A municipal heritage property is a building, public building interior, streetscape or cultural landscape that has heritage value for the community. Heritage value is related to age, architecture, historical association and compatibility of surroundings. When properties meet the basic requirements for heritage designation, they can be included in the Municipal Registry of Heritage Properties and can have a heritage plaque.
A property can be registered provincially and municipally, if it has both local and provincial heritage value.
To learn more about registering your home as a Mahone Bay Municipally registered heritage property, visit the Heritage Advisory Committee section of our Committees page.
16 Orchard Street
The house at 16 Orchard Street in Mahone Bay is a one-and-one-half storey wood-clad structure of the vernacular type set on a small lot tucked behind the Town's main streets. Built as a residence before 1780, the building has been operated as a restaurant in recent years. The restaurant entrance on Orchard Street is actually the rear of the building: the original front facade, now at the rear, is oriented to look down the harbour from a slight height. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and the building.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of 16 Orchard Street lies in its association with the George Zwicker family who were influential amongst the first European settlers in shaping the development of the area; in its long association with the Mader family from 1837 - 1949, who also influenced the way the town developed; in its age and vernacular architecture; and, as a representation of the early history of the community.
John George Zwicker, known as George, was born in 1747 in what is now Germany. He came as a small child with his family during the 'foreign protestant' settlement process initiated by the British. In 1777, George Zwicker purchased a 340-acre mill property from Joshua Mauger's agents at the western area of the bay. He also purchased the unsurveyed town lots which had been granted but not laid out. He then sold off portions of the Mauger Mill Lands to relatives and friends, retaining for himself the area closest to the shore, including the mill.
After George's death in 1815, his four sons by his second wife each got a share of the homestead [the dwelling at 16 Orchard St.] and mill and divided the remaining mill lands among themselves - 119 acres. One son, Henry, sold all his share in 1837 to John Adam Mader, the great grandson of Ulrich Mader who was also part of the 1753 settlement of Lunenburg. As a blacksmith, John Mader would have benefited from locating his shop at the juncture of the roads to Lunenburg, Chester and Blockhouse.
After John Mader's death, his heirs divided the remaining 24 acres in a land division recorded on an 1860 plan that shows roads, numbered lots and the "Homestead" lot with a drawing of a house on it. The lots and streets laid out in the Mader plan shaped the development of the town and are clearly in evidence today. His descendants continued to live in the house at 16 Orchard St. until 1949.
The building at 16 Orchard Street was originally set on a large lot with nothing obstructing its prominent position at the town's crossroads or its view overlooking the harbour. Over time commercial properties along Edgewater Street were sold off from the original homestead so that the house is now cut off from the main streets. After a fire in 1978 gutted much of the interior, subsequent renovations included the addition of dormers and an extension. Despite the changes, this 240+ year-old building is a good example of 18th century architectural vernacular and provides a sense of the history of the town.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of the building at 16 Orchard Street relate to its location, its history and its architecture and include the following:
- Location as shown on the 1860 Mader plan of division
- 18th and 19th century architectural details such as the wide roof overhang sitting close to the top of the windows, wide corner boards, large central chimney, horizontal wood cladding and 6/6 windows
- The modest one-and-one-half-storey scale
- Its original site orientation toward the harbour
Prepared by Penny Carver and Deborah Trask
June 2019
17 Aberdeen Lane
Description
17 Aberdeen Lane is a one-and-one-half storey wood-frame dwelling situated on Aberdeen Lane in Mahone Bay, NS. The building is set sideways on its lot, close to the Lane, with one gable end facing out, and almost directly behind Town Hall near the main commercial district of Mahone Bay. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and apartments (the original building) located at 17 Aberdeen Lane and does not include the addition.
Heritage Value
Architecturally, 17 Aberdeen Lane is valued as an example of a modest dwelling built for tradesmens' families. Its original occupants were a cooper and shoemaker. Built in simple vernacular Neo-classical style, its plain trim, small windows and low eaves express its humble origins.
This historic property is valued for its location on the site of the original Mauger's Mill Grant that, from the 1770s to 1860, was the subject of major sale and land division transactions that have determined the shape of Mahone Bay. The fact that this modest dwelling is one of only a few previously existing buildings, including the George Zwicker homestead built circa 1778 shown on the 1860 plan of division of the late John Maders' portion of the original Mill Grant, contributes to its heritage value.
17 Aberdeen Lane has heritage value for its ability to convey to a modern audience a sense of a continuum of family and community life in Mahone Bay from the mid-nineteenth century to the present. Unusual in the fact that it was built as a double residence in 1849, the property is significant for its continued use as two separate living units. The street-side unit retains its original compact floor plan of two rooms on each storey. The rear unit has been expanded and modernized. Both units have an original hearth. This property exemplifies how a modest historic building can be modernized for contemporary life without sacrificing its heritage qualities.
Character-Defining Elements
General character-defining elements of 17 Aberdeen Lane include:
- original location in the historic Maugers Mill Grant section of town and proximity to the homestead of George Zwicker.
Character-defining elements of 17 Aberdeen Lane that relate to its modest Neo-classical style and double house design include:
- one-and-a-half storey construction in the Neo-classical style;
- five-bay front facade with central door;
- centred front entry with sidelights;
- plain wood trim with short, narrow cornice return;
- small six-over-six windows set high under the eaves;
- simple hoods over window;
- central chimney;
- interior structural features such as two separate dwellings within one structure; two original open fireplaces; and, original floor plan in the street-side unit with two rooms on each storey.
53 Edgewater Street
Description 53 Edgewater Street is a two-storey residence in Mahone Bay, NS, constructed after 1848 and before 1857. It was built as a three gabled house and renovated in 1905 to add an additional storey featuring two gables on front and rear elevations and single gables on each side. It is of wood-frame construction in a Queen Anne Revival style. Prominently situated facing the harbour adjacent to St James Anglican Church for which it serves as a Rectory, it is set back from the street with manicured lawns. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building at 53 Edgewater Street.
Heritage Value The heritage value of 53 Edgewater Street lies in its long use as the rectory for St. James Anglican Church; in its association with Canon Edward (Ned) Harris and with his architect brother, William Critchlow Harris; in its representation of the Queen Anne Revival construction style; and, in its location as part of a group of heritage properties on Edgewater Street
53 Edgewater Street has featured significantly in the history and development of the town of Mahone Bay through its use as the rectory of the Parish since the mid-1800's. An 1848 deed shows the sale of the lot to The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts "for the use benefits and purpose of erecting and establishing thereon a Parsonage house..." (Book 13 p. 418 #938.) A sketch of the building is shown on an 1857 expropriation plan. The property is labeled on an 1860 Plan of Division as "Rev. W. H. Snyder" who was the first Rector of the Parish. Over the course of history, it has been used for parish meetings, Masons' gatherings and many special events as well as being the residence of the parish's rectors.
