Municipally Registered Property

MacQuarrie House

Upper Middle River, Nova Scotia

Detail of front facade, MacQuarrie House, Upper Middle River, NS, 2008.

Detail of front facade, MacQuarrie House, Upper Middle River, NS, 2008.

Photo: Dept. of Tourism, Culture and Heritage, Province of NS, 2008

Built
1874
Recognized
2001
By
Local government

The register’s text, word for word

Description

The MacQuarrie House is a one-and-one-half storey wood frame home located on the Cabot Trail in the community of Upper Middle River, on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. In 1990 both the house and the property were designated a municipal heritage property.

Heritage value

The MacQuarrie House is valued for its simple vernacular architecture and as a good example of the typical homes constructed by local builders.

The MacQuarrie House was built in 1874 by local farmers Donald MacDonald and his son-in-law William MacRae. It is a simple one-and-one-half storey wood frame house with a steeply pitched gable roof with return eaves and corner boards. An elaborately hand-carved entablature decorates the main entrance.

The home is located in a gently sloping field in a rural setting.

SourceMunicipality of the County of Victoria, Municipal Archives, municipal heritage files

Character‑defining elements

Character-defining elements of the MacQuarrie House include:

  • location in a rural setting;
  • simple vernacular style;
  • symmetrical front façade;
  • all decorative elements including corner boards, cornices and hand carved entablature over front door and two front windows;
  • steeply pitched gable roof;
  • one-and-one-half storey massing;
  • wood frame construction.

End of the register’s text

Location

2639 Cabot Trail, Upper Middle River, Nova Scotia, B0E, Canada

46.18474° N, 60.93418° W

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.