About
the House and its owners
Built, circa 1806, by Capt. McCurdy, who was
later lost at sea, Evergreen Hall, as the house was originally known, became
the home of Charles Inglis Lordly and his wife Margaret McCurdy.
It is a fine example of Georgian architecture
with two parlors, kitchen, dining room, six bedrooms and six fireplaces. A
servants’ staircase leads from the dining area to the second floor. Leather
straps are still attached to the stairwell, used to assist one of the ladies
when ascending the stairs.
The house has been continuously lived in, with two short
exceptions, since 1806. Few changes have been made to the original
structure. It was the centre of cultural and social life in the community.
The property included the first seat of
municipal government, a compact barn, and the meadow that we now know as
Lordly Park. natural wetlands and fields with their attendant flora and
fauna, an ancient orchard, and the reminders of the tranquil village life of
past times. and cultural centre of Chester.
Charles Ingles Lordly, was the first Municipal Clerk for the
Municipality of the District of Chester from 1879-1889, and at his death the
home of Edwin Lordly, the second Clerk/ Treasurer for the Municipality from
1890-1919.
The Lordlys were enthusiastic workers on amateur
theatricals and entertainments for the church and welfare and hosted many
parties
The Lordly family has been described as, “vivacious and
ambitious,” “public spirited,” “always ready to assist in the general
well fare of the community,” A Lordly was always a warden or vestry clerk of
St. Stephen’s Anglican Church.
Lordly Museum depicts the lifestyle of the Charles Lordly
family and houses other historical artifacts and information about the
Municipality of the District of Chester.
This year Lordly House was not open for house tours due
to damage caused by roof leakage during the
winter and spring months. We opened two rooms one
for research materials and one for the C@P site
throughout the summer months. The research section is available by
appointment throughout the year. It is hoped that next year we will be
able to provide limited access to the house.
The greatest demand on the materials at Lordly House is
for genealogy and background on local families. It is rewarding to be able to
assist family members in their search, but also time consuming. Requests for
old photographs, and information on houses also consume time and energy as we help visitors search for information to fulfill these requests. The
data basing completed this summer will make it easier and faster for us to find
the information. I would point out that this in an on-going process that takes
time and energy and often is a repetitious and boring task.
Despite our limited storage if you know of anyone who
has a genealogy, information about local families, old photographs, news
clippings, or who might be a contact for us, please let us know so that we can
expand the information that we now have.
Lordly
House -Architectural
The following are comments that Mr. Penny made as he moved
throughout the house.
Kitchen: He felt that the top of the kitchen window didn’t
fit and was about 1860-70 and that the window frames could be the same. The lock on the
window fits the period 1806. The curved lines in the glass show that it may be original.
The door to the pantry is more recent 1810 - 1870, the hinge is modern. The window facing
Maple Cottage is not as old. The cupboard may once have had doors.
He felt that the door to the bake oven
may have come from England when they moved to Chester. The crack between the main fireplace and the bake oven would
suggest that it might have been added later. Measuring the size of the brick allows you to
determine whether it was American (8" ) or English (9"). In many cases the
materials were supplied by the workers who moved from job to job and may have supplied the
brick. The ceiling is wrong, the plaster should be smooth.
The door to the cupboard by the stove may have been constructed
of reused material, as the lock is in the wrong location. The vertical plank wall is an 18th
century construction form.
Main Hall: The back door in the main hall has hand made hinges
and the construction is unique. He suggested that we strip on the top or bottom edge of
the door to determine the exact construction. The latch fit the period and a peg would
have been used to double lock the door. He examined the windows and stated that the older
the house the more elegant the moldings become. The glaze size was standard and so windows
and the moldings were often mass-produced, this made it easy to replace windows.
Second Kitchen: The floor in this room was probably replaced.
The corner cupboard is accepted as a normal article in houses of this age. He felt that
the fireplace may at one time have been larger. He questioned whether this had been used
as a double house. The door to the left of the fireplace is 1870’s, but not earlier.
The main door into the hall is an older door and we should check it along the top edge.
The latch on the stairway door is missing a piece. The walls would have been wallpapered
over the rough boards and then as money permitted they would have been plastered.
Main Salon: He felt the workmanship was of a higher quality. The
moldings around the top and the picture rail date 1870-90. The circle in the center of the
ceiling would have been an added feature 1860-1870 and provided protection from the
chandelier which might have been whale oil lamps or candles. This circular section would
have been whitewashed frequently to keep it white without the necessity of redoing the
entire ceiling. The molding above the doors is unusual. The fireplace surround is newer
1870’s and added probably as the room was up-graded. The metal insert in the
fireplace is iron and made for burning coal. It probably would have had a rectangular
fender rather than the present curved one. There is no chair rail and the panels beneath
the windows are noteworthy. The splay of the casements in the room let in more light. The
brown colored door to the hall may be the original paint job. The patch in the floor in
front of the door leading to the hall poses questions as to why it was done.
Front Hall: He felt that the door leading to Central St. was the
main door because it faces the stairs. The banister matches the middle of the 1750’s
and the newel post was upgraded and not the original. The hand rail was usually wider
mainly for strength. The door leading into the back entrance hall way may have had a
weight to keep it closed at all times and the door stop on the top is noteworthy and may
have been a part of that system. This door would have separated the private from the more
formal part of the house. It could also have separated the servants’ quarters from
the main room
North Salon: The windows in here are not splayed. He felt it was
an elegant dining room and that the door to the left of the fireplace went through to the
kitchen and would have been used for moving the food from the kitchen to the dining room.