Its most notable resident was Canon Edward (Ned) Harris who was Rector from c. 1889 until his death in 1931. Ned Harris is notable for the initiative he inspired to build St. James Anglican Church, for his design of the Mahone Bay Cenotaph, for his contribution to the design of the town's Masonic Hall and for his contributions as a leading authority on the pioneer history of Mahone Bay. The 1905 renovations to the rectory were designed by Canon Harris in collaboration with his architect brother, William Critchlow Harris, via a series of letters which included Ned's design sketches as documented in an Appendix of Robert Tuck's book Ned Harris' Letters Home from Mahone Bay 1884 - 1889.
Architecturally, although considerably modified since 1905, the building at 53 Edgewater Street retains important aspects of the Queen Anne Revival style popular in the early 20th century.
53 Edgewater is one of nine heritage properties set prominently along a main entrance road to the town at the head of the harbour. It is the only Queen Anne Revival style building in the Edgewater Street heritage grouping. Collectively these houses, churches and cemetery are a significant representation of aspects of Mahone Bay's early history from mid - 1700's to the early twentieth century.
Character-Defining Elements The character-defining elements of 53 Edgewater Street, listed below, relate to its location adjacent to St. James Anglican Church; to its relationship to the larger grouping of registered heritage properties on Edgewater Street; and to its representation of the Queen Anne Revival building style:
- Situation of the rectory on its original site
- Open setting and prominent location within the Town
- Double bay second storey windows
- Symmetrical facade with central entry
- Decorative mouldings over first storey windows
- Patterned wood shingles on all gables
- Horizontal cladding
- Medium pitched roof structure.
Description of Historic Place St. James' Anglican Church, built between 1885-1887, is situated at 65 Edgewater Street in Mahone Bay, NS. Designed by William Critchlow Harris, St. James' Anglican Church is built in the High Victorian Gothic Revival style with an imposing mass and is painted in a striking scheme of yellow ochre, brown and red. It is part of a group of eight heritage properties that line Edgewater Street facing the harbour. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building at 65 Edgewater Street.
Heritage Value St. James' Anglican Church is valued as a community landmark; for its association with architect William Critchlow Harris; for its High Victorian Gothic Revival style; and for its continuous use as a place of worship and centre of community life.
In its commanding position at the head of Mahone Bay harbour on the main road from the east, St. James' Anglican Church is visible from land and sea. For many years, its thirty-metre steeple was marked on marine charts. Mariners lined up the steeples of the three churches on the shore - Anglican, Lutheran and Presbyterian/United - as a navigational aid. St. James' Anglican Church is the most southerly of these churches which are known collectively and well-recognized as Mahone Bay's "Three Churches." Together with five other heritage properties on Edgewater Street, the three churches comprise a significant representation of Mahone Bay's history during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The first St. James' Anglican Church, consecrated in 1835, was built off Clearland Road, on the hill above the old Mush-a-Mush burial ground (currently known as Bayview Cemetery). It was joined on the hill in 1863 by the Presbyterian Church which was later moved to the waterfront. The current waterfront location of St. James' Anglican Church was purchased in 1848 from John Mader who owned a section of what had been the original Maughers Mill Grant. The wedge-shaped lot, with the Rectory marked, is shown on the 1860 Plan of Division in the name of Reverend Snyder. Rev. William Henry Snyder was the first Rector of St. James' Parish, serving in that capacity from 1858 until his death in 1889.
Description of Historic Place
St. James' Anglican Church, built between 1885-1887, is situated at 65 Edgewater Street in Mahone Bay, NS. Designed by William Critchlow Harris, St. James' Anglican Church is built in the High Victorian Gothic Revival style with an imposing mass and is painted in a striking scheme of yellow ochre, brown and red. It is part of a group of eight heritage properties that line Edgewater Street facing the harbour. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building at 65 Edgewater Street.
Heritage Value
St. James' Anglican Church is valued as a community landmark; for its association with architect William Critchlow Harris; for its High Victorian Gothic Revival style; and for its continuous use as a place of worship and centre of community life.
In its commanding position at the head of Mahone Bay harbour on the main road from the east, St. James' Anglican Church is visible from land and sea. For many years, its thirty-metre steeple was marked on marine charts. Mariners lined up the steeples of the three churches on the shore - Anglican, Lutheran and Presbyterian/United - as a navigational aid. St. James' Anglican Church is the most southerly of these churches which are known collectively and well-recognized as Mahone Bay's "Three Churches." Together with five other heritage properties on Edgewater Street, the three churches comprise a significant representation of Mahone Bay's history during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
The first St. James' Anglican Church, consecrated in 1835, was built off Clearland Road, on the hill above the old Mush-a-Mush burial ground (currently known as Bayview Cemetery). It was joined on the hill in 1863 by the Presbyterian Church which was later moved to the waterfront. The current waterfront location of St. James' Anglican Church was purchased in 1848 from John Mader who owned a section of what had been the original Maughers Mill Grant. The wedge-shaped lot, with the Rectory marked, is shown on the 1860 Plan of Division in the name of Reverend Snyder. Rev. William Henry Snyder was the first Rector of St. James' Parish, serving in that capacity from 1858 until his death in 1889.
77 Edgewater Street
Description of Historic Place
77 Edgewater Street is a one-and-a-half storey wood-frame residence built in the Lunenburg House style. It is part of a group of heritage properties lining Edgewater Street, one of the main routes entering Mahone Bay, NS. Built circa 1874 on the narrow street frontage of a large lot extending to the street behind, the house is tucked between the Anglican and Lutheran churches. There is a kitchen ell extending to the rear.
Municipal Heritage Designation includes the land and building located at 77 Edgewater Street.
Heritage Value
77 Edgewater Street is valued for its importance as part of a group of heritage properties; for its age and association with the history of Mahone Bay; and, as an example of the vernacular building style known as "Lunenburg House" in which a two-storey five-sided dormer is predominately featured.
77 Edgewater is one of eight heritage properties set prominently along the main road at the head of the harbour. It is the only Lunenburg style house in the Edgewater Street heritage grouping. Collectively these houses, churches and cemetery are a significant representation of aspects of Mahone Bay's early history from mid - 1700's to the early twentieth century. This property retains the boundaries defined in the 1860 plan of division of John Mader's large property bought from the heirs of George Zwicker who had once owned the complete Maughers Mill Grant.
The house at 77 Edgewater was built circa 1874 by Augustus Joudrey amidst Mahone Bay's rising economic fortunes. Shipbuilding, fishing, lumbering and commerce were thriving and the population growing. Augustus Joudrey, a blacksmith, was Mahone Bay's first police officer. In 1871, Joudrey had bought the school house on the shore across the road when the student population had outgrown it. The school house became his blacksmith shop; the proximity of home and workshop was typical of commercial activity at the time. The house remained in the Joudrey family for over one-hundred years.
77 Edgewater Street is the only Lunenburg House style home at the head of the harbour. Its embellishments reflect changing styles and prosperity. Such details as heavily molded window hoods and protruding bracketed cornices create a powerful presence. Despite its location between two imposing churches, the home's strong features demand that it be noticed.
