Description of Historic Place

Built circa 1840, the Elizabeth Hawkins Residence is a wooden, two-and-a-half storey Georgian style residence with a central entry and five-bay symmetrical massing. It is located on Queen Street in the Town of St. Andrews.

Heritage Value

The Elizabeth Hawkins Residence is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture, for its association with its past occupants and for being a contributing element to the array of buildings built in St. Andrews during the second quarter of the 19th century.

The Elizabeth Hawkins Residence is recognized as a good example of the Georgian style. The style of this residence is characterized by its simple rectangular symmetrical massing. This residence is two-and-a-half storeys in height and consists of a typical five-bay front façade. Although similar to the Greek Revival style, this Georgian residence exhibits less emphasis of such Greek Revival details as broad eave returns, corner boards etc. The Elizabeth Hawkins Residence has a medium pitched lateral gable roof with minimal roof overhang.

The Elizabeth Hawkins Residence is also recognized for its association with its past owners. In 1838, this lot was mentioned in the will of Loyalist John Dunn’s widow, Elizabeth Dunn. Mrs. Dunn conveyed the lot to Mrs. Elizabeth Hawkins for being a “kind friend”. The style of construction and the knowledge that Mrs. Hawkins’ daughter resided here suggests a construction date circa 1840. Mrs. Hawkins was a widow as her husband was drowned at sea in 1815. She remained in this home until her death in 1869, at which time the home was left to her only child, Caroline Hawkins. The property remained with members of this family until 1899 when Mary Florence Stinson purchased it. Members of the Stinson family owned the home for more than a century.

Source: Charlotte County Archives, Old Gaol, Town of St. Andrews.

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Elizabeth Hawkins residence include:
- two-and-a-half storey, five-bay, symmetrical massing;
- side-gabled plan with central entry;
- placement and proportions of windows aligned horizontally and vertically in symmetrical rows;
- plain, wide window surrounds;
- wood cladding with simple corner boards;
- medium-pitched roof with small eave returns;
- upper storey windows flush with eaves.