Second Floor:
Bedroom 1- southwest: Lock can be dated probably late 18th
century and reinforces the idea of two families. The window moldings 1870. The hand-planed
door leading to bedroom 2 shows the hand planing and should not be changed. The
texture is what makes it important.
Bedroom 2- southwest: This room had a chair rail and the tapered
rods on the stair way are early 19th century. The window moldings are
1870’s. The vertical boarding is visible on the stairwell and reinforce the lower
quality of the servants’ space.
Bedroom 3- southeast: This room may have been a "keeping
room", an office, a living room or parlor, Consistent with 1808. The large built-in
cupboard would suggest a space for storing dishes. The larger closet to the right of the
fireplace might have been used to hide the commode from view. The door to the hall has a
"rising butt hinge" which were used to raise the door above the floor so that it
would clear a carpet. The molding on the ceiling is wood and probably 18th
century construction. The fireplace is made from English type brick and visible on the
floor.
Hall - Second Floor: The banister is well done.
Bedroom 4- northeast: The door on the left of the fireplace has
old hinges with hand-made nails. The fireplace is new. The boarding and plaster
construction is consistent with the period. The posts in the corners often supported plank
walls.
Bedroom 5 - northwest: The posts in the corners of this room
would suggest that down stairs the walls had been flushed in. It was probably a
child’s or servant’s room. He cautioned us that conceptions of how many children
may have slept in the room is not consistent with today’s standards. A room this size
he said might have housed 10 children.
Bathroom: The hinge is 1900.
Third Floor
He felt that the construction suggested that the house may have
had a gambol roof at one time and that the current one was not the original. The saw cuts
would indicate that the timbers and boards had been sawn on a water-run saw mill.
When
to Visit
Lordly
House Museum is open from June 1 to October 15
Hours:
Closed on Monday
Tuesday
to Sunday 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Other
times may be arranged by appointment call
(902)
275- 3842 or (902) 275-3826.
Development
for Lordly House
During this period Chester was officially removed from the
Municipality of Lunenburg and became its own municipality, responsible for its own affairs
and development. The minutes of the council meetings will be part of this project and
reflect the political and economic concerns of the council during that time. Lordly's
correspondence and other materials from the MacNutt collection are available and old
photos of the village and area, provided by the Chester Municipal Chamber of Commerce and
the Chester Municipal Heritage Society. At the completion of this first stage the museum
will cover the period from 1870 - 1937 (the terms of the first three municipal clerks).
It was a time when the American tourist industry flourished, large
summer homes were built and large hotels dotted the village. It was claimed that Chester
had at least 300 rooms available at any time. The railroad had not yet arrived joining the
village to Halifax and passenger vessels arrived regularly from the city. Chester during
this period was also the main land route from Halifax to the Annapolis Valley and a
bustling municipality.
The growth from a rural area providing wood, produce and building
materials for the city of Halifax to a tourist service area and small manufacturing base
will be traced in these materials.
With the purchase of the Lordly house by the Chester Municipal
Heritage Society in July of 1996, preparations began to develop it into a museum. The team
began by photographing and cataloguing the articles in the house. This house has remained
largely unchanged from the time it was built in 1808 to date and its contents reflect the
changing eras.
Maple Cottage is the first Municipal Building in the Municipality of
Chester and contains the original desk and safe. Mr. Lordly and his son were the first two
Municipal clerks. The original office, and pictures and minutes from the
early council meetings, reflect the political development of the
Municipality of the District of Chester from its beginnings. Municipal minutes are
available from that time and will form part of the collection also the writings of Cottman
Smith the third municipal clerk. This will cover the period of 1887 - 1937.
Photographs will be displayed reflecting the changing landscape and the
development of the village and the municipality over the years.
Lordly
House C@p Site
We are open during museum hours and year
round at Julien's
Bakery, 41 Queen Street, during business hours.
We are a member of the Lunenburg/Queen
Community Access Society which comprises CAP sites at Bridgewater,
Caledonia, Centre, Chester, Forest Heights, Lunenburg, Liverpool, Milton, New
Germany, New Ross and Port Mouton.
The Community Access Program (CAP) is a Government of Canada
initiative, administered by Industry Canada, that aims to provide
Canadians with affordable public access to the Internet and the skills they
need to use it effectively. With the combined efforts of the federal,
provincial and territorial governments, community groups, social agencies,
libraries, schools, volunteer groups and the business community, CAP
helps Canadians, wherever they live, take advantage of emerging
opportunities in the new global knowledge-based economy. Under CAP,
public locations like schools, libraries and community centres act as
“on-ramps” to the Information Highway, and provide computer support
and training.
CAP is the key component of the Government of Canada’s Connecting
Canadians initiative, whose goal is to make Canada the most connected
nation in the world. CAP started in 1994 in rural communities with
populations up to 50,000. Then in December 1999, following a successful
pilot program in urban communities, CAP is now being rolled out to larger
population centres of over 50,000. By March 31, 2001, Industry Canada
wants to establish public Internet access sites in up to 10,000 rural, remote
and urban communities across Canada. It’s hoped that CAP sites will
increasingly join together in networking opportunities enabling them to
pool resources and form networks to be able to offer even more to their
communities.
Nova Scotia
CAP Web Site
We provide many FREE services to the general public
including:
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