1

The Fairbairn House

In the 1860s, William Fairbairn built a new house for his growing family near his original log home. It is this second Fairbairn house that, when renovated, will accommodate the new Fairbairn Museum. Members of the Fairbairn family lived in this house until the early 1900s.

During the 20th century, the house and farmland was passed to the Stevenson family and later to the McNally family who farmed the property until 1989. In 1991, the house was moved from its original site at what today is the junction of highways 105 and 366 to avoid its destruction. In August 2005, during the construction of a housing development, the Fairbairn house was purchased by the Municipality of La Pêche and moved to its present location to again save it from demolition. Today, the Fairbairn Museum building stands safely at the entrance to the Wakefield covered bridge in Hendrick Park.

Bibliography:
Murphy, Jonathan and Graham, Shawn: The Fairbairn House, Buildings Archaeology Series, Report # 1, GeoCognition, Cultural Resource Management, 2006.

2

Map showing original, current and previous location of the Fairbairn House
19th and 20th Centuries
Wakefield, Quebec, Canada


Credits:
Fabian Mugny
Google Earth Map, 2008

3

William Fairbairn's home in 1938
20th Century, 1938
Wakefield, Quebec, Canada


Credits:
Bibliothèque et Archives nationales du Québec, Gatineau, Fonds William H. Johnston et Reby Dodds, P11, D53

4

Fairbairn House, circa 1980
20th Century, Circa 1980
Wakefield, Quebec, Canada


Credits:
The "News" Collection
GVHS Archives, 01952.a014

5

Fairbairn House being moved in 1991 to make way for the Wakefield bypass
20th Century, September 1991
Wakefield, Quebec, Canada


Credits:
Photographer: Ernie Mahoney
GVHS Archives, 01260.009

6

Fairbairn House being moved in 2005 to make way for a housing development
30 August 2005
Wakefield, Quebec, Canada


Credits:
Photographer: John Kingsley

7

Aerial view of the Fairbairn Museum site in Hendrick Park, beside the Gatineau River, circa 2005
20th Century, Circa 2005
Fairbairn Museum, Hendrick Park, Wakefield, La Pêche, Quebec, Canada


Credits:
Maruska Aerial Photography

8

Conceptual drawing of the Fairbairn Museum
20th Century, 2006
Fairbairn Museum, Hendrick Park, Wakefield, La Pêche, Quebec, Canada


Credits:
Myrra Murphy
Fairbairn Museum