(17 March 1837-8 May 1914), architect and contractor. (date of 19 March also given for birth) Born in the Township of Elizabethtown, Ont. Parents: John Steacy (d. 3 July 1888, aged 73), an architect and builder, and his wife Rebecca Boyd (d. 11 May 1888, aged 75). John Graham Steacy, the subject of the present article, was associated in his earlier years with his father John Steacy the elder in building the Grand Trunk Railway engine sheds and stations at Brockville and Prescott. Next, John Graham Steacy (along with D.S. Booth) built Brockville’s East Ward Market House. Afterwards, John Graham was the architect and builder of a sugar refinery in Portland, Maine. Having then gone into railway building, with his first venture being in the Maritimes, he had a successful career in railway building in the United States, Mexico and Jamaica. For some years he was general manager in the United States of the 400-mile Cotton Belt Railway. He lived in New York City in later years, then about three years before his death he returned to Brockville. He died at his home in Brockville. He is buried in St. Peter’s Anglican Cemetery, Brockville. Anglican. He was unmarried. He is described in his obituary as a “contractor and builder of international reputation.”

     John Graham Steacy was the builder or architect of John A. (Cariboo) Cameron’s magnificent Fairfield House at Summerstown, GC. The Cornwall Advertiser of Wednesday 12 July 1865 reported under the heading of “Fairfield House,” “On Wednesday last, the corner stone of the above mansion was laid in the presence of a large number of the friends of the worthy proprietor of Fairfield, John A. Cameron… Fairfield House is being built under the supervision of Mr. John Steacy of Brockville, who, though young, has gained for himself the reputation of being the best Architect in Central Canada, and in this enterprise, we are confident, he will not disappoint the expectations of his many friends.” In the same article “John Steacy, Brockville, C.W.” was listed among those present at the laying of the cornerstone. Since the youth of the builder is stressed in this newspaper report, we may assume that the builder was John Graham Steacy, aged at that time 28, and not his father, John Steacy the elder, aged at that time about 50. Towards two years later, it was announced that the contract for building certain extensive cotton and woollen factories at Cornwall “has been awarded to Mr. Ranald Macdonell of this town, and Mr. Steacy, Architect of Brockville.” (Cornwall Freeholder 29 March 1867) Presumably again this is the younger Steacy. The intended business was in fact a woollen mill being built by a firm organized by George Stephen, who was later Lord Mount Stephen. By Oct. 1867, the masonry and brickwork had been completed on George Stephen’s “immense factory being built in this town [Cornwall].” A Mr Bell was the architect, and at this stage Macdonell and Steacy were described as being the contractors. Mr Bell was proposing a plan for eating oysters with his friends on the top of the factory smokestack. (FH 25 Oct. 1867) By Jan. 1868 the factory was described as completed, and George Stephen was said to be considering adding a cotton factory. (FH 10 Jan. 1868) At this stage again, Bell was described as the architect, and Macdonell and Steacy as the contractors. During his GC-Cornwall period, Steacy was at least once caught up in the chaotic personal life of Cariboo Cameron (who was going through his arrogant and violent post-return-from-the-goldfields stage), for in 1865 Steacy was named as one of the co-defendants in Dr A. J. McPherson’s law proceedings for attempted assault against Cariboo Cameron. (FH 15 & 22 Dec. 1865)

Text of the obituary from Brockville Recorder, 8 May 1914, and information on Steacy gravestone inscriptions kindly supplied by Myrtle Johnston, of Leeds and Grenville Branch OGS * information from Brockville LACAC * Senior 225-226, 247