of many local large buildings)   to build this fine stately home where he lived with his wife,  Elizabeth Hettie Bowen, daughter, Margaret (who died of pneumonia in the home at age 11 )  and son, Thomas.  

Reginald was a member of Marmora Lodge, A.F. & A.M. for over fifty years and received his 50 year medal.  He was a church warden in St. Paul's Anglican Church for over 40 years and a former secretary of the Marmora Protestant Cemetery Board.  He served with the Canadian Army during the first World War attaining the rank of Captain,  serving in France.  He was a member of the Marmora Branch No. 237 of the Canadian Legion and of the older organization, the Great War Veterans Association.

The house was lived in by Reginald's son,  Thomas and his wife,  Billie Oake,  along with their children,  Peter,  Bruce and Susan.  It was this family that donated the Pearce family Bible to the Marmora Historical Foundation.

Births, deaths and marriages in the Pearce Family Bible

When the House became available in 1947,  the employees of the Deloro Smelting & Refining Co. ,  trough the efforts of the Plant, wanted to honour Dr. Crawford,  who had been the Marmora doctor andthe Plant doctor for over 34 years.  They planned to purchase this house and turn it into a hospital in his honour.  The plant had set aside $4,00000 for the project,  with a nursery on the first floor and a delivery room,  office, ktchen, storage room and a dining room on the second.  The department of Health was not encouraging small hospitals,  and with all the required regulations,  the costs would have soared to $35,000.00.  The idea was scrapped and instead,  the Plant donated $7,500.00 to the Arena,  provided it be called the Crawford Arena.

It has also been the home of Peter & Georgia Beare & family,  and Dan and Audrey Bateman and family.

Eventually it was purchased by Chris and Lilly Boldy,  and converted into a Bed and Breakfast,  then sold again to Kathy & Rui Pereira,   who continued to run it as a "The Marmora Inn" until 2021 when it sold.