Character-Defining Elements
Character-defining elements of 77 Edgewater Street relate to its contribution to the Edgewater Street grouping of heritage properties, and to all its Lunenburg House features, and include the following:
* Location within a group of eight heritage properties on Edgewater Street
* Raised site on one-layer terrace set back from street overlooking the harbour
* One-and-a-half storey solid wood frame construction with medium pitched gable ends
* Two-over-two windows with elaborate hood moldings and fretwork, and decorative panels under the lower windows
* "Lunenburg Bump" comprised of five-sided Scottish dormer with round-topped windows stacked over a slightly larger five-sided enclosed entry, the graduated stack giving impression of solidity
* Wooden cladding with shingle on two sides and clapboard on two sides including the front, it being a common practice to use bought clapboard on the public sides of the house while using hand-made shingle for the less public sides
* Brackets at top of protruding corner pilasters, under eaves and under window hoods
* Molding on water board at base of cladding
Interior character-defining elements include:
* Well preserved original floor-plan
* Intricate moldings in entry hall with plainer moldings in private rooms
* Central staircase with simple handrail and newel post, ample landing
* Upper hallway well-lit by windows of Lunenburg Bump
* Small kitchen ell with second stairway
89 Edgewater Street
Description
St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church is situated at 89 Edgewater Street, Mahone Bay, NS. It is set centrally in the group of eight heritage properties that line the shore road at the head of the harbour. It is a wood frame structure built in simple Gothic Revival style and painted white with minimal black trim. Completed in 1869, then expanded and renovated in 1903, St. John's Lutheran Church was the first of Mahone Bay's famous "Three Churches" to be built at the shore. Municipal Heritage Designation applies to the land and building.
Heritage Value St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church is valued as a community landmark; for its contribution to the group of heritage properties on Edgewater Street; for its age and association with the history of religious and community life of Mahone Bay; and, as a good example of Gothic Revival architecture.
Built in 1869, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church was the first church to be located in the commanding position on the main road from the east at the head of Mahone Bay harbour. Within two decades it was joined by the Anglican and Presbyterian churches. With St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in the middle, these churches are collectively well-recognized and known as Mahone Bay's "Three Churches." Their prominence and visibility enabled mariners to line up the three steeples for direction. Together with five other historic places, including the "Old Burying Ground at Mush-a-Mush" (now Bayview Cemetery) on Edgewater Street, the three churches comprise a significant representation of Mahone Bay's history during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
In the early years of settlement starting in 1754, the foreign Protestants worshipped in nearby communities, local halls or in homes. In 1833, Baptists, Lutherans, Methodists and Presbyterians built the Union and Harmony Church near the Old Burying Ground with trustees from all four denominations, with Peter Strum as the Lutheran trustee. The growing population in the late 1800's led to construction of individual churches. By 1864, the Lutherans had formally organized as a congregation and in 1866 voted unanimously to call Rev. W.W. Bowers and also to build their own church. St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church was ready by 1869 and was reported to be the site of the first decorated Christmas tree in any church in the province. The earliest ministers spokeGerman. In 1876, the Reverend J.A. Scheffer was the first English speaking minister and ministered in both languages.
In 1903 the church was widened, retaining its original structural features, and renovated in a simpler version of Gothic Revival style with almost no embellishment. The pointed window arches were replaced with rounded arches. The original slender, graceful spire was retained. Sunday school additions were made at the rear in 1965 and 1970.
For the past 140 years, St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church has played a continuous role in community and religious life. The congregation is active in worship and social outreach and collaborates with other Mahone Bay churches in ecumenical services and projects such as the food bank. It has a strong music program and is also one of the venues for the "Music at the Three Churches" series each summer.
Character-Defining Elements Character-defining elements of St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church relate to its function as a place of worship, contribution to the grouping of heritage properties, and simple Gothic Revival architecture and include:
* Location within a group of eight heritage properties at the head of the harbour
* Arched transoms over main entrance in the front steeple tower and over the side entrance to church hall
* Central main entry flanked on each side by two tall, slender double-pane arched windows stepped down in height to fit under the roof line
* simple label moldings over all doors and windows
* Slender steeple topped with cross atop bell tower with arched openings
* Simple scheme of white paint with black on label moldings
* Set of three triple-pane arched windows on each side
* Interior elements including posts in the side aisles which are structural components of the original exterior walls; and original woodwork on ceiling and pews
97 Edgewater Street
Description
97 Edgewater Street is a one-and-one-half storey wood frame residence in Mahone Bay, NS. The home is Gothic Revival style with Classic Revival elements. It is situated on a well treed lot, the middle of eight heritage properties which line Edgewater Street at the head of the Mahone Bay harbour. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building.
Heritage Value 97 Edgewater Street is valued for its contribution to a group of heritage properties on Edgewater Street; for its age; long association with the Henry Schnare family and with the Schnare shipyard; and, as an example of early Gothic Revival residential architecture with Classic Revival elements.
97 Edgewater Street is set in a prominent position at the head of the harbour, amongst a group of designated heritage properties which collectively portray Mahone Bay's history from the late 1770's to late 1800's.
Built between 1860 and 1875, 97 Edgewater Street was for many years the home of shipbuilder Henry Schnare whose shipyard was directly across the road. The generous scale of this home and its Gothic Revival features reflect the growing economic prosperity in Mahone Bay in the mid to late 1800s when shipbuilding and related industries flourished. Schnare's shipyard, located by the shallow water at the head of the harbour, developed a unique method of launching vessels on their sides before pulling them upright. The proximity of the Schnare home and business was typical of the period. The property remained in the Schnare family for more than a century.
Architecturally, the Classical and Gothic features convey a sense of both simplicity and substance. In its current use as a bed and breakfast, 67 Edgewater Street offers visitors a vivid insight into the town's social and architectural history.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of 97 Edgewater Street relate to its location, its history and its architecture and include the following:
* Location at the head of Mahone Bay harbour amongst a group of heritage properties
* All Gothic Revival features such as steeply pitched twin cross-gable dormers enclosing gothic peaked windows with glazing bars
* All Classic Revival features such as transom and sidelights at the enclosed entry, corner pilasters and return cornices
* Symmetrical three-bay facade
* Six-over-six windows with simple molded hoods
* Centered chimney
* Interior features such as original operating shutters built to fit the inside of the Gothic windows; original hearth, mantle and cooking irons; and original hutch; generous proportions of entry hall and stairway with wrought handrail; wide wainscoting boards; and, panels inset under windows in parlour
101 Edgewater Street
Description
Trinity United Church is situated at 101 Edgewater Street in Mahone Bay, NS. It is one of the well-recognized "Three Churches" that are part of a group of eight heritage properties along the shore at the head of Mahone Bay harbour. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building.
