Elsie Hume House

The Elsie Hume House is valued because it is one of the earliest modified Gothic style houses built in the St. Margaret's Bay area and is an excellent and attractive example of this style.

The Elsie Hume House was built in 1852 by local farmer, Samuel Boutilier. The property was sold to Samuel by his brother, James. Samuel left the house and property to his wife, Rachel, and his son, Tristan. Upon Tristan's death, the house was given solely to his mother, Rachel, who subsequently sold it to Josiah Hume in 1892.

Josiah Hume was a local carpenter and remembered as one of the most colourful characters in the St. Margaret's Bay area. Hume was known for his tremendous physical strength and three marriages. Hume's daughter, Elsie, obtained ownership of the property through peculiar circumstances. Amos Snair was owed $1.00, assumed to be back wages, by Josiah Hume. Josiah could not or would not pay this, as well as the associated court costs of $339.55. The house was put on the market as a Sheriff's sale. Elsie out-bid all bidders and obtained the home in 1913 for $500.00, where her father lived for the remainder of his life. Elsie, who made and sold candy, lived in the house until her death in 1972.

The Elsie Hume House is a two-and-a-half storey wood frame, modified Gothic structure, with wood siding. The house has a steeply pitched gable roof with a gable dormer on the west elevation and a box dormer on the rear of the ell. The rear kitchen addition was added in the 1970s.

The Elsie Hume House is one of the oldest houses in the Black Point Community and an excellent example of the modified Gothic style. The house sits on The Puddle, an inlet of St. Margaret's Bay.