Description of Historic Place

The Old Post Office Museum is located at 144 Front Street, on the south side of Front Street, in the Town of Oakville. The one storey wooden building was constructed in 1835.

The property was designated by the Town of Oakville in 1978 for its heritage value under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 1978-7).

Heritage Value

The Old Post Office Museum demonstrates the history of Oakville's early mail delivery. Before 1835 the townspeople received their mail from a post office located on the corner of Trafalgar Road and Highway No. 5. The mail was transported on horseback to and from the early settlement of Oakville. In 1835 the Old Post Office was built high on the bank of the Sixteen Mile Creek on the west side of Navy Street below Lakeshore Road. It was moved to its current location in Lakeside Park in 1950, at which point it was restored to its original appearance.

Oakville's founder, William Chisholm was appointed the first Postmaster in 1835. His son, R.K. Chisholm was appointed Duty Postmaster from 1879 to 1880. In 1855 the Great Western Railway took control of mail delivery and with the shift in power the Oakville office was given more responsibility. The Oakville Branch became responsible for dispatching the bags to Trafalgar and Bronte Post Offices. With this added responsibility and a growing population, the Post Office relocated to a larger property in 1856.

The Old Post Office has had many secondary uses over the years. After 1856, the building was used as a blacksmith shop and stable, as well as a welding business and tannery storehouse. Many elections have been held there and it doubled as the headquarters for the company that administered the plank road from Oakville to Fergus. It is now a part of the Oakville Museum at Erchless Estate and is open to the public.

The Old Post Office Museum is of simple construction. The one storey tall building is clad in twenty four, four-by-twelve planks, held together by a loose tongue joint and dovetailed at the corners. Beneath the wooden shingles, the original tin sheathing still exists.

Sources: City of Oakville By-law 1978-7; Lakeside Park, Circa 1835 The Old Post Office Museum, 2006.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Old Post Office Museum include its:
- restoration to original design
- one storey wooden exterior
- four-by-twelve planks held together by loose tongue joint
- dovetailed corners
- hip roof
- tin sheathing
- porch
- overhanging roof