1899 - O'Reilly Homestead

 It was a prominent home of a prominent Hamilton family. A fixture on the east side of Catharine Street south, south of Hunter street, the O'Reilly Homestead was in October 1899 soon to be demolished.

On October 9, 1899, the Hamilton Times published a fond farewell to the house :

“Houses made with hands are not eternal. Some of them stand a long time, however. Before the snow flies, a house which has stood the cold blasts of winter and the scorching suns of summer for nearly a century will be gone : another of Hamilton’s landmarks will have passed away. The house is the O’Reilly homestead at the northeast corner of Catharine and O’Reilly streets. It will be torn down in a few weeks by Thos. Allen & Son, contractors, who intend to erect a number of modern brick houses on the site.

“Few, if any, of Hamilton’s oldest citizens can recall when the house came into the possession of the late Justice Miles O‘Reilly , father of Major J.E. O’Reilly, Master-in-Chancery, the present occupant. It was in 1830, sixty-nine years ago. For years before that it was used as a private school by the late Steven Randall, who was the village school master. In those good old days, it was a square, two story frame house, containing eight rooms – four on each flat. There was a basement kitchen under the rear rooms of the house.

“The late Judge, who was at the time of purchase, ‘the village lawyer, ‘, at once had it renovated, and into it he took his bride. In front of the house, on the street line, were his law offices. These were in a stone frame building – the first story was of stone and the second one of frame. The second story was, many years ago, when the stone work was torn down, removed to a site on Augusta street, near where Mr. A. Ballantine’s grocery now stands, and it remained there until a few years ago, when it, too, was levelled to the ground. In those offices, the late Judge attended to his clients’ business, and also gave legal instruction to young men who aspired to practice at the bar. Some of these young students became prominent in later years.

“But to return to the house. As time went on ‘society grew,’ and little O’Reillys came to town. Mr. O’Reilly enlarged and beautified the house. It was roughcast about fifty years ago.

“Years ago, many distinguished personages from abroad were entertained within its walls. For many years, it was the custom to hold annual family reunions, and as many as 60 relatives have sat down to Christmas dinners in it. In 1860, when the Prince of Wales visited Hamilton, 40 persons were fed in the spacious dining room. When the judge died in 1890, the property was left to his widow, who died in 1893,leaving it to the Major, who moved into it on Queen’s Birthday, 1894. He has resided in it since, but will move next week to a house on Herkimer street.

“There are many fine old steel engravings in the house now, among them being one of Queen Victoria and her son, Albert Edward, now the Prince of Wales.

“There are sixteen rooms in the house, to which, as previously stated, additions have been made from time to time. In the ‘old par of the house, the beams are hewed trees, and the contractor who will tear it down, expects to have considerable timber left after relic fiends get in their work.