Bailey House (Annapolis Royal)
| Bailey House | |
|---|---|
 | |
  Location within Nova Scotia | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Georgian |
| 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 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
[edit]There are several origin stories of the Bailey House and its property. However, due to the capture of the town by the British in 1710, expulsion of the local Acadian population in 1755 and the mass changes resulting from the arrival of Loyalists to the town in 1783, there are no known original records regarding the establishment of the property or the house's construction. Records show that Loyalist settler Joseph Totten obtained the property in 1783, although the Bailey House appears not to have been built by this time.[1]
In 1816, the property was obtained by James Robertson, a justice of the peace, merchant and investor. This property transfer aligns with the federal / regency architecture of the building[1] suggesting the purchase of the land coincides with the building of the house.
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][3] It was during this time that she served her renowned "Moose Muffle Soup", a fusion of Mi'kmaq and European cuisine.[4] 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.[3] Ruth Eisenhauer, a local historian, acquired the house in 1962 and lived there until her death in 1997.[5] 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
[edit]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
[edit]External links
[edit]- 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
[edit]- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.