The Algoma Central Railway Station at Searchmont is a two-storey wood railway station, built in 1902. It is located in the unincorporated area of Searchmont. The formal recognition is confined to the railway station building itself.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HERITAGE VALUE: Constructed during the initial phase of development of the Algoma Central Railway (ACR), the Searchmont station represents the vital role of the ACR in the economic development and settlement of northern Ontario. The ACR was a part of a series of mining, lumbering and tourism initiatives promoted by industrialist F.H. Clergue. The railway was fundamental to Searchmont’s development; both benefited from the post-World War II development of tourism in the area.

The station retains its relationship with its site, including: the tracks; a utility shed; an outdoor privy; and the natural surroundings. The station serves as a prominent gateway to and symbol of the region.

Sources: Heritage Character Statement, Algoma Central Railway Station, Searchmont, Ontario, September 1995; Heritage Research Associates Inc., Railway Station Report 252, Algoma Central Railway Station, Searchmont, Ontario.

CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS - Character-defining elements of the Algoma Central Railway Station at Searchmont include:
-its domestic form and scale, consisting of a two-storey, rectangular block, with a polygonal operator’s bay at the northeast corner, and capped by a gabled roof with a transverse gable terminating in a tower over the projecting bay;
-the large platform canopy, supported on triangulated eave brackets;
-the polygonal operator’s bay, extending to form a two-storey tower;
-the arrangement of openings established by 1944 renovations;
-surviving original window units and exterior finishes (obscured beneath aluminium siding);
-the surviving original interior layout, including: the agent’s office; the subsidiary office; and parts of the waiting room;
-surviving original finishes and fittings, including: boarded walls; wainscoting; doors; light fixtures; and wooden benches;
-its use of hardwood, Searchmont’s major product, as an architectural material.

The station was recognized as a Federal protected building on April 1, 1995 and falls under the Heritage Railway Stations Protection Act.



About Searchmont:

Searchmont is a community with a local services board in the Canadian province of Ontario. The services board covers the unincorporated townships of Deroche, Gaudette, Hodgins and Shields in the Algoma District northeast of Sault Ste. Marie.[1] It includes the communities of Searchmont, Northland and Glendale.

The area is best known for the ski resort of the same name located within the community.[2]

The town of Searchmont received its name in honor of T.C. Search, the treasurer of the consolidated Lake Superior Company. Searchmont was once a bustling community built around the forestry industry. The local sawmill was the livelihood of most of the residents. When the mill closed in the early 1990s, much of the population moved away.