Bailey House (Annapolis Royal)
| Bailey House | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Nova Scotia | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Georgian ( Federal / Regency ) |
| Address | 150 Saint George Street |
| Town or city | Annapolis Royal |
| Country | Canada |
| Coordinates | 44°44′48″N 65°31′06″W / 44.74675°N 65.51844°W |
| Year(s) built | 1815 - 1820 |
| Designations | |
| Website | |
| https://baileyhouse.ca | |
The Bailey House in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia, Canada is a historic house likely built between 1815 and 1820,[1] making it one of the oldest wood frame houses in Canada. It has been operating as a lodging, with interruptions, since at least 1837.[1] The building is a Georgian style and is largely unaltered since its original construction. The house is part of the Annapolis Royal Historic District.[2]
History
There are several origin stories of the Bailey House and its property. The earliest known records are from 1686, when the current property was part of a larger estate of the Seigneur of Port Royal, Alexandre Le Borgne de Belleisle and his family.[3] However, there are no known original records regarding the establishment of the original larger estate or the current house's construction.
Records show that Loyalist settler Joseph Totten obtained the property from John Easson in 1783, although the Bailey House appears not to have been built by this time.[1] There are no known records of when Easson obtained the property, although it appears to be all or part of the same property previously owned by Marie-Madeline Winniett, widow of Edward How.
In 1816, the current property was subdivided from the estate of Joseph Totten and sold to James Robertson, a justice of the peace, merchant and investor. The subdivision aligns with the federal / regency architecture of the building[1] suggesting the transaction coincides with the building of the house. The house closely follows the style of New England architect Asher Benjamin.
By 1837, Elizabeth "Marm" Bailey was living at the house. Elizabeth was the daughter-in-law of the prominent author and Loyalist, Reverend Jacob Bailey. She operated the Bailey House as an "aristocratic boarding house".[1][4] It was during this time that she served her renowned "Moose Muffle Soup", a fusion of Mi'kmaq and European cuisine.[5] After her death, her daughters continued to operate the boarding house until 1910.[1]
After 1910, the house was rented as a tenement and became dilapidated until restored by then owner, Suzanne Halliburton.[4] Ruth Eisenhauer, a local historian, acquired the house in 1962 and lived there until her death in 1997.[6] At that time, the house and contents were offered to the Nova Scotia Museum. The museum declined the offer and the house later opened as a bed and breakfast.
Notable Guests
According to local tradition, Prince Edward, the father of Queen Victoria and namesake of Prince Edward Island, attended a ball at the Bailey House in 1794[1] although later research indicates it was not the current building, but an earlier one, that was the venue of the ball.
Thomas Chandler Haliburton, a Nova Scotia politician and first international best-selling author from what is now Canada, was a regular guest at the Bailey House.[1]
Also, according to local tradition, John Campbell, the Marquis of Lorne and Governor General of Canada, visited the Bailey House during an 1880 visit to Nova Scotia[1]
See also
External links
- Bailey House Bed and Breakfast Website
- Bailey House Listing in the Canadian Register of Historic Places (Parks Canada)
- Marm Bailey’s Moose Muffle Soup Recipe (Parks Canada)
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "HistoricPlaces.ca - HistoricPlaces.ca". www.historicplaces.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
- ^ "Annapolis Royal Historic District National Historic Site of Canada". www.pc.gc.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
- ^ "Plan tres exact du terrain ou sont situee les maisons du Port Royal et ou lon peut faire une Ville considerable".
- ^ a b Perkins, Charlotte Isabella (2012). The Romance of Old Annapolis Royal. Boulder Publications. pp. 26–31. ISBN 9781927099117.
- ^ Parks Canada Agency, Government of Canada (2017-10-18). "Parks Canada Heritage Gourmet - Marm Bailey's Moose Muffle Soup - Parks Canada Heritage Gourmet Recipes". parks.canada.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
- ^ "Ruth Eisenhauer fonds - MemoryNS". memoryns.ca. Retrieved 2023-06-27.