At the time this house was restored all the eave and gingerbread trimming had been removed - my brother Kerras (of Backroad Folkart) made all the new trimmings from Island Cedar. See article about his work... http://backroadfolkart.blogspot.ca/2013/02/gingerbread-trims.html
This
Victorian home is pictured in the Illustrated
Historical Atlas of the Province of Prince Edward Island (image below from Historic Places website) that was published
by J.H. Meacham & Co. in 1880. It was the residence of T.H. Pope, accountant
and telegraph operator and was constructed in 1878 for Mr. Pope and his wife,
Susan Elizabeth (Eliza) Yeo. Two of
their daughters were born while they lived in Bideford. A copy of the deed for the land from the
Government of Prince Edward Island to Thomas H. Pope for the sum of $2.00 on
the wall in the foyer.
On July
10, 1884, the house was purchased by the Methodist Church for the use as their
Parsonage and was home to many parsons and their families over the years. Following church union in 1925, the house became
the manse for the Bideford United Church, until it was sold as a private
dwelling in 1975.
When the
house came up for resale in 1999, the local community, upon hearing that it was
to be sold and moved out of the community of Bideford to Cavendish, reactivated
the West Country Historical Society. The
society became incorporated and purchased the home, turning it into a museum
with three distinct themes – that of the ear of shipbuilding when the house was
constructed; the contribution made to the community by the clergy and their
families over the years; and thirdly, and perhaps what has created the most
interest for the pubic, is the fact that author Lucy Maud Montgomery boarded
her from Aught 3, 1894 until May 11, 1895 while teaching in Bideford No. 6 School.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
Just up the road a short distance is the Bideford-Conway United Church, formerly the Bideford Methodist Church. The church was built in 1888 and dedicated in 1890. For more information see: http://marconf.ca/37556-bideford-pastoral-charge/
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