Hyde House

The Hyde House is a well-maintained large 2 ½ storey wood-shingled home in the Greek Revival architectural style. Located at Hyde Point, Meadowbank, Prince Edward Island on a two-acre site of the original 1786 land grant to Irish immigrant Thomas Hyde, the house overlooks the Elliott or West River and the Charlottetown Harbour.

The Hyde House is a rare example of a large Greek Revival farmhouse. This impressive 2 ½ storey circa 1875 home was built for Henry Hyde and his wife Isabella Adams on what was known as Point Farm, at Hyde Point, Meadowbank, Prince Edward Island.

The Hyde family has long associations in the area dating from the 1780s. Thomas Hyde (d. 1795), along with his wife and seven children, emigrated to Prince Edward Island (then known as St. John's Island) from County Clare, Ireland in 1770. He was granted a farm in 1786 by Governor Walter Patterson. Several members of the Hyde family are interred in the nearby Hyde-Crosby Cemetery.

Thomas's son, William Hyde Senior (1763-1863) built a large, two-storied, eight-sided house with a ballroom on the second floor. William was a member of provincial legislature and held many meetings and political gatherings in the unique house. He was born in 1763 in County Clare, Ireland and was married to Christiana Simpson (b. 1764) of Cavendish and had a large family of 10 children. Two Hyde sisters were living in the house at the time it was destroyed by fire in 1857. Family legend has it that some original Hyde family heirlooms were rescued from the fire.

As a young man, William Hyde Junior (1788-1871) and wife Mary Braddock (1800-1870) established a home on the eastern half of the original Hyde property which became known as Point Farm. It is on this part of the property where this Hyde House currently stands. This is the second house built on this site and was built for William Hyde Junior's son, Henry Hyde (1833-1904) and his wife Isabella Adams (1838-1923). By 1928, Henry's son Harry Hyde (1883-1962) and his wife Gertrude Carson (1886-1976) and their children Melvin and Mildred were occupants of the home and farmed seed potatoes, grain and raised prize-winning hogs and poultry.

The house remained with the Hyde family until 1945 when the property was purchased by Alexander MacKinnon of Montreal. He later passed the house to his daughter whose family summered here for a number of years. Ownership changed over the years until the current owners acquired the property in 2011.

The house is oriented to face the Elliott or West River rather than the road, as water transportation would have been the most accessible method of transport at time of its construction.

Following an electrical fire in 1975, extensive, but historically sympathetic, rebuilding and repairs were made to the home including a new poured concrete foundation which incorporated original sandstone blocks, new windows and the addition of a 3rd floor patio and a new porch. A substantial wing formerly on the north elevation was removed.

The Hyde House continues to be valued for its age, its fine architectural style, historical associations with the Hyde family, its importance to the community and is an important component in the landscape of Meadowbank.

Heritage Places Files, Dept. of Fisheries, Tourism, Sport & Culture, Charlottetown, PE

File #: 4310-20/H29

The heritage value of the residence is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the scale and massing of the house

- the pitch and slope of the roofline

- the wood shingle cladding

- the size and symmetrical placement of the sash windows on the front and rear elevations

- the six over six sash windows on the second level of the house; five windows on the front and 3 on the rear

- the four nine over nine windows on the first level of the front elevation

- the squared entrance vestibule with cornice trim and transom light above the door

- the entrance porch sidelights

Further contributing heritage character-defining element:

- Its picturesque location on the original Hyde family property overlooking the West River and Charlottetown Harbour