The lost building of our first Mayor

by FRASER COAST MAYOR GEORGE SEYMOUR

Here in Maryborough we are very fortunate to have many well-preserved historic buildings.

If you look at photographs from a century ago, you can see streetscapes little different to what can be walked down today.

Perhaps this is most evident along Wharf Street which has a particularly special collection of significant buildings.

Whilst many buildings have been preserved, there is a very interesting building that can be seen in old photographs but sadly not from the street anymore.

At the river end of Wharf Street, on the corner of March Street, there was a distinctive two-storey Georgian building with a steeply pitched roof and detailed stonework.

This building was built by Henry Palmer in his capacity as a private businessman in 1861, whilst he was mayor.

Palmer migrated from Ireland to the Australian colonies in 1840, aged 19.

In 1848, he became one of Maryborough’s earliest European settlers, arriving through the bush at the original Maryborough Site.

There, with other pioneers like his brother Richard Palmer, Edgar Aldridge and George Furber, he established a business and helped the fledgling river port to grow.

When the government surveyed the town of Maryborough and moved it downstream, he was one of the largest purchasers of land.

He kept much of this land for decades.In April 1861, Palmer was elected as the first Mayor of Maryborough.

He would later also represent the town in the Queensland Parliament.

The building stood proudly at the bottom of Wharf Street for over a century but sadly was demolished in 1965.

When built in 1861, it was one of the first stone buildings in Maryborough; composed of sandstone blocks on the ground floor, bricks on the upper floor with cedar throughout and a shingle roof (which was later covered over with galvanised iron).

For a time it was used as immigration barracks for newcomers having just stepped ashore from their journey over the seas.

The building stood near the heart of the port area, with people, trains, horses and carts moving back and forth to the wharves.

On the opposite corner was the three-storey, and very appropriately named, Grand Hotel.

Palmer passed away in 1916 and a few years later, in 1919, his estate fitted out the upper floor as flats.

The work was overseen by his architect grandson, also named Henry Palmer.

In 1926 it was transformed into the Fishermen’s Co-operative depot and distribution house.

Whilst Wharf Street retains many historic buildings it is a pity that this 1861 structure was lost half a century ago, it would certainly demand preservation now.

Through its different uses it served the Maryborough community in several important capacities.

Right across Maryborough, we are very fortunate to have our historic buildings and places; they give us a sense of identity and a tangible connection to our history.

As a community, we should strive to ensure we don’t lose any more like the one built by Henry Palmer in 1861.