The Presidents’ Suites offers professionally designed
accommodations in an outstanding century-old inn located
on a beautiful property of the historical 'Millionaire's Row'.
The perfect venue on the shore of lake Temiskaming
for business travels & meetings, family, friend & group
reunions, your wedding and family or weekend holidays.
accommodations in an outstanding century-old inn located
on a beautiful property of the historical 'Millionaire's Row'.
The perfect venue on the shore of lake Temiskaming
for business travels & meetings, family, friend & group
reunions, your wedding and family or weekend holidays.
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About Us History
About Us History| History - Arthur Ferland & Arthur Murphy |  |
The house now known as the Presidents’ Suites was built in 1906 by Arthur Ferland, proprietor of the Matabanick Hotel, after making a fortune with his silver mines in Cobalt. The hotel’s property being on the shores of Lake Temiskaming, Mr. Ferland was one of the first involved in the region’s silver rush development. The first prospectors had to  travel to Toronto by steamboat to register their findings. Mr. Ferland’s hotel, being strategically located near the docks, made him one of the first shareholders in the prospectors’ mines.Not long after the silver was discovered, he bought a large piece of land to divide and build houses on. He anticipated that the beauty of Lake Temiskaming would lure the mines’ proprietors and managers to settle in Haileybury instead of Cobalt. The street on which the house is located was named Florence, in honor of Mr. Ferland’s daughter. In a very short time, Haileybury became the posh town of Northern Ontario with its Millionaire’s Row along the shore of the lake. Haileybury was the town with the most millionaires per capita in Canada. So it was not surprising to see a rule inhibiting people from walking the  streets with a lunchbox in their hands. Many of these centennial houses are still standing today, since this was one of the only neighborhoods spared from the Great Fire of 1922.During the tragic event of 1922, Mrs. Ferland had homed the convents that had no family in the area. The catholic mass had also been presented in the house while the cathedral was being rebuilt. After Mr. and Mrs. Ferland’s death in 1923, the house was sold to Mr. Arthur Murphy, who had made a fortune with his five sawmills and his brick industry after the fire. Many more families have afterwards lived in the house. Even with the numerous renovations brought to the house throughout the years, it is still possible to imagine the lives that were lived by these mines Presidents during the silver rush era. The Historical nights offered in the home will let you relive that experience and learn more on the region’s history. Historical article in the newspaper 'Le Reflet témiscamien' (edition of January 18, 2012) on the subject of the Ferland family. The article, written by Florent Heroux, is in the section, ‘Le Reflet Ontarien’. |
