Description of Historic Place

The Dr. Smith House, dating from 1832, is a classic vernacular two-storey residence located on Principale Street in Tracadie-Sheila. It currently serves as a residence and a daycare.

Heritage Value

The Dr. Smith House is designated a Local Historic Place for its association with the physician who owned it and for being the oldest existing building in the Tracadie region of Tracadie-Sheila.

The Dr. Smith House is recognized for its association with Dr. Alfred Corbett Smith. Dr. Smith was the first physician to reside in Tracadie and the only physician in a 50-mile radius. In 1865, he was appointed medical superintendent of the lazaretto, a position he held until his death in 1909. Although there existed a certain social distance between the primarily French Catholic residents of Tracadie and Dr. Smith, being English and Protestant, this did not prevent him from leaving behind a reputation as being a kind and generous man and a capable doctor. He is buried in the Protestant Cemetery in Tracadie-Sheila.

The Dr. Smith House is also recognized for being the oldest existing building in the Tracadie region of Tracadie-Sheila. Dr. Smith used the building, constructed in ca. 1832, as an office. The second storey was added 20 years later. He added the residential portion to the building in 1892, creating the current single building. In 1945, the Dr. Smith House was moved from its original location to its current one.

Source : Town of Tracadie-Sheila, Historic Places File #21

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that describe the location of the Dr. Smith House include:
- location near the former lazaretto and the old hospital.

The character-defining elements that describe the classic vernacular architecture of the Dr. Smith House include:
- rectangular two-storey massing;
- small oriel window;
- exterior walls built with 4'' X 4'' beams;
- irregularly sized wooden sash windows;
- double entrance doors;
- portico with a gable roof;
- gable roof;
- shed roof dormers;
- brick chimney.

The character-defining elements that describe the interior of the Dr. Smith House include:
- cellar made of cement and small rocks;
- maple staircase with sugar maple posts;
- wood floors on the second storey.