map and route town of comox heritage walk

Built by John Fitzpatrick in 1878, the Lorne Hotel held the distinction of being the oldest licensed hotel in British Columbia, until it burned down in 2011. It was named after Canada’s Governor General, the Marquis of Lorne, and over the years, the Lorne has served as lodging house, meeting place, census and voting station, and local watering hole. In 1882, John Fitzpat-rick and his family returned to the United States, and the Lorne Hotel sat empty until the Cliffe family purchased it in 1883.

10 ) Comox Valley Heritage Experience

side route town of comox heritage walk

Side RoutesPioneer Memorial Park Manor Drive

Historically significant for the Town of Comox, Pioneer Memo-

rial Park was originally the site of St. John the Baptist’s Catholic

Cemetery, and many of the first pioneer settlers were interred

here. In 1975, the grounds of the cemetery were ploughed and

leveled, and the land turned over to the Town of Comox. In

1980, the town created a park on this site.

The centerpiece of the park is a memorial cairn containing many

of the recovered headstones of those buried in the grounds. In

2002, the Knights of Columbus created a comprehensive list of

the people buried here; this list is displayed at the head of the

park on an informative sign.

The Knights of Columbus and the Town of Comox maintain

the park and its amenities. Due to the dramatic ocean, glacier

and mountain views afforded by the park’s position, Pioneer

Park has become increasingly popular for weddings, picnics

and gatherings. It offers a peaceful refuge within walking

distance of the hospital, and remains a little known gem on

the Comox Peninsula.

Pioneer Memorial Park

side route town of comox heritage walk

12 ) Comox Valley Heritage Experience

St. Joseph’s Hospital 2137 Comox Avenue

The town of Comox, rapidly growing at the beginning of the

20th century, needed a hospital, and J.D. McCormack, President

of the Comox Logging and Railway Company, appealed to the

Sisters of St. Joseph in Toronto for assistance.

On July 5, 1913, four Sisters arrived in Comox to establish a medi-

cal facility. The Bishop of Victoria gave Sister Majella, Sister St.

Edmund, Sister Praxedes and Sister Claudia five acres of land

at the top of Comox Hill, on the northern side of the road, on

which to build a hospital. The Sisters, however, admired the

site across the road with its fine view of the harbour, and they

decided to purchase this land from Mr. Kopczynski, along with

his unfinished farmhouse, for their purposes. The house was

renovated into a four-bedroom cottage hospital, and the first

patient was admitted on August 10, 1913.

The hospital grew in size to 25 beds, and on August 14, 1920,

the building received electricity to power lights, an electric

sterilizer, a stove and a washing machine. By 1929, the hospital

attended to the needs of 497 patients. As there was no elevator

in the building, patients who weighed under 150 lbs were carried

upstairs by one man, but heavier patients were carried by two

people, suspended on a strip of canvas between two poles.

In 1937, St. Joseph’s Hospital was once again expanded, and a

new wing added. The facility could now treat 75 individuals, and

would remain the same size until further renovations in 1967.

St. Joseph’s Hospital

St. Joseph’s Hospital, 1912 | Comox Archives & Museum A1998.001.555

Comox Valley Heritage Experience ( 13

The Fort 156 Manor Place

In 1938, an aircraft and engine manufacturer from Great Brit-

ain named Sir Ernest Willoughby Petter purchased the land on

McCutcheon’s Point, west of the hospital. Here he built The

Fort, a large manor house with extensive gardens, stonework

and sweeping views of the bay. The house’s curious name was

derived from the remains of a prehistoric earthwork on the

property. The earthen structures were built by Coast Salish

inhabitants previous to European settlement, and were used

as places of refuge.

Ernest, along with his twin brother Percy, had built the Petter

Horseless Carriage in 1894, the first British car with an internal

combustion engine. In 1915, the Petters built the first British

seaplane to take part in a naval battle, and in 1925, Ernest was

knighted by King George V. He retired the following year.

In order to maintain his formal lifestyle, Sir Petter employed

seven servants, and he hired a nanny to look after 14 children

who were brought to the safety of Canada from Britain during

World War II. Sir Petter bought and sold real estate

while living in Comox, building six houses on Queen’s

Avenue.

The Petters moved to Victoria in 1945,

and The Fort was sold, but rumored

at a cost of less than it took to build.

It became a luxury hotel owned by

R. Charles Knox, but within a few

years, it was again sold, and became

a private home for the elderly. Later,

it became a medical clinic for the

control of obesity, and then was

sold to North Island College as its

administration centre. It currently

houses professional offices.

Top: Door of the Fort

Left: The Fort, circa 1950Comox Archives & Museum A1998.001.205

town of comox heritage walk side route