Description of Historic Place

The Samuel Gard House is a two-storey Centre Gable style home with a symmetrical facade and verandah the full length of the facade. There are decorative gingerbread elements in the peak of the gable and on the verandah. The property has a panoramic view of the Mill River. The registration includes the building and its lot.

Heritage Value

The house is valued for its well preserved Centre Gable style; for its association with the Gard family; and for its contribution to the community of Mill River East.

The residence was built in the 1840s in the centre of a farm property on a gentle rise of land overlooking the Mill River by Samuel Gard (1828-1873). He was a carpenter. His father, Peter Gard (1797-1883) was a shipbuilder who had been born near Cornwall, England.

Samuel's son, George Gard (1857-1946) became a cabinet maker and worked for many years on homes in New York state. When he returned to Alberton, he began a sawmill in 1895. It prepared lumber for many local projects including the first Alberton High School and St. Peter's Anglican Church. The mill was destroyed in a fire in 1925.

Today, the well maintained home is occupied by the seventh generation of the Gard family and the surrounding farm is still in production. The property was named a PEI Century Farm in 1964 and continues to contribute to its community.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8
File #: 4310-20/A7

Character-Defining Elements

Character-defining elements which reflect the Centre Gable style of the home include:

- the two-storey massing and symmetrical facade
- the wood shingle cladding
- the dominant centre gable with gingerbread decoration in the peak
- the gable roofline
- the brick chimney
- the fenestration of the windows and doors
- the hood moulding above the window in the centre gable
- the verandah with gingerbread decoration