Heritage Value Trinity United Church is valued as a community landmark; for its continuous use as a place of worship and centre of community life; and for its blend of Gothic and Classical Revival architectural styles. Trinity United Church is situated prominently at the head of the harbour where it is visible from land and sea. It is the most northerly of the three churches on the shore which are known collectively as Mahone Bay's "Three Churches." Together with eight other heritage properties on Edgewater Street, including Bayview Cemetery, the three churches comprise a significant representation of Mahone Bay's history.
During the early years after settlement began in 1754, settlers worshipped in homes or in nearby communities. In 1833, trustees from four denominations - Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Presbyterian - jointly built the Union and Harmony Meeting House. Thirty years later, beginning in 1861, the Presbyterians built their own church on the hill behind the Old Burying Ground, close to the Anglican Church which had been consecrated there in 1835. In 1869 the Presbyterian congregation engaged its first resident minister, Rev. Ebenezer McNab.
In 1885 the Presbyterian Church building was moved to the shore road for better accessibility. In 1894 the building was raised to accommodate a basement including a church hall. The Lutheran Church had been built at the shore in 1869. By 1887, when the new St. James' Anglican Church was consecrated, the trio of churches was complete. Their prominence and visibility enabled mariners to line up their steeples for direction. The steeple of Trinity United, which had been the tallest of the three, was damaged in the late 1920's and not replaced.
With Church Union in 1925, most Mahone Bay Methodists and Presbyterians - but not all - joined to form a new congregation, choosing to meet in the Presbyterian Church which then became known as Trinity United. Reverend Cater Windsor served as the first Pastor of Trinity United from 1825-1829. The bell from the Methodist Church now hangs in the Trinity United tower.
Valued by the community as a place of on-going worship and community life since 1863, Trinity United collaborates with the town's other churches to hold ecumenical services, to share resources, and to share outreach projects such as the Food Bank. Trinity United and the United Baptist Church exchange worship space during the ministers' summer breaks. Trinity United is one of the venues for the summer concert series, Music at the Three Churches.
Trinity United Church is valued for having retained its original architectural form which blends Gothic Revival and Classical Revival features. Trinity United is unique amongst the Mahone Bay churches in this regard.
Source: Town of Mahone Bay Heritage File #MBHG001
Character-Defining Elements Character-defining elements of Trinity United Church relate to its function as a place of worship and its blend of Gothic and Classical Revival features including the following:
* Gothic Revival features such as steeply arched windows, entry transom and bell tower openings
* Classical Revival features such as medium pitch roof, cornices and gable end pediment
* Symmetrical three-bay facade
* Label moldings on windows and transom
* Simple scheme of white paint with minimal black detail on paneled double doors
* Raised foundation clad with wood imitation stonework
* Interior features such as the Casavant organ, original wooden pews, wainscoting and wood ceiling.
121 Edgewater Street
Description of Historic Place
121 Edgewater Street is a large, one-and-one-half storey wood frame home set prominently at the head of the harbour in Mahone Bay, NS. Built in 1870, it is one of a cluster of heritage properties that line the shore on Edgewater Street. The municipal heritage designation applies to the land and the building.
Heritage Value The property at 121 Edgewater Street is valued for its importance as part of a group of eight heritage properties at the head of Mahone Bay harbour; for its age and association with the history of Mahone Bay; and, as a good example of Gothic Revival residential architecture.
Collectively, the Edgewater heritage properties - three houses, three churches, a cemetery and a commercial property built as a residence - are a significant representation of aspects of Mahone Bay's early history from mid-1700's to the early twentieth century.
121 Edgewater retains the boundaries shown in the 1860 plan of the division of John Mader's large property. Mader, who owned a considerable amount of land, purchased the parcel at the head of the harbour from the heirs of George Zwicker who had acquired the complete Maugers Mill Grant in 1778.
The house is associated with Canon E. A. Harris (Ned) who, as a young curate in the 1880's, boarded briefly in this house. He described it as "a very pretty place...the view from every window in the house is good and from the front is perfectly delightful."
Rupert G. Zwicker, a merchant, built this house circa 1870 during the area's economic boom associated with shipbuilding and its related industries. It is a well preserved example of Gothic Revival architecture and is one of only two houses in Mahone Bay with three cross-gables. With its prominent position on the height of four stepped terraces and such details as heavily molded window hoods, strong eave lines and protruding bracketed cornices, this house makes a powerful statement that reflects changing styles and prosperity.
Character-Defining Elements Character defining elements of 121 Edgewater Street relate to its history, its location and to all its Gothic Revival features and embellishments including the following:
* Location in cluster of heritage properties at head of harbour
* Site on four terraces with cut concrete stairway leading to street
* Front entry with sidelights
* Three steeply pitched cross-gables each with a pointed window
* Symmetrical three-bay facade
* Substantial molding over windows and doors
* Strong eave trim
* Wood shingle cladding on all four elevations
* Cut granite foundation
* Six-over-six windows
* Two chimneys symmetrically placed
* Slender corner boards
* Historic interior details including
* High ceilings
* Secondary stairway in the kitchen ell
* Wide front entry hall and stairway
* Simple interior moldings
* Generously proportioned rooms
169 Edgewater Street
Description of Historic Place
Bayview Cemetery is situated on a hillside above Edgewater Street at the head of the harbour in Mahone Bay, NS. Some grave markers date from the late 1700's, including several rare Germanic gravestones. Bayview Cemetery is located close to seven other heritage properties on the main route leading into the town from the east. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land at the corner of Main Street and Clearland Road.
Heritage Value
Bayview Cemetery is valued for its tangible associations with the early history of Mahone Bay; for its particular association with the "foreign Protestant" settlers and their rare Germanic gravemarkers; and for its continuous use as a community burial ground since the late 1700's.
The historic value of Bayview Cemetery is evident in its late eighteenth and early nineteenth century gravestones. Several of the earliest stones mark graves of foreign Protestants, mainly German-speaking Europeans, who immigrated as part of the British initiative to colonize the area. Initially based in nearby Lunenburg, they began claiming their farm land grants at Mahone Bay in 1754. Burials took place in Lunenburg until 1774 by which time the settlers had established a burial ground at Mahone Bay. The "burying ground at Mush-a-Mush," so-called after the nearby river, eventually became Bayview Cemetery.
Bayview Cemetery and its early grave markers are valued as memorials to Mahone Bay's founding families whose names and descendents are found today throughout Lunenburg County. Thousands of Zwicker descendants can trace their roots to Johann Peter Zwicker I (d. 1789) and his wife Maria Magdalena (d. 1787) whose graves are here along with those of their eldest son and his wife - Johann Peter Zwicker II (d. 1813) and Ana Catherina (d. 1780). A spreading Ernst family tree began with Christian Ernst (d. 1798) and his wife Ann Regina (d. 1801) who are interred here. Also buried here are other settlers whose descendants remain in the area: George Eisenhauer (d. 1805), Johann Philip Heyson (d. 1813), and Alexander Kedy (d. 1818).
The early gravestones at Bayview Cemetery are valued as an expression of the austere life experienced by the settlers and as testament to their faith and fortitude. The primitive quality of the earliest markers and the use of Germanic symbols and language evoke a sense of the settlers' isolation within the colony.
