DUFFUS, William (1835-1892) was born in Otanabee Township, the son of parents who had emigrated from Scotland. He moved to Lindsay in 1857 and became an assistant to Charles McCarthy who was then preparing plans for St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church, Lindsay (1857-59). He worked as a carpenter for several years '...spending all of his spare time in close study [and] qualified himself to take rank as an architect and speedily acquired a high reputation in his profession' (Canadian Post [Linsday], 11 Nov. 1892, 5). He was successful in obtaining many commissions in Victoria County, and maintained a wide-ranging practice by offering 'Plans and Drawings in Elevation and Detail... for Churches, Banking Houses, Schools, with special attention given to Villa and Cottage Architecture' (Lindsay Directory for 1877-78, 130, advert.). In business he was '...straight forward and just, yet firm in doing what he desired' and was active from April 1871 until 1888 when illness necessitated his withdrawal from the Lindsay Collegiate project (biog. of George Smith, in Ontario Land Surveyors Annual Reports, 1919, 110-11). In 1874 he was charged with forgery for altering plans for the Roman Catholic Convent, but the charges laid by the contractor on the job proved unfounded (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 8 May 1874, 3). Duffus served a term as Town Councillor and Assessor and was one of the founding members of the Ontario Association of Architects. He died in Lindsay on 6 November 1892 leaving an estate valued at $2740 (obituary in the The Watchman, 10 Nov. 1892, 5; Canadian Post [Lindsay], 11 Nov. 1892, 5; Victoria Warder [Lindsay], 11 Nov. 1892, 8; OA, Wills, Victoria County, 910, 17 Feb. 1893).
(works in Lindsay unless noted)
ROMAN CATHOLIC SEPARATE SCHOOL, Lindsay Street at Russell Street, 1868 (Journal of Education for Ontario, xxi, Nov. 1868, 175-6, descrip.; March 1869, 44-5, descrip.)
OPS TOWNSHIP, public school for S.S. No. 4, 1872 (Canadian Freeman [Toronto], 22 Aug. 1872, 2)
OPS TOWNSHIP, public school in Walker's Section, 1872 (Irish Canadian [Toronto], 28 Aug. 1872, 5)
(with Kivas Tully) REGISTRY OFFICE, 1874 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 10 April 1874, 3)
GLENARM, ONT., public school for S.S. No. 9, Fenelon Township, 1874-75 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 6 Nov. 1874, 4, t.c.)
LORETTO CONVENT, Russell Street East, 1874; burned April 1884; rebuilt by Duffus in 1884-85; demol. 1977 (Irish Canadian [Toronto], 21 April 1875, 6, descrip.; Journal of Education for Ontario, xxviii, June 1875, 82-3, descrip.; J.G. Hodgins, Schools and Colleges of Ontario 1792-1910, ii, 262-3, descrip.; Victoria Warder [Lindsay], 20 June 1884, 5; Lindsay LACAC, Bless These Walls: Lindsay's Heritage, 1982, 52, illus.)
DUFFIN'S CREEK, ONT., seminary for the Society of Friends (Quakers), 1875 (Globe [Toronto], 13 July 1875, 3, t.c.)
RUSSELL STREET, mansion for Charles L. Baker, 1877 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 21 Sept. 1877, 3, descrip.; Lindsay LACAC, Bless These Walls: Lindsay's Heritage, 1982, 37, illus.; dwgs. at Lindsay Public Library)
BRACEBRIDGE, ONT., public school, 1879 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 27 June 1879, 2, t.c.)
FENELON TOWNSHIP, residence for Henry Reazin, Lot 1, Concession 1, 1879 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 11 July 1879, 2)
ENNISMORE, ONT., rectory for Father William J. Keilty, 1879 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 22 Aug. 1879, 2, t.c.)
DOWNEYVILLE, ONT., rectory for Father M. Connolly, 1879 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 25 Sept. 1879, 2, t.c.)
ELDON, ONT., addition to public school, S.S. No. 1, 1880 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 30 Jan. 1880, 2, t.c.)
BRACEBRIDGE, ONT., Town Hall, 1880 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 7 May 1880, 3)
MARIPOSA TOWNSHIP, public school for S.S. No. 16, 1881 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 10 June 1881, 3)
ELDON, ONT., manse for the Presbyterian Church, 1886 (Presbyterian Review [Toronto], 28 Jan. 1886, 30)
ST. ANDREW'S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, William Street North, 1886-87 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 19 Feb. 1886, 5, descrip.)
MARIPOSA TOWNSHIP, public school for S.S. No. 11, 1886 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 30 April 1886, 5)
COLLEGIATE INSTITUTE & GYMNASIUM, Kent Street West, 1888 (Canadian Post [Lindsay], 27 Jan. 1888, 1, t.c.; Lindsay Watchman, 24 Jan. 1889, 4, descrip.; Victoria Warder [Lindsay], 1 Feb. 1889, 1, illus. & descrip.)
OPS TOWNSHIP, public school for S.S. No. 9, Lot 6, Concession 11, 1892 (Victoria Warder [Lindsay], 15 July 1892, 1, t.c.; inf. Emily Turner, Lindsay)