by Susan Tromanhauser
More than 20 years ago, Shawn Chamberlin and his wife Elli purchased the Dominion Hotel in downtown Minden with plans to tear it down. They thought the land could be put to better use as a parking lot to support their restaurant Grill on the Gull. Instead, they discovered the historic icon was a good source of cash flow and they didn’t touch a thing – at first.
The more time the couple spent in the place, the more they fell in love with it, realizing it had a story to tell. They spent many evenings sitting, looking and listening until they got their vision for the business. They knew the walls could talk and they wanted to be able to speak for the place. Instead of a tear down, they began renovations. They soon learned the hotel was originally built by local people with, perhaps, less than professional skills. In the Dominion Hotel, nothing is level, nothing is straight, but to the Chamberlins, that is part of the charm.
Chamberlin’s curiosity piqued when he realized one section was 11 feet shorter than the other. After measuring and re-measuring, he discovered a secret chamber above the dining room. The space was empty with the exception of a large brick fireplace. The concern was there was no support for the heavy fireplace and no one is quite sure why it hadn’t yet crashed through onto diners below. Chamberlin deconstructed the fireplace but upcycled the bricks by creating a pathway in a meditation garden along the river at the rear of the building.
At the age of 160, many assume the Dominion is the oldest establishment in Canada. A building in Newfoundland holds the distinction of oldest pub, but the Dominion can claim the oldest continuous running hotel in the country.
The birth of the Dominion Hotel coincided with the presidency of Abraham Lincoln and the onset of the American Civil War. The Chamberlins find it ironic during this time period the colonies were beginning talks to form the Confederation of Canada, in part to avoid being forced to join the U.S.
The hotel was originally on the other side of the street until a liquor inspector informed the first owner the Dominion Hotel was located on the dry side of Bobcaygeon Road. Government red tape caused a delay, but within a few years it was relocated to its current location to comply with liquor laws. There was no Brewers Retail or LCBO during the time period; instead, a wagon would arrive on an unpredictable schedule. Chamberlin tells a story that when the wagon, by chance, arrived in time for New Year’s Eve, the patrons stayed until all the liquor was gone – drinking day and night well into the first week of January.
Chamberlin concedes many of the stories may just be rumours, like one the place is haunted. While he won’t say he believes in ghosts, Chamberlin does admit to seeing unexplained things. One night, playing the piano as his form of relaxation after a long evening of hospitality, he was startled to hear a woman’s voice singing along. “It scared the hell out of me. It was the middle of winter – 1 a.m. and I was the only one” in the place. Was it a friend playing a prank? The experience has never been explained. The woman’s voice has returned with Chamberlin playing old standards and the unexplained voice singing beautifully, knowing all the words – even the ones Chamberlin himself doesn’t know.
Chamberlin is quick to point out most of the Dominion Hotel stories are anecdotal and very little is documented. People did not deem it important enough to write down, but Chamberlin’s opinion differs, as the patrons of the Dominion were the real people of history. It is important to Chamberlin to “pay homage to those who have walked before.”
Chamberlin has many more stories to tell of 160 years of the Dominion in Minden. He will be speaking Aug. 7 at the Minden Hills Cultural Centre starting at 5 p.m.
