Gamester Homestead

     I've been noticing this place the past few years, first the lawns weren't cut then a window was broken and last winter a curtain waved in the wind all winter.
     This was the home of Lemuel and Janie (MacKinnon) Gamester, located on the Bungay Road (Rte. 251) in Hunter River.
     Cumins 1928 Atlas of Prince Edward Island shows Geo. Gamester living here with 97-acres of land (in two parcels of land) - it notes his wife Janie and their children, Guy, Arthur, Viola and Lemuel.
     Meachams 1880 Atlas of Prince Edward Island shows these two parcels of land belonging to Jno. Hickox and Pat Hughes.

      The house is an Island-ell style farmhouse.

Reid Farm, Hope River

     The first three photos here are of the Reid Farm, taken on April 21, 2003.  The property is located on a ninety-degree turn at 257 Reid Road in Hope River.  The house was sold around 2005 - a while later the large barn was burned by a control burn by the local fire department.
     The farmland down by the river has been divided in to 24 +/- cottage lots on the water - so far there hasn't been any construction.

     Meacham's 1880 Atlas of Prince Edward Island shows this property being owned by Simon Delaney with 43-acres which went down to Hope River.  In Cumin's 1928 Atlas of Prince Edward Island it shows Walter Reid with 93-acres here.  The adjacent 50-acre property to the east, owned by Jno. Fleming in 1880, was amalgamated into the Reid property.

     Meacham's 1880 Atlas also shows the property to the west of this farm was owned by John Dickieson with 145-acres down to Hope River as well - near the shore was a lime kiln.  Today this would have been located across the water from Fisherman's Catch at Bayview Bridge.

Below:  The barn was very large, built in a T-shape with gambrel roof.  

The below photos were taken prior to 2003 using manual/print photography.

      Note the ramp up into the loft - this is the south side of the barn.  The animals would have been housed in the lower part of the barn, below the loft.

Old Barn, Wellington Center

    In the late 1990's I photographed this old farmstead.  In early 2000 the barn was demolished and the old house was moved back on the lot and turned 90 degrees on a new foundation.  The house is still there, however, it seems abandoned these days.  
     I estimate the main barn to be about 60 feet long by 30 feet deep with a 30 foot by 40 foot addition to the rear.  The front of the barn, facing the road and east, is very symmetrical.  Note the rear addition has a lower level.

     This property is located on the corner of the Western Road (Rte. 2) and the Hackmatack Road (Rte. 125) in Wellington Center, about half was between Day's Corner (to Wellington) and Richmond.

     Meacham's 1880 Atlas of Prince Edward Island shows this property as being two farms - Jno. Larasie had 79 acres on the corner and Dougald Currie had 78 acres on the inside.

      According to Cummins 1928 Atlas of Prince Edward Island, F. Connell lived here with 157 acres.
     This farmstead was located on the south side of the farm lot - one might conclude this was the original Currie farm and by 1928 the Larasie land was bought to make the Connell farm larger.

Boulter Farmstead, Woodstock

     In Meecham's 1880 Atlas of Prince Edward Island it shows Henry Boulter living on this property.  In the 1928 Cummin's Atlas of Prince Edward Island still shows Henry Boulter (probably a son by the same name) owning this property.  Cummin's Atlas lists the following information for each property - Owner; address; wife's name; and children's name.  Here is the information for this house -  Boulter, Henry; P.O. Coleman; Wf. Ann Roseina; Ch. Elvin, William, Ella, Ada, May.
     Today the Boulter family still owns the property and live in an adjacent bungalow.  The house was left vacant in the early 1970's when the family moved into a new bungalow- no one has lived in it since.

     The middle peak above the house is the barn in the background - it's not attached to the house.  The large size and height makes it look closer than it is.

     The old "Island-ell" style farmhouse is located on the east side of the Western Road in Woodstock just before the O'Leary Corner/Roundabout.

     I took these photos on December 27th, 2006 - the house and barn are still there.

Kensington this Christmas

     This modest early twentieth-century farmhouse is located on Route 2 in Kensington and decorated for the holidays.

