49 Adolphus Street - Bulkley Division
Hartford House is designated a Local Historic Place for its architecture, its association with the original owner, and having been built the same year as the Saxby Gale.
The house was built by William Hartford, shipwright, in 1869, the year of a devastating storm which hit Saint Andrews. The Saxby Gale, a tropical cyclone, made landfall in the Bay of Fundy region in eastern Canada during the night of October 4–5, 1869. This storm was named after Lieutenant Stephen Martin Saxby, a naval instructor who had forecasted unusually high tides in the North Atlantic Ocean on October 1, 1869, based on his astronomical observations. These high tides were expected to result in storm surges if a storm occurred.
The Saxby Gale had significant consequences for the region, causing widespread damage to port facilities and communities along the Bay of Fundy coastline in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and even in Maine. Particularly affected were places like Calais, Saint Andrews, St. George, Saint John, Moncton, Sackville, Amherst, Windsor, and Truro.
Much of the destruction was attributed to a two-meter storm surge generated by the cyclone. This surge coincided with a perigean spring tide, and the Bay of Fundy, known for having one of the world's highest tidal ranges, experienced an unprecedented water level. As a result, Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia, earned the distinction of having recorded the highest tidal range ever observed.
The house built by Mr. Hartford survived the storm and still stands today. It is a wonderfully preserved Classical Revival house with a steeply pitched roof, wide corner boards, decorated eave and window trim, original wood shutters, central entry with sidelights, and a simple classically-inspired entablature. This may be one of the most perfectly proportioned small houses in St. Andrews.
The character-defining elements include:
Architectural Style: Classical Revival
Source: St. Andrews Civic Trust - Charlotte County Archives, St. Andrews NB
The house was built by William Hartford, shipwright, in 1869, the year of a devastating storm which hit Saint Andrews. The Saxby Gale, a tropical cyclone, made landfall in the Bay of Fundy region in eastern Canada during the night of October 4–5, 1869. This storm was named after Lieutenant Stephen Martin Saxby, a naval instructor who had forecasted unusually high tides in the North Atlantic Ocean on October 1, 1869, based on his astronomical observations. These high tides were expected to result in storm surges if a storm occurred.
The Saxby Gale had significant consequences for the region, causing widespread damage to port facilities and communities along the Bay of Fundy coastline in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and even in Maine. Particularly affected were places like Calais, Saint Andrews, St. George, Saint John, Moncton, Sackville, Amherst, Windsor, and Truro.
Much of the destruction was attributed to a two-meter storm surge generated by the cyclone. This surge coincided with a perigean spring tide, and the Bay of Fundy, known for having one of the world's highest tidal ranges, experienced an unprecedented water level. As a result, Burntcoat Head, Nova Scotia, earned the distinction of having recorded the highest tidal range ever observed.
The house built by Mr. Hartford survived the storm and still stands today. It is a wonderfully preserved Classical Revival house with a steeply pitched roof, wide corner boards, decorated eave and window trim, original wood shutters, central entry with sidelights, and a simple classically-inspired entablature. This may be one of the most perfectly proportioned small houses in St. Andrews.
The character-defining elements include:
- 6 x 6 wooden framed vertical slide windows
- traditional shutters
- Central entranceway flanked by single windows
- Side gabled massing (roofline faces the road)
- moulded hoods over central entryway and front facade windows; slight moulded cornices over side windows
- Attractive wide fascia and corner boards; cornice above fascia is moulded.
- wooden framed sidelights
Architectural Style: Classical Revival
Source: St. Andrews Civic Trust - Charlotte County Archives, St. Andrews NB