Bayview Cemetery is also valued for its rare early Germanic gravestones marking the graves of foreign Protestant settlers. Lunenburg County's oldest surviving German inscription - that of Ana Catherina Zwicker (d. 1780) - is here. Her stone is roughly crafted of soft local slate with touchingly awkward and uneven block letters in German. Other hand-carved stones have Gothic script. Some depict traditional Germanic images - a tulip on the 1805 Eisenhauer marker, a heart on an infant's stone.
The influence of the foreign Protestant settlers persists today in the continued use of German motifs on gravestones, and also in the widespread presence of German foods and patterns of speech throughout Lunenburg County.
Markers and materials from later eras are valued for their ability to evoke a sense of different historic periods. These include Victorian grave curbing and cast-iron railings with linked heart and stepped cross motifs.
Bayview Cemetery is also valued for being the site of Mahone Bay's original Anglican Church (built 1833) and Presbyterian Church (built 1861). By 1887, when both church buildings had been relocated, their vacated churchyards offered new burial sites. A noteworthy grave in the former Anglican churchyard is that of the Reverend William Henry Snyder, Rector of St. James' Anglican Parish from 1852 until his death in 1889. His monument, erected by parishioners, consists of formed concrete with marble insets.
By 1872, when the community was well-established, the burial ground was named "Bayview Cemetery." The Bayview Cemetery Company, whose volunteers managed ongoing operations, was incorporated in 1925. When the Company disbanded in 2007, operations were assumed by the Town of Mahone Bay.
Character-Defining Elements
Character-defining elements of Bayview Cemetery relate to its history, monuments and markers, landscape features, and location, and include:
* All features relating to the foreign Protestant settlers including headstones of local slate and sandstone, Germanic inscriptions and scripts, and Germanic symbols such as heart and tulip
* All historic materials and elements such as Victorian cast-iron grave fencing with linked heart and stepped cross motif and grave curbing
* All grave markers
* Fence at Edgewater Street boundary
* Location near the shore with its view of Mahone Bay harbourStatement of Significance
In 2016/17 the stones at Bayview Cemetery were catalogued by a team of volunteers and Town staff developed a digital map. You can view the map on the Parks + Greenspaces page, here.
328 Main Street
Description of Historic Place 328 Main Street is situated at the corner of Spur Street on the main road leading west from Mahone Bay, NS, to nearby Blockhouse. Thought to have been built between 1778 and 1812, this one-and-one-half storey Neo-classical dwelling is an excellent example of early Mahone Bay domestic architecture. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building.
Heritage Value 328 Main Street is valued as a modest family dwelling built in the early decades of settlement; as a representation of vernacular Neo-classical domestic architecture; and, for its association with the Hyson and Zwicker families who were prominent in the history of property development in Mahone Bay.
The small scale of this one-and-one-half storey home and its Neo-classical style are typical of dwellings built during the late 1700s and early 1800s in Mahone Bay. Recent additions have been discretely offset to the rear of the original structure, thereby preserving the essential historic character of the house as seen from the street.
The simplicity and lack of embellishment reflect the frugality of its early owners - farmers and later shipwrights - as evidenced by the simple window moldings and use of clapboard for the front elevation while less costly shingles clad the sides. The exterior walls are constructed of three wood layers. The two air spaces are still stuffed with the original insulating materials - birch bark and moss.
As part of an original land grant known as Maugers Mill Lands, 328 Main Street was subject to many land sales and divisions associated with some of the most prominent land owners and speculators in the Mahone Bay settlement area - the Hyson and Zwicker families. This property was conveyed from George Zwicker to Philip Hyson (1778) then to Philip's son Jacob; from Jacob's heirs to "Gentleman John" Zwicker then to his sons, John Henry and Charles Augustus with occasional appearances on the Sheriff's auction lists. John Andrews, ship carpenter, and his wife, Catherine, who lived here from 1853 to 1902, were the longest known owner-occupants.
Character-Defining Elements
Character-defining elements of 328 Main Street relate to its continuous use as a home and its Neo-classical domestic architectural features, and include the following:
* Symmetrical five-bay facade with central entry with transom
* Six-over-six windows tight to eaves
* Shingle and clapboard cladding
* Simple trim and moldings on windows and doors
* Wide corner boards with simple cornices and short return eaves
* Water boards at base of cladding and friezeboards under eaves
* Fieldstone foundation with cut granite at sills
* Large central chimney
* Interior elements such as open hearth and bake oven; trap door to cellar with original hardware; massive chimney foundation in cellar; short rear entry door; and narrow four-over-four horizontal-slider window beside rear entry
578 Main Street
Description of Historic Place
578 Main Street, home to the Mahone Bay Museum (previously known as the Mahone Bay Settler's Museum), is located in the main commercial district of Mahone Bay, NS. It is a one-and-one-half storey, wood frame structure built as a home circa 1874-1877. The building is set on a terrace above street level and features a central five-sided dormer joined to the enclosed entryway below forming a "Lunenburg bump." The property is within an area zoned for architectural control. Municipal heritage designation applies to the building and its surrounding land.
Heritage Value
The property at 578 Main Street is valued as a community museum; as a reflection of how the shipbuilding industry stimulated the local economy; as an example of residences adapted to accommodate changes in owners' lives; and as an illustration of Lunenburg House local style of architecture.
This historic property is recognized for its long association with the Begin family who owned and lived in the house from 1874-1959; specifically its association with Benjamin Begin and his son, Charles. Benjamin Begin operated a sail-making business in a long, one-storey ell once located at the rear of the house. In 1910 the ell was shortened and a second storey added to form expanded living areas including a kitchen. At this time Benjamin's son, Charles, relocated the family sail making business to the waterfront across the road. Charles Begin worked as a rigger on the original famed "Bluenose" schooner and some of his tools and equipment were used on the "Bounty" replica which was built in nearby Lunenburg for the 1960 MGM film "Mutiny on the Bounty."
578 Main Street exemplifies the late nineteenth century vernacular architectural style known as "Lunenburg House." As the only Lunenburg House on the town's primary commercial street with a full two-storey "bump," it is valued for having retained its overall proportions and appearance.
This property is valued for its current use as a museum with collections and exhibits related to the history of the community. The Mahone Bay Founders Society arose from enthusiasm generated during the community's 225th anniversary celebrations in 1979. The Society is dedicated to preserving the history of the town and area of Mahone Bay. In 1988 the Society purchased the Begin house and undertook the work of renovating the building and establishing the museum. The Settlers Museum now houses the Nova Scotia Museum's Inglis/Quinlan collection of ceramics and antiques, and also features a permanent exhibit on the settlement of the area.
