Registered Historic Place

Samuel Gard House

Mill River East, Prince Edward Island

Showing front elevation

Showing front elevation

Photo: Alberton Historical Preservation Foundation, 2006

Recognized
2008
By
Province of Prince Edward Island

The register’s text, word for word

Description

The Samuel Gard House is a two-storey Centre Gable style home with a symmetrical facade and verandah the full length of the facade. There are decorative gingerbread elements in the peak of the gable and on the verandah. The property has a panoramic view of the Mill River. The registration includes the building and its lot.

Heritage value

The house is valued for its well preserved Centre Gable style; for its association with the Gard family; and for its contribution to the community of Mill River East.

The residence was built in the 1840s in the centre of a farm property on a gentle rise of land overlooking the Mill River by Samuel Gard (1828-1873). He was a carpenter. His father, Peter Gard (1797-1883) was a shipbuilder who had been born near Cornwall, England.

Samuel's son, George Gard (1857-1946) became a cabinet maker and worked for many years on homes in New York state. When he returned to Alberton, he began a sawmill in 1895. It prepared lumber for many local projects including the first Alberton High School and St. Peter's Anglican Church. The mill was destroyed in a fire in 1925.

Today, the well maintained home is occupied by the seventh generation of the Gard family and the surrounding farm is still in production. The property was named a PEI Century Farm in 1964 and continues to contribute to its community.

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

File #: 4310-20/A7

Character‑defining elements

Character-defining elements which reflect the Centre Gable style of the home include:

  • the two-storey massing and symmetrical facade
  • the wood shingle cladding
  • the dominant centre gable with gingerbread decoration in the peak
  • the gable roofline
  • the brick chimney
  • the fenestration of the windows and doors
  • the hood moulding above the window in the centre gable
  • the verandah with gingerbread decoration

End of the register’s text

Location

1440 Mill River East Road - Route 145, Mill River East, Prince Edward Island, C0B, Canada

46.76619° N, 64.14496° 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.