Official homepage for the Town of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

STREET ADDRESS: 17 Forest Street

CITY/TOWN/VILLAGE: Yarmouth

MUNICIPALITY: Yarmouth

COUNTY: Yarmouth

YEAR BUILT: 1855

ARCHITECTURAL COMMENT:

1½ storey Gothic Revival style has a steeply pitched gable roof with a gabled wall dormer breaking the eaves over the front entrance; 2 prominent inset chimneys at ridge. The 3 bay facade is asymmetrical and has a slightly off- entrance with side- and transom-lights. Windows have double hung sashes; first storey windows have 12/8 glazing; smaller second storey window have 6/6 glazing; there is a 1 storey 5-sided bay window on the west side and round windows with quatrefoil glazing in peaks of gables. Wood construction, clad with clapboard; trim is narrow corner-boards and dog-eared labels over windows and doors.

HISTORICAL COMMENT:

Built in 1855 for Rev. John T.T. Moody and his wife, Sarah Bond (Farish), whose father, Dr. Henry Greggs Farish, had given her the lot of land as an advance on his estate. Rev. Moody was Rector of Holy Trinity Farish from 1846 until his death in 1883. The house stayed in the Farish family until 1977.

CONTEXTUAL COMMENT:

South side of Forest Street. Moved from south corner of Main and Cumberland Streets in 1962. A photo of the house at its original location shows only one window in the first storey of the present east gable end; a second window was added at some time. Well maintained and attractively landscaped.

PRESENT OWNER: James E./G.B. Lorraine Colbeck

ADDRESS: 17 Forest Street Yarmouth Nova Scotia B5A 3L1

ORIGINAL OWNER: Sarah Bond(Farish)Moody

OCCUPATION: Married woman

BUILDER: Unknown

ORIGINAL USE: Single family dwelling

PRESENT USE: Single family dwelling

STREET ADDRESS: 44 Huntington Street

CITY/TOWN/VILLAGE: Yarmouth

MUNICIPALITY: Yarmouth

COUNTY: Yarmouth

YEAR BUILT: circa 1866

ARCHITECTURAL COMMENT:

1½ storey Gothic Revival style in "L" plan has a lower 1½ storey off-center ell on west side and a 1 storey addition on back; there are 1 storey enclosed entry porches on front gable end and at junction of ell and main house. The medium pitched gable roof has a central chimney; gabled ell roof has a off-center cross gable and an off-center chimney. The 6 bay asymmetrical facade has an off-center entrance with 5 light sidelights in enclosed porch. Most windows have double hung sashes and 2/2 glazing; there is a 1 storey cutaway bay window next to front entry porch; several windows have plain gabled crowns. Wood construction, clapboard clad; west side has vinyl siding.

HISTORICAL COMMENT:

Built around 1866 for, and probably by, Jacob Sweeny, a house builder at the time. Later, he became a furniture dealer and then an undertaker. The present-day Sweeny's Funeral Home was founded in 1860 by Jacob Sweeny and until three years ago was still owned and operated by members of his family.

CONTEXTUAL COMMENT:

North side of street, second house east of Brunswick Street. The previous owner had vinyl siding applied to entire house. The present (2000) owner has had most of it removed and plans to have the remainder removed.

PRESENT OWNER:Paul & Debra Gavey-Surette

ADDRESS:44 Huntington Street, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia

YEAR BUILT: circa 1866 Estimated

ORIGINAL OWNER:Jacob Sweeny

OCCUPATION: House builder

BUILDER:Jacob Sweeny

ORIGINAL USE: Single family dwelling

PRESENT USE: Single family dwelling

COMMENTS ON HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS:

For a number of years this house was divided into two apartments, but has now been restored to a single family home.

SOURCES: Registry of Deeds/Probate; Map of Yarmouth County (A.F.Church, c.1870); B.E.V. Maps of Yarmouth, 1878, 1889; Fire Insurance Plans of Yarmouth, 1891, 1914, 1938, 1955; Town Assessment Rolls, 1876-1920; Yarmouth Directories, 1890, 1895, 1949.

STREET ADDRESS:111-113 Main Street

CITY/TOWN/VILLAGE:Yarmouth

MUNICIPALITY:Yarmouth

COUNTY:Yarmouth

YEAR BUILT: 1830-1832

ARCHITECTURAL COMMENT:

This impressive two storey Greek Revival building is constructed mainly of wood. The asymmetrical four bay facade has one centered doorway with a four paned transom above and one off-centered doorway. The medium pitched gable roof has a pedimented false gable at the front and one small chimney discreetly placed. Most of the six over six double hung windows have been boarded in but the casings are still evident. A fan window is found in the gable end. An entablature running along the facade divides the first and second stories. The building originally had four large doric pillars in front reaching from the sill to the top of the upper storey. In the roof was an open belfry which contained a small bell used in the building's days as a school The decorative cornices and frieze boards and the large dentils are still evident. The building is clad in narrow clapboards and sits on a cemented stone foundation.

HISTORICAL COMMENT:

The land on which this building is situated was purchased from Thomas Goudey in 1830 by five trustees, James Bond (surgeon) Robert Kelley (Merchant), Zachariah Chipman (cordwainer), Anthony V.S. Forbes (Esquire) and Waitstill Lewis (cordwainer) for the purpose of building a school house. Within the following two years this impressive building was erected under the supervision of James B. Dane, a prominent Yarmouth architect.

The Academy was opened on September 10, 1832 with C. Wiggins as headmaster. Although classes were being taught, the school was not completely finished until the following year. An advertisement in a local paper dated September 5, 1833 calls for tenders for finishing the south entry, stair case and the room of the second storey.

CONTEXTUAL COMMENT:

Although still situated on its original lot, this building was moved forward to the line of street in 1864. At present the building is vacant and in poor state of repair. [Restoration of building carried out in 1993/94. Registered-Provincial Heritage property 1994]

PRESENT OWNER:Town of Yarmouth

ADDRESS:400 Main Street, Yarmouth, N.S., B5A 1G2

ORIGINAL OWNER:James Bond (etal.)

OCCUPATION: Trustee

BUILDER: James B. Dane

ORIGINAL USE: School House

PRESENT USE: Apartments now offices - V.O.N.

COMMENTS ON HISTORICAL ASSOCIATIONS:

Plans and specifications were to be obtained from Mr. Ed Huestis. The building served as a school house for thirty years, until, in 1864, with the passing of a new school law the building was sold to a private owner. It was bought by John W. Moody, who moved it forward and incorporated it into what was called "Moody's Corner", (a row of stores and offices along Main and Argyle Streets). It appears from A.F. Church's map 1870 that this building was used as an Auction House at that time. In recent years the building has been owned by two local businessmen and landlords and used, for a time, as apartments. Although registered as a municipal heritage property in 1984, the building has been vacant for several years and is in desperate need of repair. During its years as a school, the Yarmouth Academy served as a prominent educational institution in Nova Scotia. This, combined with its striking architecture, warrants the Academy as a significant part of Yarmouth's heritage.

SOURCES:  Registry of Deeds (Yarmouth); Yarmouth 1821, James C. Farish (p. 24);
The Vanguard (Oct. 9, 1990) p.12A; Seasoned Timbers, The Heritage Trust of N.S., l972; Yarmouth Herald & Western Advertiser (Sept. 5, 1833)