The Paving Stone Case: An Osborne Crescent Mystery
- Sep 17, 2021
- 1 min read
A resident on Osborne Crescent SW in Richmond/Knob Hill recently bought a house always had trouble with a patch of grass in our backyard. The homeowner recently uncovered an old patio and sidewalk under the grass in that spot and found an inscribed paving stone from 1913.
The house was built in 1952, so it was surprising to find a paving stone from 1913. Any ideas what would have been on this site prior to the construction of the house in the 50’s?
E-mail richmondknobhillca@gmail.com if you have any insights about the history of the Osborne Crescent area so we can help our neighbour solve this mystery!
Mystery solved! This just in from a neighbour:
"Just looking at our large poster size 1924 aerial map of Calgary. It appears that where Osborne is now was a small farm. It shows as a well worn corner and while difficult to make out, it may have had a couple of small sheds or large water troughs. So there were no homes or paving stones until the homes were built in the early 50s. I was working on a few theories, until my husband quickly solved the mystery... D.E.W. is the original homeowner's initials, Dorothy Wallace. She was born in 1913 and passed away in 2010.
I love a mystery! Especially mysteries of history which connect us all."
That's such a fascinating find! I hope you're able to build a feature around it and preserve it somehow!
From what I have read, Knob Hill was a ranch until it was annexed by the city in 1907. There are older houses dotted around the area that were built after that, but the majority of the density came in the 1950s. I suppose the 1950s houses were built in between the older houses, so there may have been patios and pavements on those plots before that. My dad (who is now 84) used to visit his Scout Leader's house on 21st Ave in the 1940s - the house is still there, but the homes on either side of it are…