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James Lawson House

146 Route 776, Grand Manan, New Brunswick, Canada

Formally Recognized: 2010/01/11

View of the James Lawson House from Route 776.  The house faces south.   ; Grand Manan Historical Society
James Lawson House, winter 2010
James Lawson at work on his cobbler bench; Grand Manan Archives photo collection - P40
James Lawson House - James Lawson
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Other Name(s)

Old Orchard Lodge
James Lawson House
Old Orchard Lodge

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1872/01/01

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2010/03/30

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The James Lawson House is located on the north eastern side of Route 776. It is a tall, two-storey Georgian style residence with a shallow hipped roof. There are trees overshadowing the front and sides of the house. In the summer, there are perennial flowers that bloom at different times.

Heritage Value

The James Lawson House on Grand Manan is designated a Local Historic Place for being the home of James Lawson. James Lawson survived the wreck of the Lord Ashburton off of North Head in the dead of winter January 19, 1857. He climbed the cliffs and found a lighthouse in the extreme cold of the night. He was able to relay the location of the other survivors and thus saved their lives. Due to extreme frost bite during his trek, he lost his feet. Ironically, once he was healed, he learned the job of cobbler and returned to Grand Manan to set up shop out of this home, which was built in 1872 possibly as a single-storey home. There is a large exhibit at the Grand Manan Museum with his cobbler bench and many of the tools he used. In later years, circa the 1950’s, the house operated as the Old Orchard Lodge, a bed and breakfast facility. It was named this as the back yard overlooked an old orchard. Anna Zwicker was the operator.

Source: Grand Manan Archives – Local Historic Places files

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the James Lawson House include:
- rectangular two-storey massing with an ell;
- shallow hipped roof;
- cedar shingles on the lower storey;
- regular placement of sashed single and triple windows.

The character-defining elements relating to the interior include:
- original Douglas fir ceilings;
- cupboards with glass doors on the top level and solid wood doors on the bottom level;
- original wood wainscoting and plaster with wall paper coverings on the upper half of the walls;
- intact pantry ;
- Douglas fir woodwork throughout.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

New Brunswick

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NB)

Recognition Statute

Local Historic Places Program

Recognition Type

Municipal Register of Local Historic Places

Recognition Date

2010/01/11

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Developing Economies
Trade and Commerce
Peopling the Land
Settlement

Function - Category and Type

Current

Historic

Industry
Textile or Leather Manufacturing Facility
Residence
Single Dwelling

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

James Lawson

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

Grand Manan Archives, 1141 Route 776, Grand Manan, NB

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

2029

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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