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Stone House

25049 Highway no. 7, Port Dufferin, Nova Scotia, B0J, Canada

Formally Recognized: 1993/01/18

Side elevation of the Stone House, Port Dufferin, Nova Scotia, 2005.; HRM Planning and Development Services, Heritage Property Program, 2005.
Side Elevation
The Stone House, Port Dufferin, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, 2000.; HRM Planning and Development Services, Heritage Property Program, 2000.
Front and Side Elevations
The Stone House, Port Dufferin, Halifax Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia, 2000.; HRM Planning and Development Services, Heritage Property Program, 2000.
Front Elevation

Other Name(s)

n/a

Links and documents

Construction Date(s)

1874/01/01 to 1874/12/31

Listed on the Canadian Register: 2007/03/16

Statement of Significance

Description of Historic Place

The Stone House is a unique one-and-a-half storey Neo-classical wooden house with Scottish dormers that appear to be built of stone. It is located on a lot overlooking Beaver Harbour in the Port Dufferin, Nova Scotia. The municipal heritage designation applies to the building and the lot it occupies.

Heritage Value

The Stone House is valued for its association with its occupants, role in the community and unique building materials.

Lydia (McLeod) Hartling purchased the land in 1874 from her father, Captain James McLeod, who had received a large land grant in the Port Dufferin area in the 1850s. Lydia's husband, Alexander Hartling, a carpenter and a shipwright, built the house later that year and lived there with his wife and children. It has remained in the Hartling family since.

From 1919 to 1953, the house also had the distinction of being the post office for Port Dufferin West and therefore a gathering place for the community, at a time when small, rural postal services were run from family homes.

Although Hartling was not able to build his home out of stone, he used materials that gave the appearance of stone in its construction, hence earning the home the moniker "the Stone House." Using planks painted grey with white lead applied between the planks, Hartling was able to mimic a stone and mortar façade. He placed wooden "quoins" at the corners, painted them a lighter shade of grey, and mixed sand with his paint to give a textured appearance to the surface. The result was a wooden dwelling that at first glance appears to be constructed of stone.

In the 1980s the original siding failed, allowing moisture to enter the walls and necessitating its removal and replacement with wooden shingles. However, the quoins at the corners were retained, maintaining some of the house's unique "stone" appearance.

Source: HRM Heritage Property File: 25049 Highway #7, Stone House

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Stone House relate to its Neo-classical architecture and imitation stone construction and include:

- symmetrical façade with centre hall plan;
- rear ell addition;
- steeply pitched gable roof with returned eaves;
- two five-sided Scottish dormers on the front elevation;
- two-over-two windows with window hoods;
- wooden shingle cladding and distinctive wooden quoins on all corners of the
structure;
- front door with entablature, transom window and sidelights;
- veranda with stairs on both ends.

Recognition

Jurisdiction

Nova Scotia

Recognition Authority

Local Governments (NS)

Recognition Statute

Heritage Property Act

Recognition Type

Municipally Registered Property

Recognition Date

1993/01/18

Historical Information

Significant Date(s)

n/a

Theme - Category and Type

Peopling the Land
Settlement

Function - Category and Type

Current

Residence
Single Dwelling

Historic

Residence
Estate

Architect / Designer

n/a

Builder

Hartling, Alexander

Additional Information

Location of Supporting Documentation

HRM Planning and Development Services, 6960 Mumford Road, Halifax, NS

Cross-Reference to Collection

Fed/Prov/Terr Identifier

23MNS0312

Status

Published

Related Places

n/a

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