Low Down Articles
Echoes from the Past
Article 84 of 111
This article first appeared in the "Echoes from the Past" column of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
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The Chamberlins' Big & Little Houses
As has been noted earlier, the Chamberlins were long associated with the Chelsea and Wakefield areas. Four brothers Chamberlin, all of them millwrights. Lived in Lowell, Massachusetts. This quartet was engaged by Philemon Wright to set up his various mills in the new settlement, Wright's Town (later to become Hull). Upon completion of the contract two of the brothers returned to the U.S., while the other two, John and Josiah, elected to remain in Canada, John in the Wakefield area, and Josiah at Kirk's Ferry.
In the course of time Thomas Brigham, Philemon Wright's son-in-law acquired some land in Old Chelsea where Brook's Creek seemed suitable for providing power to operate a mill. Brigham apparently persuaded Josiah Chamberlin to move from Kirk's Ferry to Old Chelsea to construct not one but two mills, one saw and one grist.
Aside from putting up Brigham's mills, Josiah built himself a house nearby to provide shelter for himself and family. This building eventually, doubled in size, became, for many years, the Dunn House, a stopping place or inn for the men engaged in the lumbering business where they could rest their teams and themselves overnight. The place burned to the ground in 1900, being replaced by another the next year which was a carbon copy of the first one. The building at, present, serves as a bed and breakfast operation under the name of the Dawn House. It was-named thus by Bill and Lise Jack, the current owners, after the daughter of the house.
The Josiah Chamberlin sons, as they grew to manhood, acquired property for themselves and families. One was a farm on the west corner of the Chelsea and Scott Roads, land now owned by the N.C.C. There were to be two more Chamberlin houses on the east side of the Scott Road, opposite the farm.
The latter two, built by the Chamberlins, served for cottages. They were rented for several years. They were both framed houses, the larger one was called The Big House and was built first, being owned by John Chamberlin a son of Josiah. The other dwelling, beside the Big House, was the Little House. It was, except for its size, the twin of the older one. While the Little House was built some time after the Big House both were put up before 1875.
The Big House was recently acquired by Del Trudeau. It has been renovated, which required the "gutting" of the insides. In some excitement Trudeau phoned me, to invite me to view an unusual aspect of the place. The walls had been stripped of their inside coverings, revealing a wall of small stones, about potato sized, which had been placed between the upright 2x4's, and were stopped from failing down by the outer wall, similar to to-day's practice of putting insulation between the outside and inside walls.
As the stones were placed row upon row, the laths were were built up, keeping in the stones. Later it was easy enough to add the plaster. On exposure, when the lath and plaster walls were removed, the stone seem to have had a white powder poured over them, suggestion that lime had been used for insulation.
Perhaps some old-time house builder might either confirm or refute the latter theory.