     The house features a front/west facade of an angled bay window and square bay for the entry door along with a south facing side verandah to the right.

     Below:  the gable features a small single-hung, round-top window; eave trimming and banding;along with decorative-cut cedar shingles.  The house displays very nice detailing through-out.

Below: St. Mark's Anglican Church on Victoria Street East.  

     In 1885 construction was underway for this the second/ present St. Mark’s Anglican Church– replacing the first St. Mark’s, built in 1860.  The new church was built at a cost of $1,375.00.  It was first used for worship on August 29, 1887 and consecrated on June 9, 1888 by the Rt. Rev. Frederick Courtney.   The Church of England was the first denomination to build in Kensington.

     St. Mark’s Church is believed to be the only surviving example of a William Harris designed board-and-batten church in P.E.I. and one of three remaining board-and-batten Gothic revival style churches in the Maritime Provinces.  It narrowly escaped destruction on July 20, 1979 when a blow torch ignited insulation material when church repairs were underway – there was extensive damage to the steeple and smoke damage throughout the church – regular services resumed in the church later that fall.

     cf.  A History of the Pastoral Unit of New London and Springfield, Pg. 265

Below:  cf. http://islandstories.ca/island_stories_viewer/cap:1081/Kensington

     Below: Looking west down Victoria Street.  Note the Presbyterian Church on the left.

     Below: sketch by well-known Prince Edward Island / Canadian artist Robert Harris and brother of architect Wm. C. Harris.

Below: Kensington Presbyterian Church. Victoria Street East.

Below: Front facade - north facing.

Haslam Farmstead, Springfield

     Just up the road on Route-2 on the same side as the Hagan farmstead, going west, is this lovely Island farmhouse in the center gable style with a kitchen wing to the rear/south.

     I use to always notice this house as the owner made birdhouses in his retirement and sold them at the end of his driveway.  I've noticed in recent years the house is in need of repairs especially on the  left side of verandah as it's starting to settle.

     The house has many great details: a well proportioned verandah with gingerbread trim; a steep-pitched center gable (typical of the 1880's); a gable window with trapezoid style trim above; running eave gingerbread trim; 2-over-2 single hung windows; brick chimney; and window header detailing.

More Farmland converted to Subdivisions, York Point

     I was out to York Point (now part of Cornwall) last week and observed some more farmland having been converted to subdivision - approximately 100 residential lots here.  This is a beautiful area of the Island where the farms on the east side of the York Point Road run down to the North River shore and a view across the water to Charlottetown.  Below is a look over the new subdivision.

     Below: Here's the old house, just to the right of the above photo, that was connected with this property - hope it remains here!  The old house is located on the corner of York Point Road and the new Sunrise Cove Road.

 Below: the west view of the house facing York Point Road.

Below:  The Island-ell style farmhouse has well proportioned and placed verandahs - note how the verandah eaves clear the cornerboards by a few inches. 

The house features decorative cut cedar shingles on the upper level of the house exterior and in the gables; verandah gingerbread trim; two-over-one style single hung windows; attic trapezoid windows and steep-pitched rooflines and two brick chimneys.

Below: the garage and verandah to the left are 1970's additions.

 

Here's a view of the subdivision - note the adjacent farmstead to the south of this new subdivision. cf. Gov't Webmaps: www.gov.pe.ca/maps

Arnold's Kitchen

    We were to Arnold's the other evening for a birthday party when I took these photos of his country kitchen - he has a great kitchen.  When he restored the house he intentionally didn't put light switches in the kitchen, all switches are beside the doorways/openings in adjacent rooms.

     Here he is busily working in his kitchen/pantry.  Note the anitque clay coloured upper cabinet to the left - many of the details on this cabinet were used in the new cupboards.  He and I built the clay coloured base cabinet to match a hutch he has.

Old farmstead Victoria West

Before you get to the churches on Rte. 130 there's an abandoned farmstead on the south side of the road.

 The house is an Island-ell style farmhouse.