Description of Historic Place

This combination Island Ell and Cross Gable style house is located on a one acre lot in a rural setting in Murray Harbour. The well preserved home is a one-and-one-half storey house with gable roofline, eave returns, shingle cladding with beltcourse, and many original windows with decorative caps.

Heritage Value

The house is valued for its well preserved Island Ell and Cross Gable design; for its historical association with Fred W. LeLacheur; and for its contribution to the community.

The LeLacheur family emigrated to Prince Edward Island in 1806 from Guernsey in the Channel Islands. They originally settled in Lot 38 on land owned by Lady Fanning. They were not happy there and were offered land in Lot 64 by John Cambridge. It was here that they made their home.

Frederick Wellington LeLacheur (1875-1957) was a descendant of this family. He was a carpenter and had lived for several years in the United States before returning to PEI and marrying Emily Ellicott Murley (1883-1968) in 1906.

Two years earlier, in 1904, Fred constructed the current house which was then part of a one hundred acre farm. The house was the third on the property. He and Emily lived on the second floor, while his parents, James (1839-1920) and Sophie (1843-1925) resided on the first floor.

The house was one of the first in the area to have electricity and running water from a battery powered generator. Fred even had the first telephone by wiring a connection between his house and that of his his inlaws, the Murleys, who lived across the road.

In addition to carpentry work, Fred LeLacheur once had a black and silver fox ranch on the property and was one of the shareholders of the Murray River starch factory.

Today, the home is well preserved with many of the original design elements intact. It stands as a testament to the architectural skill of one of the early residents of Murray Harbour.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/K10

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the house is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the one-and-one-half storey massing
- the gable rooflines with east gable slightly lower than the west gable
- the eave returns
- the brick chimney
- the wood shingle cladding
- the beltcourse separating the two storeys
- the original fenestration with decorative window caps
- the decorative canopy roofs over each entrance with brackets and gingerbread designs