114 Second Avenue - Mutter House

Thomas Mutter arrived in Reston in the early 1900's to farm with his brother Bill.  He had been born in Kilmarnock, Scotland but sailed for Canada as a boy.  He along with his parents and ten siblings settled first in Ontario and later near Brandon.  In the 1901 census, he listed himself as a grain buyer since he also had the job as enumerator for that census in Reston.  Later he was an agent for the Lake of the Woods elevator, a position he held for 20 years. This elevator was at the end of Third Street and had a capacity of 35,000 bushels. Thomas had 2 brothers (George and John) who ran the Mutter Bros Store in the LaPlont Block at 924 Rosser Avenue Brandon that is featured today as an exhibit in the Daly House Museum. 

Thomas married Margaret Barber in 1908 at Portage.  The red brick house at 114 - 2nd Avenue featured in this blog post was built in 1909.  The Heritage Manitoba website  contains details of all the known brick manufacturers in Manitoba and these distinctive red ones may have come from the Melita plant belonging to J. Dobbyn who advertised as being just as cheap but better than lumber.  A 1904 ad for Virden Brick prices them at $12 per 1000 bricks. 

Thomas seems to have been a busy man as he was the first fire chief for the town and his name is associated with early hockey and curling teams.  A member of the Masonic Lodge and hosting elegant bridge parties in their home filled their social calendar.  Tom and Margaret had a family of three: Vera Dorothy (later McDougall), "Jack" Orville Earl (who married Kay Mennie from just across town) and Egbert Allan Gerald "Bert". Jack and Bert Mutter both later ran the Lake of the Woods elevator until it burned in 1950. Thomas died in 1953 and Margaret the next year and are buried in Reston Cemetery. 

Vera Mutter McDougall and her husband Foster lived in the red brick house for a time after he retired from work in The Pas.  They passed away in the early 1990's.   Their daughter Bev Campion remains in the area.  

Blaine Kennedy and Shelly Tesarski were married on the lawn of her parents home at 325 First Street. They lived in the Mutter house from 1980 to 1996 and had 3 children - Candace, Nicholette and Zachary. They took on turning the attic into living space - a bathroom, bedroom and common area that the kids used as a game/recreation room. They also added the porch and balcony above as the before and after pictures below show.  Thanks Nicholette for sharing these with me. 

Barry and Lil Brice opened the house as the Sundial Bed and Breakfast in June 1997.  The house was named a Municipal Heritage Site   that same year. They completed extensive renovations and upgrades and welcomed many guests. By completing the paperwork involved, they put it and the grounds on the list of Canada's Historic Places. 

Kelly Hiebert and her family have lived in the Mutter House for the last decade and it remains a spot of beauty well over a century since its construction.