Description of Historic Place

Sackville Harness Shop is located on the Old Post Road in Lower Sackville. This two-storey wood frame small-town shop was built circa 1846 and it is one of the first commercial buildings in the area. It is an expression of the Gothic Revival architecture.

Heritage Value

Sackville Harness Shop is designated a Local Historic Place because it is an expression of the Gothic Revival architectural style of this early commercial building and the significance of the building as the home of the Harness Shop, one of the only producers of handmade horse collars in Canada.

The history of the Black enterprises in the Sackville area began when Samuel Freeze Black came to Middle Sackville in 1839 and established a store along the Post Road. In 1846, he relocated on Main Street where he purchased a property. He built a store and a “mansion”, both still standing today in Lower Sackville. At this new location in addition to selling dry goods, boots and shoes and groceries Black handled horses, cattle, sleighs and farming utensils. He sold the business in 1877 to the firm of Bowser and Dickson. Sackville Harness Limited was established in 1919. Since its incorporation in 1920, the company has long been famous for a complete range of harness and handmade straw collars for draught horses in Canada and United States. The company changed hands a number of times and in 1995 it was purchased by Bill Long, a previous long-time employee. The Historic Sites Committee, on behalf of the Town of Sackville, placed a heritage plaque on the building in 2003.

Source: Town of Sackville, Historic Places Filing Cabinet, "Sackville Harness Shop" folder.

Character-Defining Elements

Character defining elements of the Sackville Harness Shop that relate to its architectural style and which can be associated with the time period in which Samuel Freeze Black used the structure include:
- steeply pitched front gabled roof;
- prominent painted decorative cornice;
- large store-front windows either side of main door on front of building;
- good use of window signs;
- painted wall sign on downtown side of building;
- prominent painted corner boards;
- front entrance of building flush with street front;
- shingle siding.