Description of Historic Place

The Captain Snow House built c. 1895, is a one-and-a-half storey wooden building set back from the road at the north side of the road which runs east-west through Port Wade, Nova Scotia. Both the building and the property are included in the municipal heritage designation.

Heritage Value

The Captain Snow House, built c. 1895 in Port Wade, N.S., is valued as an impressive example of the modified Gothic Revival style with Italianate and Queen Anne Revival influences .

Oral history accounts that chronicle the life of John W. Snow of Digby, N.S., indicate that the Captain Snow House was constructed under his direction, “along the lines of his Digby house”. This house was built in front of an older home to which it was attached; parts of the older home were then used as a summer kitchen and wood-house. Captain Snow, a local sea captain, captained, owned or had shares in over thirty vessels and maintained a wharf on the Annapolis River, N.S. Among Captain Snow’s varied commercial enterprises was the Snow Store, a ship’s chandler store situated across the road from his home.

The Captain Snow House is a one-and-a-half storey wood-frame construction with a steep-pitched gable roof. From the two-storey Italianate push-out on the façade down to the large, open verandah supported by decorative posts and spindle-work balustrade, the front elevation of this building conveys a stately appearance. Decorated shingle work in the upper courses accentuates the structure’s façade and ell. The Italianate push-out has an inset window in the cap adding further dimension to its distinguished architectural style.

Most of the windows, two-over-two large glass pane wood-frame windows are hooded with the exception of one window below the eave, on the west side of the house. The back portion of the house, the older house, is relatively unadorned. Another significant architectural feature of the Captain Snow House detailing the mixing of styles is seen in the Queen Anne Revival style of a tower pediment on the ell. This styling is repeated in the pediment on the west side of the building.

The Captain Snow House is a valued cultural icon representative of the region’s bygone fishing and shipping industry. The blending of diverse architectural styles in the concordant fashion evidenced by the structure reflects the dynamic imagination of both entrepreneur Captain Snow and the builder-craftsmen who executed his plans. The well-preserved state of the building is evidenced by a timely commitment to heritage preservation.

Source: Heritage Property File no. OIBNS00065, Municipality of the County of Annapolis, 752 St. George Street, Annapolis Royal, N. S., B0S 1A0

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of Captain Snow House that are associated with its modified Gothic Revival style with Italianate and Queen Anne Revival influences include:

-one-and-a-half storey wood-frame construction with a steep-pitched gable roof;
-two-storey Italianate push-out on the façade with an inset window in the cap;
-Queen Anne Revival tower pediment on the ell;
-decorated shingle work in the upper courses;
-open verandah with decorative posts and spindle-work balustrade;
-two-over-two hooded wood-frame windows.