Description of Historic Place

The Peachey House is a Municipal Heritage property located in the Village of Briercrest. The property features a rectangular, wood-frame cottage with gable roof, built in approximately 1917.

Heritage Value

The heritage value of the Peachey House resides in its association with the Jaques family, who owned and occupied the house from at least 1922 until 1928. The Jaques were a well-known pioneer family in the area, with Captain and Mrs. Charles Jaques establishing the first post office in the area in 1903. Mrs. Charles Jaques had coined the name ‘Briercrest’ for the post office, with the name taken for the town in 1912. Bruce Jaques purchased the house from its builder, Alex Boan, and moved the house from Boan’s homestead in the Roseville district to Jaques farm, located about four kilometres northwest of Briercrest. Bruce’s sister Edna, a prairie poet of national significance and renown and a petitioner to incorporate the village, was a frequent visitor to the property. It was also the birthplace of John Jaques, the last Jaques family member to reside in the village.

The Peachey House is also valued for its association with preserving and interpreting the history of the community. Relocated to the Village of Briercrest in 1928, the house has been recently adapted for use as a museum to store and display artifacts related to Edna Jaques and other community residents.

Source:

Village of Briercrest Bylaw No. 32, 2008.

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Peachey House resides in the following character-defining elements:
-those elements of the house related to its association with the Jaques family, such as the form of the house;
-those elements related to the preservation and interpretation of community history, including the location of the building within the village and the use of the interior space to store and display artifacts.