30 Hatt Street

The structure at 30 Hatt Street dates from 1855. It’s original owner was Phillip McMahon, a cooper and member of Town Council.

As well as being a home for the McMahon family, it was used for a time as the first Catholic school in the area. Classes were held in the dining room. The property once included a two storey frame cooper’s shop in the rear.

After Philip McMahon’s death in 1885, title to the home reverted to his three unmarried daughters. By 1912, only daughter Margaret remained in the home.

The building may have been intended to be part of a row or terrace, as there are no windows in the gable ends. The exterior front facade is in “Flemish bond”, a brick pattern of the 19th century that was unusual to Dundas. While the remainder of the walls are constructed of “common bond”, the centre window on the second floor has been altered and would have originally matched the other two windows.

Sources: Inventory of Buildings of Architectural and/or Historical Interest. 1996