Description of Historic Place

The Dr. Rufino de Olloqui House is a two storey wood framed house with a Lunenburg style "bump" entry, situated on a waterfront lot on the south side of the Richibucto River in the Village of Rexton.

Heritage Value

The historic value of this property lies in its association with Dr. Rufino Augustin de Olloqui, his practise, and his relationship to the Kenney family of doctors who have served the residents of Rexton for many years. Dr. de Olloqui had eight children and one of them, Alfonso, had a daughter named Juanita. Juanita married Dr. Francis William Kenney (whose father was Dr. William Francis Kenney) and they had a son named Dr. Mark Kenney. Dr. William Kenney practised medicine from 1925 to 1953 in Rexton, Dr. Francis Kenney followed in his fathers foot steps as community doctor from 1941 to 1999 and Dr. Mark Kenney is a doctor today in the Village of Rexton.

The property is also designated because of his involvement as a volunteer with the American Civil War. Dr. Rufino de Olloqui was born in Bilbao, Spain in 1836 where he left as a young man to first study pharmacology in Cuba and then medicine at Harvard University. Directly after completing and receiving his medical diploma from that university, he joined the 61st Massachusetts Regimen and served as surgeon until the end of the Civil War. It was during this period that he married Miss Jane Sutherland of Pictou, NS who was studying in Boston in the nursing profession at the time. She may have been the contributing influence to the design of the house. After the war, he and his wife joined her family in residing in the area and because of the urgent need for doctors in the area, Dr. de Olloqui set up a practice in medicine in the area and served the residents until 1895.

Source: Village of Rexton Local Historic Places File #2004-14.

Character-Defining Elements

The exterior character defining elements of the Dr. de Olloqui House include:
- a multi paned glass floor to ceiling entrance protruding on the street side of the house;
- original six over six windows throughout house;
- large veranda on the north side of the house facing the river;
- clapboard siding with traditional painted trim.

The interior character defining elements of the Dr. deOlloqui House include:
- a large newel with characteristics to indicate is was once an exterior veranda post;
- large centre hall with stairs placed in the centre of the room.
- nineteenth century architectural features throughout the house including plank doors, horse hair plaster and lath wall finish, wood trim and door hardware.