Harding's

Harding's - Lot 1, Harding's Point

Orignial Grant:

Benjamin Bunnell - January 27, 1786

History and Style:

This one and a half story house was built by the Harding family in 1785. It was managed as a hotel by their descendants for many years and is now run as a general store and lounge. The large saltbox summer kitchen and shed which was attached to the rear of the house has been removed, but the additional beams and rafters used to support it are visible in the loft of the remaining building. There are five fireplaces which still have their original grates and hooks for hearth cooking. During renovations, a number of leather shoes were found in the ceiling of the second floor. Placing shoes within walls was considered a deterrent to evil spirits in New England and the tradition was probably brought to the Peninsula by the Loyalists. There was also a small boy’s blazer found hanging on a peg within another wall of the house. The lathes, which are visible on the third floor, are split or ‘accordion’ lathes, which were made from a single plank of wood split into several pieces rather than using many separate small slats of wood.