Description of Historic Place

The Swope House, located at 52 Hill Street, is situated on the south side of Hill Street, east of Jigs Hollow Road and west of Covered Bridge Drive in the Village of West Montrose, within the Township of Woolwich. The property, which overlooks the Grand River, consists of a one-storey farmhouse that was constructed in circa 1858.

The property was designated by the Township of Woolwich in 1986 for its architectural value or interest under Part IV of the Ontario Heritage Act (By-law 88-86).

Heritage Value

The Swope House is situated on the southwest side of a grassy hill, overlooking the Grand River and the picturesque Village of West Montrose. Its walk-out basement looks out onto Covered Bridge Drive. The house contributes significantly to the rural feel of the landscape and is reflective of an earlier period in the Village's history.

The Swope House is a fine example of a Waterloo County Georgian farmhouse. It was erected circa 1858 by Isaac Swope (Schwabe), a settler from Lancaster City, Pennsylvania but quickly passed to the ownership of Jacob S. Snider, another settler, whose family would own the property for over 75 years. The house is one-storey in height, but as it is built into a hill it features a walk-out basement that looks out onto Covered Bridge Drive to the east and the Grand River to the southeast.

The house is constructed of fieldstone and the east elevation is covered in cream coloured stucco. Characteristic of the Georgian style, the house exhibits symmetry, large 6 over 6 windows and a two-storey verandah on the east elevation. The verandah on the east elevation features turned posts, a soffit board, cornice and stucco ceiling. Of note on the front facade of the house are the central door, topped with an original wood lintel, dormer windows which punctuate the roofline and the decorative bargeboard on the windows. On the east elevation the two-panel door on the second-storey of the verandah has original sidelights, transom and surrounds.

Sources: Township of Woolwich, By-law 88-86; Township of Woolwich L.A.C.A.C, The Albright (Swope) House, 1986; Township of Woolwich L.A.C.A.C, Recommendation to Council, 1986.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that contribute to the heritage value of the Swope House include its:
- fieldstone construction
- dormer windows which punctuate the roof
- central door with original wooden lintel
- eave and cornice returns
- decorative bargeboard on windows
- two-storey verandah with turned posts on the east elevation
- soffit board, cornice and ceiling on the verandah on the east elevation
- two-panel door on second-storey of the east elevation, which features original sidelights, transom lights and surrounds
- 6 over 6 windows many with original moulding
- two off-set brick chimneys on the north and south elevations