Community, Organizations

Kingsville Landmark Recognized with Heritage Designation

The Kingsville Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee presented the Jack Miner Migratory Bird Foundation with an enlarged preview of the plaque it will be receiving to mark the designation of the Jack and Laona Miner House under the Ontario Heritage Act. Pictured are Henry Denotter, foundation board member, Tom Coke, foundation executive director, Kimberly DeYong, chair of the Kingsville Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee, and Sarah Sacheli, the heritage committee’s past chair.

A Kingsville landmark is going into this year’s Migration Festival with new recognition.

The Jack Miner Migratory Bird Sanctuary has received heritage designation for the Jack and Laona Miner House. The designation under the Ontario Heritage Act covers the 1922 brick home and the viewing pond which attracts a constant parade of ducks and other waterfowl.

“We are appreciative of the recognition,” said Tom Coke, executive director of the Jack Miner Migratory Bird Foundation. “What this designation means for the foundation is the recognition from the Town of Kingsville for this house, for Jack’s legacy and for his place in not only the history of having been part of the Town of Kingsville but also going forward into the future.”

Miner was an internationally renowned naturalist, conservationist, lecturer, businessman and author. Until his death in 1944, he was one of Canada’s most prominent citizens, his life chronicled in newspaper reports, encyclopedia entries and history books. Miner pioneered the banding of migratory waterfowl, leading to the enacting of conservation treaties between Canada and the United States. His wife, Laona, was a charter member of the Kingsville Women’s Institute, an organization dedicated to the advancement of education for women and girls, and she hosted countless events in her home to support local charities.

“It is important to recognize Laona’s contribution to the sanctuary’s legacy,” said Coun. Kimberly DeYong, chair of the Kingsville Municipal Heritage Advisory Committee. “When Jack would go on speaking engagements, Laona would accompany him. When he would bring notable people such as Marilyn Munroe, Ty Cobb or Henry Ford to their home, Laona would host them. Of the work it took to found the sanctuary and keep it going, we have seen photos of her creating leg bands right alongside her husband.”

The property’s heritage value lies not only in its association with Jack and Laona Miner, but for its architectural design and its state of preservation, DeYong explained. The site has remained largely unchanged through the decades and continues to be the centrepiece of a Crown game reserve established by the Province of Ontario in 1917. While the exterior of the home epitomizes the Edwardian Classical style of architecture, it has Arts and Crafts or Craftsman details inside including a built-in buffet, cabinetry and other woodwork made of quarter-sawn oak.

The Miners could afford such a well-appointed home because of the success of the Miner Tile and Brick Yard, which flourished because of the pace of construction throughout the southern part of Essex County at the time.

It was important to not let another Migration Festival pass without the property getting the recognition it deserves, said DeYong. The 53rd annual festival takes place Oct. 13 to 16. For more information on the Migration Festival, visit the Town of Kingsville website: https://www.kingsville.ca/en/explore-and-play/migration-festival.aspx

Photo: Anna Lamarche

One Comment

  1. Mark steffes

    Great decision!

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