It was Charles E. Stanfield who founded what eventually became
Stanfield's Ltd., an industry leader in the manufacture of men's and ladies' underwear. He first founded the Tryon Woolen Mills in Tryon, P.E.I. in 1856, selling that to his business partner, Samuel E. Dawson, ten years later and moving to Nova Scotia, where he founded Truro Woolen Mills in 1870. In 1896 he sold the business to his sons John and Frank Stanfield, under whom the business continued to grow.
Later John Stanfield would serve as Colchester County's Member of Parliament (MP) for three terms, then in the Senate from 1917 until his death in 1934. John's brother Frank served as a member of Nova Scotia’s Legislative Assembly (MLA) and later also served as a Member of Parliament, as well as Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia.
Frank's son, the
Right Honourable Robert Lorne Stanfield led the Nova Scotia Progressive Conservative Party from 1948 to 1967, when he joined the National Progressive Conservative Party. As Premier of Nova Scotia he had become the first Conservative Premier to win four consecutive majority governments. As leader of the National Progressive Conservative Party, Stanfield became known as "the greatest Prime Minister Canada never had". He resigned the leadership in 1976 and retired from Parliament in the 1979.
Charles E. Stanfield House
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The Charles E. Stanfield House is a one and one-half storey wood frame dwelling located at 44 Dominion Street, Truro, NS. Built in 1878 in the Gothic Revival style, the house features a steeply-pitched side-gabled roof with three cross gables. The house is situated in Truro’s Heritage Conservation District II, a neighborhood noted for its concentration of largely intact late Victorian residences. The designation includes the building and surrounding property.
HERITAGE VALUE
Historical Value
This house is valued for its association with Charles E. Stanfield and his family, whose members have included many prominent industrialists, businessmen, artists and politicians since the family’s arrival in Truro in the mid-nineteenth century. Stanfield founded several woolen knitting mills in the region, and developed new equipment and products in a workshop at the rear of this house. His sons John and Frank developed the famous shrink-proof manufacturing process, which allowed their mills to attain national prominence supplying “unshrinkable” underwear to miners in the Yukon’s Klondike District. Stanfield’s Ltd. has grown to become one of Canada’s foremost manufacturers of knitted underwear and other fabric products.
The Hon. John Stanfield represented Colchester County as a Member of Parliament (MP) for three terms, and served in the Canadian Senate from 1917 until his death in 1934. Frank Stanfield served Colchester County as a member of Nova Scotia’s Legislative Assembly (MLA) and MP. He also served as Lieutenant-Governor of Nova Scotia. Frank’s son, The Rt. Hon. Robert L. Stanfield, was an MLA, a Premier of Nova Scotia, a four-term MP, and leader of the national Progressive Conservative Party from 1967 to 1976.
Architectural Value
Charles E. Stanfield House is also valued as a fine example of late Gothic Revival architecture. The additional cross gables added to the projecting centre gable add greatly to the mass of the house and its impact on the neighborhood, without altering in any way the simplicity of the basic design.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
External elements that define the heritage character of the Charles E. Stanfield House’s include:
- all building elements, including:
basic Gothic Revival form and massing, with steeply-pitched gable roof, three front cross gables;
rear end-gabled extension;
symmetrically placed chimneys on the roof ridge and rear extension.
- all door and window elements, including:
eight over one windows, with a pair of narrow six over one windows in the projecting centre cross gable;
wide front entrance with elliptical fanlight and sidelights; moulded window and door surrounds, and drip moulding window crowns.
- all building materials, including: walls of wooden clapboard with trim elements in a contrasting dark colour; formal decorative elements of high quality workmanship; asphalt-shingled roof.
- all building elements compliant with the town’s Heritage Conservation By-Law.
Elements that define the site’s heritage character include:
- placement of the house relative to the street and its neighbours;
- all site elements compliant with the town’s Heritage Conservation District By-Law.
From Historic Places Canada