Former Cutcliffe house demolished

   The former Frank and Winnifred (McDowell) Cutcliffe home at Fredericton corner was demolished on Thanksgiving Monday, Oct. 14, 2019. A young couple had purchased it a few years ago and during Hurricane Dorian it sustained too much damage. 
   The photo below was taken in the summer of 2007.

   When the Cutcliffe house was built it was the largest in the community. Frank Cutcliffe had a store between the house and the Malpeque Road (Rte.2). They were successful merchants. After the Cutcliffe's the store was operated by Martin Jorgensen and at one time the store was an antique shop.
   On Nov. 7, 1935 the Guardian newspaper report, "The members of the Pleasant Valley United Church Women (UCW) held a very successful chicken supper at the spacious home of Mr. & Mrs. Frank Cutcliffe. The ladies served supper to about 170 people. An enjoyable social evening was spent in music and games. A substantial sum was realized for the church. A hearty vote of thanks was tendered to Mr. & Mrs. Cutcliffe for their hospitality."
   In the late 1960s or early 1970s the house was bought by two couples, one by the name of Pryor from Quebec and was turned into an inn. It was famously known as the Seven-Keys Inn. The end of the house facing the road featured seven large wood keys fanned out. The seven rooms for rent were decorated differently in styles from around the world.
    Over the years many different people lived in this house. 

    The following photos were taken in the summer of 2007 when Route-2 Highway in Hunter River was widened. In the photo below the former Cutcliffe house is on the left and across the street, Fredericton Station Rd., was the old Howard Weeks home. Howard was a master carpenter and built many houses in the area in the early 1900s. The Malpeque Rd. (Rte. 2) is at the bottom of the photo. 

   That summer of 2007 many, many buildings in Fredericton along Rte. 2 highway were torn down or moved - it surely changed the look and feel of the community.
   Below the beige house was the first Fredericton School turned into a house where Whitfield and Daisy Abbott lived. To the right was the old Fredericton Hall.

Below was the Church of Christ, also torn down that summer of 2007.

   Below was the last Fredericton School converted to a house. It belonged to the MacKenzie's who moved it to the Smith Road in Pleasant Valley to a vacant lot once owned by Willa Smith.

  Below, way back the driveway was the farm of Miller and Francis (McDowell) Stevenson. The house at the top of the driveway was the former Church of Christ manse where Miller and Francis lived and their son and daughter-in-law lived in the old house. The old house was torn down to make way for a new house and the bungalow was moved to Hazel Grove. 

  Below was the old feed mill originally owned and operated by the Cutcliffe's. In later years it was owned by the MacKenzie's. It too was torn down.

Fredericton Train Station - Demolished

     The demolish of the old Fredericton Train Station took place recently - it was expected as the it has been in ruins for quite some time.  Below are photos I took on May 5, 2014.
     For further information on the station see previous post...

http://peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.ca/2013/09/fredericton-train-station.html

Henry & Sarah Weeks House, Fredericton

     I posted the below information with the Fredericton Train Station post earlier this month.

http://peiheritagebuildings.blogspot.ca/2013/09/fredericton-train-station.html

     Image below:  The Weeks home around 1910.  Those in photo, L-R: brothers, Frank Weeks (on horse) and Wm. Goulding "Golden" Weeks (standing with horse); unknown farm worker; seated on the swing in front of the house are parents Sarah and Henry Weeks.  (image cf. Arnold G. Smith).

     When the railroad was being put through Fredericton in the summer of 1872 Sarah Emeline Howard (b. 06-Sept-1852 at Black River, dtr. of Samuel Howard and Mary Ann Pye) had just married Henry Weeks (b. 1855) on 27-July-1872.  She moved in to this new house, just built by her husband.  Sarah soon started the hard work of feeding the workers, in their home, who were putting down the new rail line through their community.  Henry, a carpenter and farmer, built a large table and two large benches for the workers to eat at.

Above: Henry Weeks Homestead today - the house covered with vinyl siding.

