Cultural Landmarks of Hamilton-Wentworth

Maggie Clark Homestead

Location: Nebo Road, Glanbrook, Ontario

Margaret (Maggie) Clark was born in Glanford township in 1841. She is most well known as being the subject of the song "When You And I Were Young, Maggie." This song was written about Maggie by a man named George Washington Johnson.

George was a young school teacher when he met Maggie Clark, who was then his pupil. Maggie and George fell in love and were later engaged. Maggie was not well, however, having contracted tuberculosis. During one of his fiancee's more serious periods of illness, George walked to a nearby hill, overlooking a mill, and composed the verse that provided the lyrics to his song.

On October 21, 1864, George and Maggie were married. It is also around this time that George's poetry book, Maple Leaves, was published. It included his poem "When You And I Were Young, Maggie."

Unfortunately, Maggie's health deteriorated and she died on May 12, 1865, as a result of typhus fever. She was buried in White Church Cemetery.

The following year, George worked with his friend J.C. Butterfield and set "When You and I Were Young, Maggie" to music. It was first sung by Maggie's sister Elizabeth, and eventually became a popular song all over the world.

George Washington Johnson died in 1917.

On October 30, 1937, the Hamilton Assembly of the Sons of Canada erected a monument to George Washington Johnson in the form of a millstone. This monument was placed opposite the entrance to the rock garden in Hamilton, and Maggie's sisters were able to attend its unveiling.

In 1963, a plaque was erected on the site of Maggie Clark's house, noting that the structure had once been occupied by the subject of George Washington Johnson's famous song. The unveiling of the plaque, on Wednesday July 24, 1963, was done by Miss L. Blanche Padgham, niece of Maggie Johnson, on behalf of the Ontario Department of Travel and Publicity. Never before had Ontario erected a plaque that commemorated a song.

Located on Nebo Road, in Mount Hope, the 1841 house is a one-storey single house with stone walls. Once the plaque was unveiled, many tourists would stop by to see the house, not realizing that although a plaque stood at the site, the house was not a museum and was, in fact, occupied by a family.

The family that occupied the home actually became somewhat annoyed at the fact that people would be constantly visiting, sometimes knocking on the door late at night and looking in the windows, thinking the building was a museum. For this reason, they had the plaque taken down and a "Private Home/Not Open To Public" sign put up in its place.

In 1986, property owner Leora Johnston wanted to sever 1.2 hectares of the 23-hectare farm for use as a cultural and heritage facility. No group came forward with the money to purchase it. Therefore, the land remains in private hands.

References:
Clipping File.  Hamilton - Glanford Township - Maggie Johnson Homestead.  Special Collections, HPL.
Glanbrook Township Scrapbook.  vol. 1 p. 71.  Special Collections, HPL.
Glanford LACAC Papers.  vol. 3. p. 34.  Special Collections, HPL.