Description of Historic Place

The John Green House consists of a one-and-a-half-storey central structure with a sandstone and stucco exterior along with a large stone wing to the rear, a carriage house and a wood shed. It is located at 2346 Harlem Rd. in the Hamlet of Harlem, one kilometre north of County Road 8. Completed in the early 1860s, it features design elements associated with the Gothic style.

The Township of Bastard and South Burgess recognizes the John Green House for its heritage value in By-law 616.

Heritage Value

The original owner, John Green emigrated with his parents from Ireland in 1820. In 1838, Green and his wife Elanor Gainford acquired 400 acres of farmland in Harlem, on which he eventually oversaw the construction of the building which still stands today. The building, constructed during the early 1860s, remained in the Green family until the 1920s.

The John Green House is testimony to early Irish settlement in Harlem and the wider Leeds County region and to the early agricultural activity which flourished in the area. According to the 1851 census, John Green had become a substantial farmer with large outputs of butter, beef, and pork. He had a large amount and diverse type of livestock.

The John Green House is a variation of the Gothic style complete with a symmetrical facade, verandah with decorative trellis work, and a medium pitched roof. Sited on a slight rise well back from the road, the property at the front is bordered by a stone fence line with two stone posts at the driveway entrance. This property typifies the early agricultural roots of the area.

Sources: Township of Bastard By-law No. 616; Diane Haskins, Heritage Buildings in Bastard and South Burgess Township: My Own Four Walls, Council of Bastard and South Burgess Township (1984).

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of the John Green House include its:
- sandstone exterior on the upper half-storey of the main section of the building
- sandstone exterior on the rear wing of the house
- stuccoed exterior on the first floor of the main building
- medium-gabled roof with projecting eaves and verges and fine mouldings on the returned eaves
- three brick chimneys, one on each end of the house and one on the rear wing
- symmetrical facade
- 10 double-hung windows, with a six-over-six pane arrangement, stone lug sills, stone voussoirs, and shutters on the main part of the building
- five double-hung windows with a six-over-six pane arrangement with stone lug sills, stone voussoirs and shutters on the rear wing of the house
- Palladian window located beneath the gable
- front doorway with a multi-light transom and side-lights contained within a moulded frame
- three-sided verandah with decorative trellis work
- stone posts, marking the entrance of the property, and a stone fence which stretches across its frontage