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OBADIAH PLACE

Amber Valley, Alberta, T0A, Canada

Reconnu formellement en: 1999/02/25

Obadiah Place Provincial Historic Resource, Amber Valley (May 2003); Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch, 2003
View looking northeast
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Autre nom(s)

OBADIAH PLACE
Bowen Residence

Liens et documents

Date(s) de construction

1938/01/01

Inscrit au répertoire canadien: 2006/09/14

Énoncé d'importance

Description du lieu patrimonial

Obadiah Place is a vernacular wood one and one-half storey "square house" with four farm outbuildings (and a phone booth) located in a rural setting on a 1.21 hectare parcel of land on the Obadiah Bowen farm in the Amber Valley district of the County of Athabasca.

Valeur patrimoniale

The historical significance of Obadiah Place lies in its association with the Afro-American settlement of the Amber Valley area of the County of Athabasca in north-eastern Alberta, and two of the community's leading citizens, Willis Reese Bowen and his son Obadiah Bowen.

In 1911, a group of black Americans emigrated from Oklahoma and filed for homestead on lands north of Edmonton and east of Athabasca Landing. Obadiah Place is located on one such homestead, settled by Willis Reese Bowen in 1913. Bowen's original log cabin served as a central part of the community, housed as the first post office and was the site of the community's first telephone. The log cabin was replaced in 1938 when Obadiah Bowen, his son, built the current house. Obadiah was very active in the community, and served as pastor at an interdenominational church built in 1953 on land he donated about a half mile from the house.

The dwelling is a one and one-half storey square prairie vernacular wood frame building that retains most of its original architectural features. The farmhouse, yard and outbuildings, represent the experience of homesteading in an isolated area as well as vernacular basic wood frame construction that is becoming increasingly rare in rural Alberta. Though not the original homestead dwelling, this house is the oldest structure in the community. Owing to its size, it was frequently used for social gatherings.

Source: Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch (File: Des. 2005)

Éléments caractéristiques

The character-defining elements of the Obadiah Place include:
- farmhouse with restored horizontal cedar siding and 1959 addition to rear elevation;
- medium hip roof with four hipped wall dormers;
- restored cedar shingle roof;
- balloon frame system on stone rubble surface footing;
- brick chimney on a bracket in centre of building;
- original floor plan: central hall, stair case, kitchen, dining space, parlour and bedroom (main); bedrooms and bathroom off a square hall (second floor);
- fir tongue and groove floor laid over with linoleum floors;
- fenestration and door pattern;
- ancillary outbuildings: barn, chicken coop, smoke house, outhouse;
- phone booth;
- continued location on its original site.

Reconnaissance

Juridiction

Alberta

Autorité de reconnaissance

Province de l'Alberta

Loi habilitante

Historical Resources Act

Type de reconnaissance

Ressource historique provinciale

Date de reconnaissance

1999/02/25

Données sur l'histoire

Date(s) importantes

s/o

Thème - catégorie et type

Un territoire à peupler
Les établissements

Catégorie de fonction / Type de fonction

Actuelle

Historique

Approvisionnements en vivres
Ferme ou ranch

Architecte / Concepteur

s/o

Constructeur

Howard Hamilton

Informations supplémentaires

Emplacement de la documentation

Alberta Culture and Community Spirit, Historic Resources Management Branch, Old St. Stephen's College, 8820 - 112 Street, Edmonton, AB T6G 2P8 (File: Des. 2005)

Réfère à une collection

Identificateur féd./prov./terr.

4665-0530

Statut

Édité

Inscriptions associées

s/o

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