Foster gate damaged by pickup truck
The damage caused by the accident on January 10. Photo courtesy of Ed Johnston, Township of Uxbridge
Conrad Boyce, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
A single vehicle accident has destroyed the historic front gate of the Thomas Foster Memorial.
Around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Jan. 10, a pickup truck headed north on Durham Road 1 veered off the highway and slammed into the stone abutment to the south of the gate. The abutment, however, did not stop the vehicle. It continued on, smashing the wrought-iron fences on either side of the gate, causing considerable damage to the main gate, and not stopping until it collided with the hydro pole to the north of the gate.
Durham Region police will not say at this point whether the driver of the truck was injured, or whether that person has been charged in connection with the accident. They also will not reveal whether road conditions, the speed of the vehicle, or other possible factors might have played a role in the crash.
Amanda Ferraro of the Township of Uxbridge, which owns the Memorial and the land on which it sits, said preliminary estimates of the damage are about $50,000.
“Lovers of the Foster are devastated by this,” said Bev Northeast, longtime chair of the Friends of the Foster, the volunteer committee which raises funds for the site’s upkeep. “It’s very doubtful whether repairs can be done in time for the summer concert and tour season. A silver lining, though, is that this may present an opportunity, during the restoration, to move the gate back 15 feet or so, to prevent salt erosion, avoid just this sort of accident, and give more room for parking. Another possibility, which we’ve long talked about, is to re-incorporate the beautiful archway which used to sit there, but was moved to the far southeast corner of the property.”
All possibilities must be discussed by council.
This archway originally sat at the main gate of the Thomas Foster Memorial, when it was completed in 1936. It was moved soon thereafter to avoid erosion from salt on the roads, and currently sits in the southeast corner of the property. Photo by Conrad Boyce