Description of Historic Place

The Furry Tavern is a two-storey frame building with a gable roof, originally, built as a residence. Located in the former Moulton Township, in the current village of Lowbanks, Ontario, it is a reminder of the area's earliest settlement.

Haldimand County designated it for its heritage value under By-law 548/04.

Heritage Value

Lawrence Furry and his family were some of the first settlers along the lakeshore of Moulton Township. The Furry Tavern was built, in 1821, of sawn lumber, at a time when most buildings in Haldimand County were made of hand-hewn log. The size and architectural conventions employed in constructing the Furry Tavern reflect the wealth and history of the financially secure citizens of colonial Pennsylvania. Lawrence Furry's descendents still live in the region.

Although the Furry Taverns dates from 1821, it is remarkably well preserved. It is a two-storey structure built of sawn lumber and notable because local saw mills were not yet operational. The building still displays some of the decorative stencilling on the original walls, and remarkably, a plank in the attic still remains, bearing the date of construction. Exterior windows are trowelled glass. The first floor windows have sashes of 12 over 8 and the second floor windows have sashes of 8 over 8. Interior flooring is pine throughout. Many of the interior doors have original transition latches and hardware.

Source: Designation By-law 548/04.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of the Furry Tavern include its:
- dated roof plank (1821) located in the attic
- remarkably well preserved structure
- sawn lumber material notably sawn before local saw mills were operational
- original pine flooring throughout
- beaded board walls in the hallway above the first flight of stairs
- its original doors and hardware