Ashford Cottage

Ashford Cottage is valued for its association with prominient members of the community of Freetown; for its Queen Anne Revival architectural elements; and for its contribution to the streetscape of the area.

The house was constructed around the year 1890 for local merchant, Albert Craig, for the sum of $1400. It was one of several houses in the Freetown area built by carpenter, John T. White, who was also a resident of the community. White also designed the St. James Roman Catholic Church and parochial house in Summerfield, PEI. Craig later sold the property to Charles and Mary (Bearisto) Taylor. Other owners included J. Stafford Walker and Davis Baker. In 1928, it was purchased by Austin A. Scales.

Austin A. Scales (1886-1989) was a prominient Island farmer, fox rancher, businessman and produce dealer. Scales had grown up on a farm in St. Eleanor's before attending the Nova Scotia Agricultural College in 1910 and the University of Guelph in 1918. His property in Freetown was part of over 400 acres of land he had in production in the community. He grew potatoes, generated electricity from a small plant he established along the Dunk River, and extended his business interests to capitalize on the agricultural potential of his land. In 1943, he established the PEI potato dehydration plant which packed tins of chipped and dryed potatoes for allied troops during World War II. In 1946, he restarted the Island Fertilizers Company. He would go on to become a director of the Bank of Canada and was a member of both the Atlantic Agricultural Hall of Fame and the Prince Edward Island Business Hall of Fame. Scales would reside in the house until 1957. In 1972, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Prince Edward Island.

In recent years, the house has been named "Ashford Cottage" and has undergone extensive renovations including reshingling, replacing the roof, as well as the millwork of the verandah. The Queen Anne Revival style of the home has been maintained. This was a popular building style in the Maritimes from 1880-1915. It usually features a corner tower with an attached verandah and pedimented gables on either side of the house. This home also features bay windows and protruding beltcourses which delineate the storeys of the house.

The property remains a well preserved example of its type and contributes greatly to the community of Freetown.

Source: Culture and Heritage Division, PEI Department of Community and Cultural Affairs, Charlottetown, PE C1A 7N8

File #: 4320-20/A5