I did a post on the Mercer Women's Reformatory this week, and I came across this photo in my archives.
A.R. Williams was born Alfred Ruggles Williams in 1848, in Troy, Pennsylvania. He came to Canada sometime in the 1860’s.
In Liberty Village, the faded “A.R. Williams Machinery Company” ghost sign can still be seen on a building that incorporates part of the former Central Prison’s woodworking and ironworking shop. After purchasing the property from the decommissioned men’s prison, company founder A.R. Williams hired prominent theatre architects Kaplan and Sprachman to design a new warehouse on the site. Williams remained president of the company until his death at age 79 in May 1917.
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The Hidden History of 1800s Prisons in Liberty Village is great reading!!!
...a wonderful find!!!
ReplyDeleteGreat ghost sign!
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