The main business section of Merrickville is located on the south side of the Rideau River with the Merrickville United Church occupying a prominent location on one of the four corners of the main intersection.
There are a number of other buildings in Merrickville which date back to the mid to late 1800’s. One of these is the Sam Jake’s Inn.
From a previous SJ website comes this bit of history: The restored stone building (circa 1861) that forms the core of Sam Jakes Inn was built for and originally owned by Samuel Jakes. An Irish immigrant who came to the Merrickville area in the 1830’s, Jakes rose to prominence as a business entrepreneur and an esteemed member of the community. His grand home with its stylish gables, cornice mouldings, dressed cornerstones and welcoming wraparound verandah was a residence befitting a man of his status. Sam Jakes was a schoolteacher, a postmaster and Merrickville’s second reeve, but is best known for his success as a merchant. By the time his house was completed, he was operating a three-story department store at the intersection of Main and St. Lawrence streets. The “Jakes Block,†according to local lore was once the largest department store, complete with elevator, between Chicago and Montréal. After Sam Jakes death the stone mansion passed to George Jakes, Sam’s son. The house remained in the family until the 1930s.The restored stone building (circa 1861) that forms the core of Sam Jakes Inn was built for and originally owned by Samuel Jakes. An Irish immigrant who came to the Merrickville area in the 1830’s, Jakes rose to prominence as a business entrepreneur and an esteemed member of the community. His grand home with its stylish gables, cornice mouldings, dressed cornerstones and welcoming wraparound verandah was a residence befitting a man of his status. The building was restored in 1988 by Gary Clarke and then the adjacent building, the Granary, was converted to a corporate retreat and business centre.
Sam Jakes Inn is currently in transition to a retirement residence. I’m not completely sure of the details but I think that I also read that there will continue to be some B&B accommodation in 2011 but my understanding is that the business conference center aspect of the establishment will not be operation in 2011.
Across the street from Sam Jakes Inn there is an interesting building that now houses a retail operation selling one-of-a-kind items. We asked about buying one of the one-of-a-kind items on display with no price tag and were told that that particular one-of-a-kind item wasn’t for sale.
