Description of Historic Place

This two-storey Georgian influenced house has a symmetrical facade and hipped roof with a centred shed roof dormer. A pair of brick chimneys add a sense of balance to the overall design. The home is located on a thickly wooded lot on the north side of Kildare Road adjacent to Westlake Creek which flows into Cascumpec Bay.

Heritage Value

The home is valued for its Georgian influenced style and for its historical association with the family of John Denyer Woodman.

John Denyer Woodman (1822-1890) and his wife, Catherine Buckerfield Woodman (1826-1881) constructed this house around 1860. They had emigrated from England in 1859, going first to New Brunswick before coming to PEI and settling at "The Point" which is now known as Northport, near Alberton. They would raise a family of five children: Catherine, Charles, Tom, George, and Ada.

Woodman became the land agent for Cunard who owned the land in the area and Woodman collected rents and land taxes on his behalf. He also was responsible for collecting harbour dues from American ships which came into Northport. Woodman also was the first to be appointed clerk of the county court in Alberton.

The Woodmans called their house, "The Oaks". It was originally a two-storey house with a flat roof. Meacham's 1880 Atlas of PEI shows an engraving of the property and the surrounding farm, complete with a view of a man walking behind a plow drawn by two horses. At some point, the roof of the house was damaged in a wind storm and replaced by the current hipped roof.

In 1890, Charles Woodman (1858-1917), John's oldest son, took ownership of the house. He was a general merchant in Alberton and was one of the first councillors when Alberton became incorporated in 1913. His wife, Susan, was a noted diarist who described life in the local area in the late 19th century.

William Leavitt owned the house in 1917 and subsequent owners included Arthur Matthews and Eric Corbett. Andras Halupa lived here from 1967 to 1972 and Dr. David Crocker from 1972 to 1984. The current owners purchased it in 1984.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/A36

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the house is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the original sandstone foundation
- the wood-frame construction
- the two-storey massing
- the symmetrical façade with hipped roof
- the pair of brick chimneys
- the shed roofed dormer
- the variety of two-over-two windows
- the hipped roof porch with central entrance
- the attached garage extension