Character-Defining Elements
Character-defining elements of 578 Main Street relate to the following:
* Features of late nineteenth century Lunenburg House style architecture including: the "Lunenburg bump" formed by five-sided Scottish dormer over enclosed entry; six-over-six sash windows with prominent molded hoods; medium pitched gables with returning eaves; central chimney; wood shingle cladding; wood trim such as plain corner pilasters and frieze running under the eaves; symmetrical three-bay front facade; side-lights at the main entrance
* Features pertaining to its social prominence and relationship to the shipbuilding industry such as the rear ell; proximity to former shipbuilding sites; imposing terraced setting above street level
* Features pertaining to its use as a community museum
* Historic interior features such as open hearth with bake oven; dry-painted designs dating from late 1800's on ceilings in entry hall and parlour; and, original layout of parlour, entry hall, stairs and keeping room
674 Main Street
Description
674 Main Street is situated opposite the government wharf on Main Street in Mahone Bay, NS. Set well back from the street on a large lot, it has an air of being in a world of its own. This modest one-and-one-half storey Neo-classical dwelling is thought to have been built between 1777 and 1832. A new wing on the west elevation replicates the lines of the original building. The historic patina persists despite many alterations including the addition of dormers. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building.
Heritage Value The heritage value of 674 Main Street lies in its preservation as an example of early domestic architecture in Mahone Bay; its historic character and unique setting; its association with Philip Hyson; and its association with Mahone Bay's shipbuilding industry.
The house at 674 Main Street is considered to be the oldest example in Mahone Bay of the one-and-one-half storey Neo-classical wood structure that was typical of early settlement dwellings in this area. This domestic vernacular building style continued in use for many years. Nails, hinges and forgework found in the building suggest a possible construction date in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. This time frame corresponds to the fifty-year period that John Philip Hyson and his heirs owned and farmed this property. Although there is no specific evidence that Hyson built the house, it is known locally as "The Hyson House."
Philip Hyson, born in 1737 in Hering, Palatinate, was one of the original "foreign Protestants" who settled the Mahone Bay area starting in 1754. He married Maria Magdalena Zwicker, eldest daughter of Peter Zwicker, Senior. Hyson was a farmer who acquired many properties in the area.
While other early Mahone Bay dwellings are set close to the street, the house at 674 Main Street sits at the end of a long driveway amid large open lawns. The spacious setting creates a sense of earlier days when this was a country farmhouse. Another heritage home, built circa 1885 in a somewhat grander style, stands immediately next door. Together the two properties represent a continuum of life from frugal settlement days to the prosperous shipbuilding years on the Mahone Bay waterfront.
The simplicity and lack of embellishment reflect the frugality of its early owners - farmers and later blacksmiths. A blacksmith's shop, possibly marine, stood for many years at the front corner of the property directly opposite the wharves and shipyards which thrived in the shipbuilding boom of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Charles Andrews, blacksmith, owned the property for almost fifty years. Recent additions accommodate modern living while preserving the historic character of the house as seen from the street.
Character-Defining Elements Character-defining elements of 674 Main Street relate to its Neo-classical architecture and historical associations, and include the following:
* Symmetrical five-bay facade
* Windows and door set tight to low eaves
* Six-over-six sash windows
* Narrow eaves with no returns
* Plain corner boards and window trim
* Large central chimney
* Wood cladding
* Location on a waterfront lot, generous set-back from street and open spaces
* Historic interior features such as fireplaces including one open hearth with bake oven; key components of original floor plan; massive chimney foundation with bake oven in the cellar, original front door, wood trim and moldings, and original wide hemlock wainscoting
680 Main Street
Description of Historic Place
680 Main Street is situated opposite the Town Wharf in Mahone Bay, NS. It is a two-and-one-half storey wood frame home built circa 1885. Best described as "Transition style," the structure incorporates Neo-classical, Italianate and Bracketted elements. The house is set close to the street on a small lot adjoining an older heritage property. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building.
Heritage Value The heritage value of 680 Main Street lies in its architectural representation of Mahone Bay's prosperous shipbuilding era; its historic association with the working waterfront; and, its association with the Ernst family of shipbuilders and merchants.
Its imposing scale, Victorian embellishments and site near the government wharf on the main road to Lunenburg make 680 Main Street an architectural landmark in Mahone Bay. The cheerful mix of Neo-classical, Italianate and Bracketted details captures attention and reflects the flourishing local economy at the time it was built. Also significant is its relationship to the small Neo-classical cottage next door. Together they represent a continuum of life from the frugal settlement days to the prosperous shipbuilding years on the Mahone Bay waterfront.
The home at 680 Main Street is believed to have been built in the mid-1880s by Abraham Ernst (1849-1911). His father, Jacob Ernst, already owned the shore and wharves directly opposite when Abraham acquired this property in 1883. The wharves were the site of Jacob Ernst's import/export business which grew alongside the Ernsts' thiving shipyard. These businesses were passed to Abraham and then to his sons, Selvyn and Willis, and prospered for several generations. Ernst family descendents recall that medical missionary Sir William Grenfell regularly provisioned his northern Newfoundland expeditions at the Ernst family stores and wharves. A little further along the shore to the southeast, at the foot of Fauxburg Road, the two slipways of the Ernst Shipbuilding Company launched ships for the fishery and the Second World War.
Character-Defining Elements Character-defining elements of 680 Main Street relate to its Italianate architecture and original features and include the following:
* Italianate features such as the three-arch entry, two-arch central second-floor window and central five-sided Scottish dormer
* Corner pilasters with paired brackets at cornices
* Brackets under eaves
* Two-over-two windows with heavily carved hoods, fretwork and moldings
* Wood cladding with frieze boards under eaves and water boards at base of cladding
* Cut granite curbs edging the front lawn and driveway
* Large, imposing scale especially in relationship to the older smaller neighbouring house
* Original and historic interior features including fireplaces, cistern and hand pump, secondary stairway, spacious central halls, wide central staircase and handrail, and custom shutters
Description - 249 Edgewater Street is a provincially registered Heritage Property
The Alexander Kedy House is located on Edgewater Street in Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Located at the head of Mahone Bay, this two-and-a-half storey New England Colonial style house was built around 1799. The building and property are included in the provincial designation.
Heritage Value
The Alexander Kedy House is valued because it was built by and was the residence of the prominent Kedy Family for 146 years. It is also valued for its architecture as it is a very early example of a house built with a Georgian floor plan within a two-storey New England Colonial timber frame.
In 1777, brothers William and Alexander (II) Kedy, sons of Alexander Kedy I, acquired from Joseph Pernette, a large tract of land at the head of Mahone Bay on the Mush-a-Mush River, along with a saw-mill and buildings. Around 1799, the Alexander Kedy House was built as an office for the family business and as a residence for Alexander's (II) new partner, John William Kedy, his son.
Although Alexander Kedy I never lived in the house, his prominent stature in the community was a source of pride for the Kedy Family. Alexander Kedy I and his family were original European settlers in Halifax in 1749; they went to Lunenburg in 1753-54. Kedy I was elected to represent the Lunenburg Township in the First Assembly called in 1758.
