Description of Historic Place

Known to local residents as “Porter House”, this front-gabled home at 156 Nerepis Road sits on a narrow lot bordered by the Nerepis Road to the west and railroad tracks to the east. The lot features mature hydrangea and quince trees.

Heritage Value

Porter House is designated a local historic place as an example of an ingenious use of the Saint John River as a means of transporting goods. Originally inhabited by members of the Porter family in Gagetown, a community about 70 kilometers “upriver,” the home was floated down the Saint John River by the family to its current site some time prior to 1911. Members of the Porter family continued to reside there for several decades. Since that time, the home has been modified.

The structure is also associated with the history of telecommunications in the province. The main level of the home housed the New Brunswick Telephone Exchange for the area beginning in 1919, under the management of Myrtle (Porter) Rathburn. The home is regarded fondly by many local residents for its association with Mrs. Rathburn, who was well known in the community. With the introduction of rotary dial telephones in the 1950s, the telephone exchange was no longer needed and the main level of the house was converted back to living space.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements associated with transportation on the Saint John River include:
- proximity of the house to the Saint John River;
- location of the house along the Nerepis Road, where it was placed after being floated down the Saint John River from the community of Gagetown.

Character defining elements associated with the history of telecommunications in the province:
- use of the main floor of the building as the New Brunswick Telephone Exchange;
- use as the home Myrtle (Porter) Rathburn, long time Manager of the New Brunswick Telephone Exchange in the Westfield area.

Character defining elements of the interior of the house associated with the history of telecommunications in the province:
- a New Brunswick Telephone Exchange sign, formerly used to mark the building as the location of the Exchange.