Period Homes

Period Homes. . , The early settlers of Oakville, while full of optimism lacked formal training- there were few master builders or architects at the time. In fact, the shipbuilders who came to work for Chisholm in the shipyard also built many of the first houses in Oakville. From the beginning, there was extensive mingling of the workers' cottages and merchants' houses., The earliest homes in Oakville were constructed quickly with the easiest and most available materials. Timber was there for the taking and shipwrights and carpenters were skilled in its handling. Lake stone and river stone were used for the cellar walls and footings., The houses at 18-26 Thomas Street were built circa 1852 for the shipyard workers and their families who worked for Duncan Chisholm, ship builder and tinsmith. Frame construction with shiplath clapboard siding, these houses have "six over six" windows - based on a pane width that was quite common from 1835 to 1865., As time passed, many of the original frame houses were sheathed in two coats of stucco to provide a jointless weather-resistant, low maintenance finish. "Roughcast" stucco was scooped up on the back of the trowel and flung against the wall with a backhand motion., Captain John Moore built the house at 29 Navy Street in 1830. Originally sheathed in clapboard, it was enlarged into a hotel, and given its rough cast stucco finish in the 1850s. Named the "Frontier House", it served steamboat passengers arriving and departing from the Harbour. The house returned to a private dwelling about 1870. In 1906, the northern portion of the house was separated and moved to a lot on King Street - becoming what is now 154 King Street.