Description of Historic Place

This home is located on Main Street in Montague and is influenced by the traditional Island Ell or Gable Ell style. It features long rectangular six-over-six windows, a bay window, an enclosed entrance porch, and clapboard siding. The registration includes the building and its lot.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the house lies in its original use as a manse for the Presbyterian and United church clergy in Montague; its association with L.M. Montgomery; and its architectural style and contribution to the streetscape.

The original land grant was to John and Jane Robertson on March 18, 1871. No buildings had been built on the property by 1880, according to Meacham's PEI Atlas from that year. By September 29, 1887 the Trustees of the local Presbyterian Church purchased a parcel of land to construct a new manse for their minister. The current home was completed in 1888 and has remained a residence ever since. It continued to be the Presbyterian manse until the formation of the United Church of Canada in 1925, when it became the United manse. The United Church sold the property in 1962. Later residents included the bank manager of the local branch of the Bank of Montreal.

An interesting episode in the history of the house occurred on July 9, 1927 - when Lucy Maud Montgomery visited the house and stayed overnight. She was visiting the Rev. John Sterling and his wife, Margaret, who was a friend of hers. She confided to her diary that the visit made her nervous, since Maud and her husband, Rev. Ewan Macdonald, had been opponents of church union in Canada - and here she would be staying at the United manse!

The Gable Ell style of the home is very well preserved. It reflects the skill and refined taste of many of the homes built in Montague during the late Victorian period. This example has clapboard siding, a decorative paneled bay window, and a round arch attic window in the peaks of the gables. An unusual aspect of this house is the use of three windows in the second storey on the gable end of the house instead of the usual two.

With its many historical associations, the home remains an important feature of the Main Street streetscape.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/M33

Character-Defining Elements

The following character-defining elements illustrate the heritage value of the house:

- the sandstone foundation and wood frame construction
- the one-and-one-half storey massing
- the Island Ell or Gable Ell style with gable roofs
- the brick chimney
- the original arrangement of the six-over-six windows with original glass
- the bay window with decorative panels
- the round arch window in the peak of the gables
- the enclosed front porch with large paned windows
- the Island cedar clapboard cladding on the sides and front of the house
- the contribution of the home to the streetscape