National Historic Site of Canada

Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site of Canada

Gravenhurst, Ontario

Also known as Bethune Memorial House, Maison Commémorative Bethune

General view of Bethune Memorial House showing the simple L-shaped asymmetrical massing and modest scale of the house, 1995.

General view of Bethune Memorial House showing the simple L-shaped asymmetrical massing and modest scale of the house, 1995.

Photo: Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada, B. Morin, 1995.

Built
1880
Recognized
1997
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site, the original manse of Knox Presbyterian Church, is located in the older residential district of Gravenhurst, Ontario.

Heritage value

Bethune Memorial House National Historic Site of Canada was commemorated in 1996 because:

  • as a memorial, it embodies and interprets the national historic significance of Dr. Norman Bethune,
  • as a memorial, it embodies and interprets his ancestral roots, formative years as a minister's son in small-town Ontario, love of the outdoors and restless mobility, and
  • as his birthplace, a site valued and revered in China, it captures the symbolic significance of Dr. Bethune to the Chinese.

The heritage value of this site resides in its associations with Dr. Norman Bethune and its illustration of his childhood environment. The Bethune family only lived in this house a short time (1890-1893) before moving on to a new parish in another small Ontario town. Dr. Norman Bethune is revered by the Chinese for the time he spent in China serving on battlefields, training medical personnel, and setting up medical programs and hospitals. He is considered a role model by Chinese society.

SourceHSMBC Minutes, June 1996.

Character‑defining elements

The features of the house which remain consistent with the Bethune period of occupancy (1890-1893), including:

  • the simple L-shaped asymmetrical massing and modest scale of the house,
  • the vertical emphasis of its design, enhanced by a steeply pitched roof,
  • the longstanding features which enrich its design (symmetrical window placement, bay windows, ornamental porch and vergeboard),
  • the modest original wood materials of the exterior (clapboard siding, wood details, windows),
  • the intact original features of the house interior (layout around an entrance hall and stairs, undisturbed surfaces of most rooms),
  • its setting in a small scale residential neighbourhood with tree-lined streets,
  • the continuity of the memorial's setting which has changed little since Dr. Bethune was born there.

End of the register’s text

Location

235 John Street North, Gravenhurst, Ontario, P1P, Canada

44.92047° N, 79.37607° W

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.