Description of Historic Place

William Fawcett House is located on Pondshore Road in Upper Sackville. Built between 1795 and 1808, it is a two-story cottage in a Maritime vernacular style of architecture showing derivations of the Neo-classical style.

Heritage Value

The William Fawcett House is designated a Local Historic Place because it is a good example of a Maritime vernacular house in the Neo-classical style of architecture, brought from the New England States. The house was not on the main road until 1908 when a new road was built starting from a turn in the old road near the intersection by this house and running by the lake, thus uniting Upper and Middle Sackville.

The William Fawcett House was also designated for its association with the Fawcett family. William Fawcett II, son of original settlers William and Ann Matson Fawcett was born in Hovingham, England. They emigrated to Upper Sackville in 1774 along with about 1000 people from Yorkshire. William Fawcett II built a house on land his father had given him that was about half-mile from Four Corners. In his will dated April 1814, William Fawcett I left his son William II his farm, whereon he lived, extending from the Highway to the road leading through Tantramarre containing forty two acres. In 1816, William Fawcett II took in an orphan, James George, whose parents had drowned. Fawcett seemed to prefer him to his son Rufus. After James George wed William’s daughter Betsy they had a baby and her father made it known that they were to get a share of the farm. Rufus Fawcett, the brother, was very jealous and was thought to have shot his father through the window of the house. As a result of the murder of William Fawcett II, the house became the James George House and the descendants of the George family still own it today, two hundred years later.

Source: Town of Sackville, Historic Place File Cabinet, William Fawcett House File

Character-Defining Elements

The character-defining elements that define the William Fawcett House include:
- same house pattern features found in New England States;
- the front showing a prominent feature or addition often called the cross plan, with front wing only;
- wooden clapboard siding featuring different shingle patterns including the fish scale pattern, very prominent on front wing;
- vertical sliding sash windows.