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Gerard V. Middleton is a retired professor of geology, who taught at McMaster from 1955 to 1996, his field of specialization being sedimentary rocks. Since 2005 he has been compiling a set of notes on the sources of building stones using in the nineteenth century in southern Ontario. For a more complete bio, see his entry in Wikipedia.
Email: middleto@mcmaster.ca
Chert in Southern Ontario: Its Use in Tools, Millstones and as a Building Stone - Chert is composed of microcrystalline quartz and has had two main uses: it was used by aboriginal peoples for tools and projectiles; and it has been used as a building stone. Published May 06, 2013 in Architecture
Notes on Stone Buildings, Doors Open Hamilton, 2012 - A selection of buildings made of stone that are included in this year's Doors Open Hamilton tour. Published May 01, 2012 in Architecture
In Memory of All Saints - All Saints Church may not be with us (in its present form) much longer. This article offers some documentation of its state in 2012. Published March 12, 2012 in Architecture
Tour of Dundas Stone Houses - Dundas has a rich history that produced a fine heritage of stone buildings. This tour will introduce you to some of them. Published March 03, 2012 in Architecture
Stories in Stone: Travels through Urban Geology - This book is an eminently readable introduction to the history of North American building stones, and several chapters are of direct relevance to the 'urban geology' of southern Ontario. Published January 25, 2012 in Reviews
Imported Stone in Hamilton Buildings - Though Hamilton had its own sources of stone in the nineteenth century, some stone was imported, at first by ship and later by rail. Local stone was difficult to carve, and not always suitable to changes in architectural style. Published December 11, 2011 in Architecture
Use of Fieldstone in Southern Ontario Buildings - Stone collected from fields during land clearance was extensively used for building in Southern Ontario, but mainly in the region along the Grand River, settled by immigrants from Scotland and Germany. Published November 01, 2011 in Architecture
Hamilton Stone Masons and Quarry Men - The 19th century men who worked with stone described themselves as builders, quarry men, stone cutters, and either masons or stone masons. Published August 31, 2011 in Architecture
Hamilton Building Stone, Part 2: Eramosa Dolomite - Quarries in the Eramosa dolomite were the preferred local source of stone for major buildings in Hamilton in the 1870s and 1880s. Published August 23, 2011 in Architecture
Hamilton Building Stone - Most early stone buildings in Hamilton were constructed from two local stones: a sandstone quarried at the base of the escarpment, and a dolomite quarried on the Mountain. This article gives the geological background, describes the two stones, and the his Published August 18, 2011 in Architecture
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