Description of Historic Place

Craig House is a large one and one half storey Maritime vernacular composite structure. The house, clad in wood shingles with a wood shingled roof, is picturesquely nestled in the rural countryside of Middleton, Prince Edward Island.

Heritage Value

Craig House is valued as a remarkable example of rural vernacular architecture with many intact original features, and for its long association with the Craig family of Middleton, early settlers in the community.

The large, rambling, excellently maintained home has always remained in the Craig family. William Craig (ca 1750 - ca 1813) and his wife Kennedy Copeland of Scotland travelled to PEI with the Island's first Governor, William Patterson and tutored Patterson's children. Craig served three terms in Patterson's government beginning in 1773, one of eighteen representatives, and later taught at the Princetown Point / Malpeque area school. Craig's descendants settled in Middleton.

The core section of the Craig House dates from 1830 and is thought to be the Crawford House relocated from an adjacent farm property moved to this site and enlarged in 1868. The back wing of the structure was added in 1888, possibly built by carpenter Robert Craig, for John Craig. John Craig (1842-1925) married Jane S. Wright of nearby Bedeque and raised their family here. Craig farmed the land as did his son Colin C. Craig (1872-1936) and his wife Mary Louise Wright who inherited the property. The home then passed to Colin's son John "Walter" Craig. Walter's son William Craig later owned the property and eventually it passed to William's cousin, Arthur Craig, brother of the current owner.

In 2005, the owners were presented with a PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation heritage activity award in recognition of their preservation of this historic home.

Craig House, a fine example of rural architectural craftsmanship, continues to be an important contribution to the landscape of rural Prince Edward Island.

Source: Heritage Places files, Department of Economic Growth, Tourism and Culture, Charlottetown, PEI File # : 4320-20/C7

Character-Defining Elements

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

- the scale and massing of the composite house
- the pitch and slope of the various roof lines, clad with wood shingles
- the wood shingle cladding
- the size and placement of the sash windows, many original and some with original 6 panes
- the window hood mouldings
- the front verandah
- the box bay window on the west elevation with scalloped-edged wood shingles on the bay window roof
- the centre gables on the east and west elevations

Further contributing heritage character-defining element:

- its location within a rural landscape