07. The Fogg House

The Fogg House – 198 River St

In 1904, Thomas Fogg, the prosperous owner of Sunderland’s Nipissing Hotel at River and Church streets, purchased this half-acre property from Julius St. John for $300. Three years later, in 1907, he built a substantial new home here for his wife and daughter. Remarkably, the original 1904 deed of purchase has been preserved in the house.

The Fogg House is a fine example of the elaborate residential architecture popular around the turn of the twentieth century. Its exterior features a sweeping veranda, three-storey bay windows and a number of stained-glass windows.

Much of the original craftsmanship was also evident inside the house. Oak panelling and wainscoting were used in the dining room and front hall, with ash wainscoting in the kitchen. The ceilings were finished with decorative pressed-tin panels, a popular feature of the period. An oak staircase featured turned spindles and newel posts, while the floors were constructed of pine boards.

The Fogg family’s fortunes eventually changed when Thomas Fogg lost much of his money through stock market investments. What became of him afterward is unknown, but his wife and daughter remained in the house and struggled to meet the mortgage payments.

By 1936, the house stood empty and was offered at auction, but no buyer came forward. It was later purchased and shared by members of the Banbury family—Armour and Enid, Martin and Lorne, and Grace. Subsequent owners included Stanley Doble; Fred and Mabel Wilson; and Gordon Lockey, a geography teacher at Brock High School.

In 1967, another Brock High School teacher, Bill Yarima, moved into the house with his wife Joan and their four children. The Yarima family undertook the restoration and careful maintenance of the property, helping preserve many of the original features that make the Fogg House an important reminder of Sunderland at the beginning of the twentieth century.

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