Description of Historic Place

The Caddy Norris House is a one-and-a-half storey, wooden, side-gabled vernacular home built in the mid-1800's. It is located on Queen Street in the Town of St. Andrews.

Heritage Value

The Caddy Norris House is designated for being the home of a local St. Andrews legend.

John Cadman Norris, affectionately known as Caddy, was born in St. Andrews in 1890. He was a teamster, an excellent horseman and, for many years, the only Black Canadian man living in St. Andrews. He spent many years alone in this home after the death of his blind sister, for whom he cared for many years.

Caddy Norris died tragically in 1948, yet is still a household name in the town of St. Andrews. At his passing, flags throughout the district were at half mast and his funeral was one of the largest ever seen in the town. Crowds of people unable to find room in the church stood outside and not one person at his funeral was a relative; it was said that the whole community was his family and he was looked upon as a landmark. Flowers were sent from Toronto, Boston, New York, Montreal and from the Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick. An 8 x 4 flower arrangement was woven together by 85 school children. The children looked upon him as the grandest person who ever lived and his passing was known locally as the children’s day of mourning. His memory is still fresh in St. Andrews because those children, who are now adults, have pride and gratitude for knowing him. He drove a team of horses and never failed to pick up children and let them ride with him. It is stated that he never had less than 3 or 4 children riding with him. A plaque in his honour is proudly displayed at the All Saints Anglican Church in St. Andrews. The history of Black Canadians in St. Andrews dates back to the formation of the town in 1783, but little documentation exists on their residency, making the grand social impact of the passing of Mr. Norris that much more significant.

The architecture of the home is simple and is a common mid-19th century working class vernacular home. The simple symmetrical lay-out consists of a central entranceway with a single window in the outer bays.

Source: Charlotte County Archives – Old Gaol, St. Andrews, New Brunswick – St. Andrews Historic Places File, “Caddy Norris House”

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements of the Caddy Norris House include:
- one-and-a-half storey symmetrical side-gabled plan;
- central entranceway;
- window placement and proportions;
- 6/6 vertical sliding wood windows.