07/17/2025
History Lesson Alert! PART ONE: Built in 1907, 49 Ray St N sits in a west-end pocket often described as a neighbourhood between neighbourhoods. The house has seen over a century of residents, from farmers and hat makers to teachers, railway men, musicians, and restaurateurs.
In the mid-1800s, this block was part of a large estate owned by John Ogilvy Hatt, barrister and brother-in-law to Sir Allan MacNab. His grand home stood at the centre. Just a few blocks away, Victoria Park became home to the Crystal Palace fairground. In 1865, Hattâs estate passed to the Sisters of Loretto, who transformed it into a girlsâ academy, adding dormitories and a chapel, offering a rigorous program in the arts (including piano and harp) and religious studies, rooted in principles of academic excellence and the empowerment of women.
The Sisters of Loretto began to sell off unused portions of their grounds, and the corner of Ray and Napier was purchased by builder David J. Henry. In 1906, he received permits to build three houses on Ray St N. One of these was 49, a red-brick Edwardian home that would join a new neighbourhood formed in just a few short years by Hamiltonâs westward expansion, marking the disappearance of former estates and farmland.
James Ellis moved into 49 c.1909 with wife Maud and daughter Vera. He started on the railways aged 16, working across Canada, before turning foreman at the TH&B Roundhouse, and later the CNR. He spent 50 years on the rails, praised for his good nature, understanding and loyalty. He was a 32nd-degree Mason, linking him to the nearby Scottish Rite, centre of Masonic life and one of Strathconaâs most recognizable landmarks.
Farmer Walter and his wife Lulu Goodbrand owned the home during The Depression, renting it out and at times living in it. Lulu hosted the Womenâs Institute in the parlour, a pioneering organization founded by Adelaide Hoodless, champion of rural womenâs education. The Goodbrandâs daughter Gladys married William Dickson, who taught at Adelaide Hoodlessâ namesake school and studied Ancient Culture at McMaster University not long after it relocated to Hamilton, while they lived at 49.
