Municipal Register of Local Historic Places
William Merry House
Miramichi, New Brunswick
Also known as Norton House, Maison Norton
Home of lighthouse keeper William Merry, constructed prior to 1860. Photo taken 2007.
Photo: City of Miramichi
- Recognized
- 2007
- By
- Local government
The register’s text, word for word
Description
The William Merry House is a modest single-storey home built on the shoreline below a rock bluff in the City of Miramichi. It is located on Norton Lane bordering Ritchie Wharf Municipal Park in Miramichi.
Heritage value
The William Merry House is valued for its association with Irish born lighthouse keeper, William Merry, and for its architecture. Merry built this modest home sometime between 1854 and 1860 while he was a single man in his early 30's. This place functioned as his residence as well as that of his widowed mother and siblings. It represents an example of working class immigrant housing during the mid-1800's and bears characteristics of architecture comparable to rural Ireland at that time.
SourceCity of Miramichi Heritage Office - Beaverbrook House - Historic Places File #07-91
Character‑defining elements
Character-defining elements of the modest rural Irish architecture of the William Merry House include:
- vertical plank construction;
- gable roof;
- overall symmetry;
- single-storey rectangular massing.
Character-defining elements of the William Merry House relating to its location include;
- position of residence with respect to the rock bluff to the rear of building and shoreline immediately in front of the residence.
End of the register’s text
Location
84 Norton's Lane, Miramichi, New Brunswick, E1V, Canada
47.00685° N, 65.56287° 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.