Laurel Cottage, Built in 1875 for Edward Daughtery Post Office Messenger. Image by Tim Hunt
Tim Hunt
Tim Hunt explores his community outfitted with a small sketchbook, pen, and watercolour kit. In our regular feature, he shares thepages from his sketchbook and tells the stories behind his work.
Tim Hunt: Meandering along Harvey Street in early January, I stumbled upon this charming little house in an unassuming corner of Old Ottawa East. Had I not strayed from my usual beaten path looking for a subject to sketch, I might have overlooked what turns out to be one of our community’s oldest houses. Facing the grey stone facade, it is easy to forget its almost alarming proximity to the Queensway sound barrier. A small plaque on the outside of the house reads:
Built in 1875
for Edward Daughtry,
Post Office Messenger.
Archives from history.ottawaeast.ca indicate that this house was a part of the new subdivision of Archville West registered in 1873 when Harvey Street (named for Ottawa’s mayor in 1849) was still known as Fifth Street. Instead of the welcoming vista of Highway 417, the cottage would have enjoyed a front row seat to the expanding Grand Trunk Railway!
Finally, what first drew my attention to this house, something that I did not include in my drawing, was the For Sale sign out front…an invitation to prospective homeowners with an interest in community history.
