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The Ghosts of Baker Street

Baker Street July 1899

Touchstones Nelson Collection

Courtesy Touchstones Nelson

Welcome to the Ghosts of Baker Street, situated in beautiful Nelson, British Columbia, Canada.

We all know a community is composed of more that bricks and boards. The people who live and work there are its very life blood. There is history on every street and on every corner. Your community’s history is waiting for you to discover it!

Have you ever walked down the street of a town or a city and heard the wind rustle the leaves or felt it trifle with your hair? Have you heard the wind slip through an alley and thought for a second you heard the faintest of whistles or the noises of a time long ago? Have you ever wondered who or what came before and just maybe the place was speaking to you in its own way? Nelson’s historic downtown core is that place for me.

This website will be about those people, particularly the merchants and businessmen of the downtown core. Baker Street, as in many communities, is the main street, where merchants align their shops in hopes of a sale or two.

For the purposes of this website the whole downtown core will be explored. It takes more than one street to support and create a community. You will learn of the Architect, Alexander Carrie, the Hotel Phair and the K.W.C. Building to name just a few.

Today come visit the Hotel Phair and the K.W.C. Building. The Hotel Phair was on the site of the present day Library, facing onto Victoria Street. The K.W.C. Building still stands proud in the centre of the City. What tour would be complete without a house or two?

As I research the many characters I will add information to this site so please come back often and look around. In the meantime please check out Touchstones Nelson, Museum of Art and History located at www.touchstonesnelson.ca

The Phair Family photo collection, as well as the Wallach Family collection, Touchstones Nelson and those of the author were used on this website. All are marked. Be ethical—please abide by copyright and do not copy any photographs or information without the written permission of myself and the photograph owners. Are you an ethical researcher -read the article and find out.

Thank you!

Patricia A. Rogers Contact the Webmaster Next