The Alexander Kedy House is a fine example of a New England Colonial style house with a Georgian floor plan. This two-and-a-half storey house, with its five bay front facade, is one of the earliest examples of a duplex, or two family home. The house was built into the side of a hill so that a rear door on the second floor led directly onto the small rise. Two side entries for each half of the house were added around 1850. In 1951, two one-storey wings with end chimneys which symmetrically flank the main structure were added.
The interior of the home was actually designed as a double dwelling. The first floor consisted of two large kitchens, each with its own cooking fire and bake oven. To the rear of the house, separate from the kitchen, was a "hillside cellar." The spiral staircase which leads to the second storey was shared. On each side of the staircase were two large parlours with adjacent bedrooms behind each parlour. There were four small bedrooms on the attic level.
The Alexander Kedy House remained in the Kedy family until 1945. The house is beautifully situated at the head of Mahone Bay, looking across the water to the town of Mahone Bay and to the stretch of shore famous for its picturesque group of three churches. A restaurant and shops are now located in the Alexander Kedy House.
Character-Defining Elements
Exterior character-defining elements of the Alexander Kedy House include:
- two-and-a-half storey timber frame construction;
- medium pitched gable roof;
- built into the side of a hill;
- symmetrical five bay front facade;
- long, rectangular plan;
- three front doorways;
- wings on each side of the front facade;
- prominent location facing the head of Mahone Bay.
Description
342 Main Street is a one-and-one-half storey wood frame residence in Mahone Bay, NS. The classic vernacular style home, dating from after 1849, is situated on the main road leading west from Mahone Bay to Blockhouse. Municipal heritage designation applies to the house and surrounding land.
Heritage Value
342 Main Street is valued for its representation of early Mahone Bay domestic architecture, for its contribution to the streetscape of Main Street; for its age; for its representation of a typical tradesman's house; and for its situation on a quarter-acre lot characteristic of mid-19th century land division in Mahone Bay.
The house is a modest family dwelling, a storey-and-a-half vernacular structure built after 1849, an early example of a tradesman's home on a small lot of land, not a farm.
The house is set back from the street and has a low-pitched roof, a stone foundation, large central flue and wood clapboard cladding characteristic of the era.
Architecturally, the neo-classical features convey a sense of simplicity.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of 342 Main Street relate to its continuous use as a home, its location, its history and its architecture and include the following:
- location within the Town of Mahone Bay
- neo-classical or vernacular features such as:
- large central chimney
- symmetrical 5 bay facade with central entry and transom
- six-over-six windows
- simple trim and moldings on windows and doors
- clapboard cladding
- cut granite foundation
- storey and a half with low pitched roof
Additional information
An original land grant, known as Maugers Mill Lands, was divided into lots in 1778 when 32 acre Lot 3 was acquired by Henry Lantz. In 1849 Jacob Lantz [1787-1868], son of Henry, sold a quarter acre of his share of 32 acre MML Lot 3 along the main road to Blockhouse, to James Eisenhauer, cooper, of Bridgewater for PS5. It seems probable that Eisenhauer built the house that is now 342 Main Street, which he sold five years later to John McKinnon, Schoolmaster. The house then went through a series of owners, but the property boundaries have not changed in 170 years. A later addition to the back of the building may have been moved to the site.
Description
United Baptist Church, Mahone Bay, NS, is situated at 56 Maple Street, a quiet residential street on a plateau above the central area of the town. The church's slender steeple is visible on the skyline above mature maple trees. Built in 1874, the church is a fine example of Gothic Revival architecture. The church property adjoins the "old school lands" where the Mahone Bay Academy, built in 1914, now serves as a community centre. The former parsonage is on an adjoining lot. Municipal heritage designation applies to the land and building.
Heritage Value
United Baptist Church, Mahone Bay, is valued for its age, its role in the history and religious life of the community, as an example of ecclesiastical Gothic Revival architecture, and as a community landmark.
Baptists in Mahone Bay were originally a branch of the Baptist congregation founded at Northwest in 1809. For many years services were held in private homes and later in the Union and Harmony Meeting House, built 1833-1834. The Union and Harmony Meeting House served Presbyterians, Lutherans, Methodists and Baptists and was managed by trustees representing each group. Four decades later, as the local economy prospered and population grew, the Baptists needed their own church. In 1874, Kenney, Haley and Company of Yarmouth, NS, began construction of the new Baptist Meeting House on this property. The building was dedicated in March 1875 featuring a sermon delivered by Rev. Edward Manning Saunders, the eminent Maritime Baptist historian. An article in the "Christian Messenger" reported the church to be a "very fine edifice" and praised the "frescoing and designs in painting by W.R. Wentzell of Bridgewater." The first resident pastor was Rev. A.E. Ingram.
Now known as United Baptist Church, Mahone Bay, the building is an excellent example of the spiritual expression that can be achieved by Gothic Revival construction. Its slender spire, visible for miles, gleams white against the sky. Every feature, from the narrow peaked windows to the small corner spires, lifts the eye skyward.
United Baptist Church, Mahone Bay remains in regular use. Dedicated volunteers maintain the building and grounds. The congregation collaborates with other churches in Mahone Bay to hold four ecumenical services annually, and to share resources and outreach projects such as the Food Bank. It also exchanges space with Trinity United Church during the ministers' summer breaks.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of United Baptist Church, Mahone Bay, relate to all the details of Gothic Revival ecclesiastical architecture including:
* post and beam construction
* steeply pitched roof
* slender steeple
* narrow Gothic arched windows
* burnished yellow glazing in upper sections of Gothic windows
* narrow three-bay front facade
* central front door with transom;
* three-arched window above main entry
* label moldings around top and upper sides of windows
* fretwork on fascia at roof lines
* corner boards and pilasters topped with small slender spires
* shingle cladding painted white;
* interior features such as box pews, woodwork of black ash, chestnut and teak, label moldings, and original oil wall sconces
Description:
The main building at 45 School Street was constructed in 1914 as the Mahone Bay Academy. It replaced a more modest building on the same site that was built in 1872. It is an imposing three-storey structure, framed and clad in wood, situated where Pond and School Streets intersect at the crest of a hill in the Town of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. The central four-storey bell tower is visible from all directions.
Registration applies to the original 1914 structure and does not include the north wing which was added in the 1950s.
Heritage Value:
The heritage value of 45 School Street lies in its architectural representation of the progressive education movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries; in the history of community collaboration that characterized its inception and construction; and the significant roles the building and the people associated with it have played in the community of Mahone Bay for the past century.
45 School Street is a modest example of the "palace schools" which were built across the Maritimes during the late Victorian and early Edwardian period as sites for school consolidation and as symbols of civic pride. Although smaller than the brick or stone structures built in urban areas, the Mahone Bay Academy features the generous spaces and natural light which were considered requirements for the health and morale of the students in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
Mahone Bay was praised in the local press in 1914 for the resourcefulness, high standards and community spirit that fostered the planning and funding of its new school. Having achieved the community's financial commitment through the sale of debentures, the three elected school trustees (Charlie Lohnes, William Joudrey and Charlie Begin) arranged for the school's design and construction by Boehner Bros. of West LaHave, Nova Scotia, a firm well-known for public buildings across the province.
