Somewhat larger than others of its vintage, the White-Irwin House remains relatively unaltered, save for the Scottish dormers added sometime after 1785. The building was occupied by a series of notable individuals, including
Robert Irwin, (January 17, 1865 – December 7, 1941) member of the provincial legislature from 1906 to 1925 and speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly for eight years. In 1937 he was appointed Lieutenant Governor of Nova Scotia, serving until 1940.
This house has, as do many which survive, an association with the
Port Roseway Associates, a group of United Empire Loyalists formed in New York City "
to attract fellow-exiles to a new wilderness community proposed for Port Roseway (now Shelburne) on the far southeast coast of Nova Scotia". A good history of the group is to be found at the link given.
Today the house remains in very good condition and has been designated both a Province of Nova Scotia and a municipal heritage property.
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White-Irwin House
DESCRIPTION OF HISTORIC PLACE
The White-Irwin House is a large, two-and-a-half storey Neo-Classical style house located on the corner of Water Street and St. Patrick's Lane in Shelburne. The house is one of the oldest in the town, built in 1784-85 by Loyalist Samuel Marshall. The building and property are located in the designation.
HERITAGE VALUE
The White-Irwin House is valued for its long association with the history of Shelburne and Nova Scotia and as an excellent example of the Neo-classical style in Shelburne.
Construction of the White-Irwin House began in 1784 by Samuel Marshall, a United Empire Loyalist, who had recently arrived in Shelburne, then known as Port Roseway. He was one of several thousand Loyalists to arrive in the area, settling in Shelburne to escape the American Revolution. The house was sold later in 1785 to Charles Whitworth, also a United Empire Loyalist who had arrived in Shelburne in 1782 with his wife and family. Charles made this his home until 1792.
The house was later passed to Nathaniel Whitworth White while he was still a child. Nathaniel was the son of Loyalist Captain Gideon White and Charles Whitworth's brother-in-law. Gideon was also a Loyalist and member of the Port Roseway Associates and was influential in the founding of Shelburne. He was appointed justice of the peace and later judge of probate.
Around 1840, the Reverend Thomas Howland White and his family became the owner occupants of the house. Reverend White was the Rector of Christ Church in Shelburne from 1836 to 1896. The house remained in the White family until 1908.
In 1913 the house was purchased by Robert Irwin who owned a mill, exported lumber and for a short time managed the Joseph McGill shipyard. Irwin represented Shelburne County in the provincial legislature from 1906 to 1925 and served for eight years as Speaker of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. In 1937 he was appointed Lt. Governor of Nova Scotia. The house stayed in the Irwin family until 1978.
The White-Irwin House is one of the oldest houses in Shelburne and among several surviving Loyalist homes in the town. The two-and-a-half storey home is located on Water Street, one of the main thoroughfares in the town, in close proximity to other homes of a similar age. The house has remained fairly unaltered, although at some point in its history Scottish dormers were added to two sides of the hipped roof of the main house and two on the front of the ell. The house contributes greatly to the Loyalist character of Shelburne.
CHARACTER-DEFINING ELEMENTS
- form and massing;
- wooden cladding;
- two-and-a-half storey main house;
- symmetrical five bay façade of main house;
- hipped roof at one end, gabled at the other;
- five-sided dormers located at the attic level;
- one-and-a-half storey ell with two hipped dormers;
- capped six-over-six windows on front and side façades;
- original kitchen fireplace;
- large granite water cistern and a round-headed, brick cupboard in the basement;
- prominent location on Water Street.
From Historic Places Canada