Description of Historic Place

The Merry House, Maitland Bridge, Nova Scotia, was built c. 1859 in the vernacular style. The property is a one-and-one-half storey wooden residence set well back from the road on a small rise on the west side of the highway that runs north-south through Maitland Bridge, N.S. The designation includes the building and surrounding property.

Heritage Value

The Merry House is valued as an exceptional example of the Nova Scotia vernacular style home.

This house has significant historical association with the community. Since 1871, the property was the home of William Dukeshire, postmaster for Maitland Bridge, Nova Scotia, for forty-eight years and was the likely site of the Maitland Bridge Post Office during his tenure. In the mid-nineteenth century the house was a stopover point on the stagecoach/mail route.

As an example of the vernacular tradition in Maitland Bridge, N.S., the one-and-one-half storey wooden structure, with a medium-pitched end-gable roof, marks the earliest chapter in the community’s built heritage. Although some assessments indicate a construction date of between 1859 and 1871, building proportions, the symmetrical five-bay façade with a central chimney, fascia and trim treatment indicate a construction date of c. 1820 to 1830. Interior construction details also support an earlier construction date. The main part of the house features a split lathe and plaster construction technique that is consistent with the c. 1800 to 1830 period. Exterior features include a projecting porch with a triangular pediment and six-over-six windows. An addition at the rear of the building is built in the same style as the original front portion and has a pedimented dormer. The addition features eaves boards, bargeboards and cornerboards of the simplest design.

The property has been owned by the Merry family from 1951 until 2009, originally operating as a working family farm.

The heritage value of the property lies in the significant role it played in the development of Maitland Bridge and is a testament to the builder’s craftsmanship.

Source: Heritage Property File no. OIBNS01432, Municipality of the County of Annapolis, 752 St. George Street, Annapolis Royal, N.S., B0S 1A0

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements of the Merry House are associated with its vernacular style and include:

-medium-pitched end-gable roof;
-small central chimney;
-three-bay symmetrical façade;
-six-over-six windows;
-projecting porch with a triangular pediment;
-split lathe and plaster interior construction;
-pedimented dormer on rear house addition;
-setting well back from the road on a small rise.