The Mahone Bay Academy was built with community pride and financial commitment in 1914. The building has continued to play a significant role in community life as a focus for community events, as an educational setting where many prominent Nova Scotians worked or studied, and more recently as a community centre whose activities reflect and support the changing demographics of the modern town.
Character Defining Elements:
Character-defining elements of 45 School Street relate to features of its wood construction and details characteristic of progressive school architecture of the late Victorian and early Edwardian period in the Maritimes:
- Four storey bell tower located centrally in front facade;
- Neo-Classical cornices surmounting dormers and side entrance;
- Symmetrical window and door openings on all four facades;
- Italianate arches and steeply peaked roofline of bell tower;
- Two-over-two windows all topped by transoms;
- Transoms and sidelights at entrances;
- Frieze board, baseboard, and corner pilasters;
- Wood cladding;
- Modified mansard roofline.
Description
The building at 493 Main Street is a two-and-one-half storey wood framed, wood-clad structure set back from the main street near the central cross-roads of Mahone Bay's central commercial district. The main part of the structure, thought to have been built between 1860 and 1865, reflects classical revival or Georgian style. Two three-storey additions - a squared tower enclosing the main entrance at the centre of front elevation, and a large ell at the rear - were built circa 1910.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of 493 Main Street lies in its continuous use as a public building since about 1865 - first as a hotel and later as the Town Hall; in its association with the commercial development of Mahone Bay; and, in the capacity of its remaining neo-classical and late Victorian features to represent evolving architectural style in Mahone Bay.
The site of 493 Main Street was clearly marked as the "Hotel Lot" (Lot 20) on the 1860 Plan of Division of John Mader's large mill land estate property. Four men - Henry Ernst, James Zwicker, Henry Zwicker, and Edward James - had bought Lot 20 in 1848 and sold it in 1865 with "buildings and improvements" to Peter Jodrey. After Jodrey's insolvency, the property was sold to Ebenezer Frail in 1875. By 1884, when Ebenezer's widow, Jane Frail, put her properties in trust before she remarried, the hotel was referred to as "Laurie House." It was known as Laurie House or the Millett Hotel throughout the ownership of James Benjamin Millet 1884 until 1900. By 1904 it was known as the Aberdeen Hotel and remained so until its sale in 1934 to the Town of Mahone Bay for use as its Town Hall.
In its history as a hotel, 493 Main Street was at the centre of commercial and social life of the growing town. It outgrew its original one-quarter acre lot and spread to include an adjoining one-eighth acre lot where a huge barn and stable were erected. In its more recent history as Town Hall, the building continues as a focus for its citizens.
The building at 493 Main Street is one of four five-bay Georgian structures in the Town of Mahone Bay. Although the central Georgian section has lost many of its early features - the original six-over-six windows, the central door with transom and sidelights, and the two chimneys have all disappeared - those that remain establish the neo-classical style popular in the late 1800's. The early twentieth century is evoked by the two major additions - the front tower and the real ell - which were built at a time when railroad expansion brought increased commercial activity and tourist travel.
Character Defining Elements
Character-defining elements of 493 Main Street relate to architectural features characteristic of neo-classical/Georgian and late Victorian building styles:
- symmetrical five-bay facade;
- simple cornices over windows;
- two-over-two windows;
- friezeboard, baseboard, corner pilasters and return eaves;
- belts of decorative shingling on tower;
- gable roof lines on main section;
- roof lines on rear ell;
- moulded roof-line trim throughout.
Description
496 Main Street is a very small wood frame one-and-one-half storey building situated near the centre of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia, on the main road leading west from the town towards Blockhouse. It was originally a store, built or moved to the site after 1931. The building sits gable end to the street with its footprint (16.45 ft. x 34.10 ft.) covering almost the entire property which measures 20 ft. x 38 ft. It is surrounded on three sides by the property at 492 Main Street.
Municipal heritage designation applies to the building.
Heritage Value
496 Main Street is valued for its eye-catching small scale and architecture: its use as a shop by the Lohnes family of general merchants one of whom, Philip Lohnes, was mayor from 1975 to 1982; it's adaptive reuse as a residence; its contribution to the streetscape of central Mahone Bay; and its representation of a small business establishment in the town's developing economy.
Character-Defining Elements
The character-defining elements of 496 Main Street include the following:
- location in the central business area of the Town of Mahone Bay
- vernacular features such as:
- simple trim and moldings on windows and doors
- wood shingle cladding
- granite base
- storey and a half elevation with a 45 degree pitched roof
- imposing eave returns
Description
The building at 523 Main Street is a one-and-a-half-storey, wood-clad structure with a front-gable plan and Classical Revival influences, including returned eaves, classical moldings, a heavy entablature, and flat attached pilasters. Its modest scale and architectural detailing reflect its mid-19th-century construction (likely 1850-1865) and adaptive reuse over time. Positioned prominently near a brook and harbor, the building retains much of its historic character despite relocations and restorations, including a careful renovation by Gregory Grammer in the late 20th century.
Heritage Value
The heritage value of 523 Main Street lies in its:
Historical Associations:
- Dr. George Pickels' Pharmacy (1891-1901): Originally moved to its site from across the road (possibly from a lot purchased by Pickels in 1886), the building served as Mahone Bay's first drug store, anchoring early commercial activity.
- First Telephone Office (1886-early 1900s): Housed the switchboard for the local telephone company (founded by F.E. Wade), operated by pharmacy employee Orren Joudrey, who also managed billing.
- Taylor Drug Company/Olive & Taylor Pharmacy (1906-1964): Leased and later owned by Bridgewater-based pharmacists, continuing its medical-commercial role.
- The Pine Shop (1964-?): Purchased by Reverend George and Ann Ernst for $3,000, the building became an antiques store, reflecting Mahone Bay's shift toward cultural and artisanal economies.
Community Significance:
- Relocation and Adaptation: Its movement in the late 19th century and repeated reuse exemplify rural Nova Scotia's pragmatic building traditions.
- Intersection of Commerce and Technology: As both a pharmacy and telephone exchange, it served dual roles in community infrastructure.
Architectural Interest:
- A rare surviving example of Classical Revival influence in a vernacular commercial-residential building, with well-preserved details noted in heritage reports (e.g., Ron McDonald's 1977 Parks Canada study).
Historical Integrity:
- Minimal alterations since the 19th century, despite functional changes.
- Restoration legacy (e.g., Grammer's bookstore renovation).
Siting & Context:
- Relationship to the brook, harbor, and Main Street, echoing its original lot description (Bk 60, p. 221).
Character-Defining Elements
Key elements that define the building's heritage character include:
- Returned eaves
- Dental/classical moldings (reflecting Classical Revival style).
- Front-gable form with symmetrical facade.
- Original wood cladding and fenestration patterns (where intact).