     The central dormer style house was built by Henry in the late 1860's.  It's situated to the south side of the railroad, facing north towards to the railroad.  

     

     The farmland was sold out of the family last year.  Last fall the present owners moved into a mobile home parked in the front yard.  The old house was scheduled for demolition, however, they changed their mind.  The old house is empty.

Weeks House, Fredericton

     I took the following photos of the old Weeks farmstead back in May of this year and now just posting them - it's still for sale.

     Stephen and Ann (Large) Weeks established this farm on the Malpeque Road (Rte.2) in Fredericton in 1830.  They first built a log hut down by the stream below the present house.  Within a few years they built a better house a bit up the hill.  Then another few years a bit larger house further more up the hill.  Then they build a 1850's central fireplace style, post and beam house which sat across the driveway from the present large house - it was still on the property and used as an outbuilding as late as the early 2000's. 
     Stephen and Ann's son "John Weeks" took over the farm from them.  He married Charlotte Howard.   Meecham's 1880 Atlas of Prince Edward Island shows John Weeks owning 125 acres on this farm.  
     John and Charlotte's son "Heber Weeks" took over the farm next.  He married Edith Brehaut.  Cumin's 1928 Atlas of Prince Edward Island shows Heber still owning the original farm of 125 acres.  The Atlas also notes that Heber and Edith with two children: Raymond and Boyd, later they had a sister Hazel.  Heber built a new 2-storey house similar to the present house around 1900, however, within a decade they lost it to fire - they moved across the driveway to the old central chimney house till this present house was built.
     The next to take over the farm was "Boyd Sheldon Weeks".  He married twice with not much luck and had no children.  Boyd died in early 2007.  
     The farm was sold to another branch /cousins of the Weeks Family - today they have it for sale. 

      I took the following three photos in the May 2007.  Since these photos a young couple bought the house and started to fix it up.

Fredericton Train Station - 1904

     I took these photos of Fredericton Train Station back in late May.  It's located on Route 264, just off Route 2 highway beside the Confederation Trail.
     The following information comes from A Photo History of the Prince Edward Island Railway by Allan Graham.  Page 16. ''Keepers'' Stations.  As some of the communities containing flag stations grew, the residents demanded a bigger station with a large waiting room and a substantial freight area.  Since these stations had a caretaker or keeper, they were given the name ''keepers stations''.  The Daily Examiner of May 9, 1904 states:

     ''What are called 'Keepers station' being freight room and waiting room with keeper in charge - a very great improvement on the old railway flag stations, are to be built this year at Fredericton, Kinkora, Albany, Northam, and Richmond...''

     The Fredericton station remains near its former location. The Kinkora station was torn down; Albany station is a warehouse; Northam station is a farm building; first Richmond station burned in 1933, the second was is now a storage building.

     Today the station sits on the south side of the Confederation Trail - it was bought by the Weeks family in the early 1990's and moved across the trail to sit on their farmland property.  They intended to fix-it-up and doing something with it, but that never happened - today sits derelict!

     When the railroad was being put through Fredericton in the summer of 1872 Sarah Emeline Howard (b. 06-Sept-1852 at Black River, dtr. of Samuel Howard and Mary Ann Pye) had just married Henry Weeks (b. 1855) on 27-July-1872.  She moved in to the fairly new house built by Henry in the late 1860's.  She soon enough started the hard work of feeding the workers putting down the new rail line through their community.  Henry, a carpenter and farmer, built a large table and two large benches for the workers to eat at.

      The house is situated to the south of the railroad, facing north towards the railroad.  

      The farmland was sold out of the family last year.  Last fall the present owners moved into a mobile home parked in the front yard.  The old house was scheduled for demolition, however, they changed their mind.  The old house is empty.

     Below: Image cf. Arnold G. Smith.  Those in photo, L-R: brothers Frank Weeks (on horse) and Wm. Goulding "Golden" Weeks (standing with horse); unknown farm worker; seated on swing is Sarah and Henry Weeks.

Here's Allan Graham's book - now out of print.