Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by Marcel Rousseau. Some were previously published by the Orillia Museum of Art and History and in the book Postcard Memories Orillia.
You can take a trip down memory lane with us each Saturday morning!
The original lakeshore property was purchased from the Crown by Mr. William Bell in 1854.
Bell sold the property to Charles Corbould, an Orillia lawyer, in 1857 and one year later Corbould built this two-story brick building.
The home was used as a family residence until it was purchased in 1947 by Arthur and Kathleen Bennett who turned the home into a hotel complex and established the Birchmere as Orillia’s most up-to-date hotel and dining room, with excellent food and service.
Donald A. Hunter’s History of Orillia’s Waterfront tells us of the many changes in ownership before being purchased in 1980 and developed into a senior’s residence.
Today, Birchmere Retirement Residence provides first-class accommodations for seniors.
