Researchers identify Morris Building as Halifax's oldest wooden house
2012-06-20 08:50:58

A team of researchers from Saint Mary's University, Université de Moncton-campus de Shippagan, and Mount Allison University have discovered what may be Halifax's oldest wooden house. The Morris Building, which narrowly avoided destruction in 2009, has been dated to 1764 — just 15 years younger than Halifax itself.

The findings are based on historical research and dendrochronology, or tree-ring dating, a technique that determines the age of wood samples by matching their growth ring patterns to a sequence of rings with known dates. The analysis of 11 samples from the Morris Building was carried out at the Mount Allison Dendrochronology Lab by Dr. André Robichaud of the Université de Moncton-campus de Shippagan and Dr. Colin Laroque of Mount Allison University.

"We were able to core joists from the floor that turned out to be mostly white pine, with some spruce and one larch," says Robichaud. "We had an excellent reference chronology of white pine made from beams of the Government House of Halifax that allowed the dating of the Morris Building."

The researchers also used historical maps from archives in the United Kingdom and copies of 18th-century deeds at the Nova Scotia Archives to better understand the building's early history. Undertaken by Dr. Jonathan Fowler of Saint Mary's University, this work led to the surprise discovery that the Morris Building predates the ownership of the land by the Morris family.

"There was some confusion on this point," says Fowler. "But the land records are pretty clear. The man who owned the property in 1764, and in fact right up to 1777, was a cooper named Dennis Heffernan. It looks like he built this house, and he sold it to Charles Morris Jr."

The research results were welcome news to a coalition of community groups who have worked since 2009 to save the building and dedicate it to its new purpose as much needed affordable housing for young adults. The Joint Action Committee for the Morris Building is made up of Metro Non Profit Housing, The Ark (Youth Centre), Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia, and the Ecology Action Centre (EAC). For the last year the group has been working hard with other organizations to purchase a site in north end Halifax to which to move the building.

"Just over a week ago we learned a development permit will be issued," says Kim Thompson from the EAC. "The next phase will be exciting and challenging as we design to engage the youth tenants, restore heritage features, and demonstrate how green building practices can inform it all. It is a wonderful example of what collaborative determination and vision can do."

The original effort to save the Morris Building was spearheaded by the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia and the Ecology Action Centre, with valuable support from Dexel Developments Limited, Nova Scotia Power, and Halifax Regional Municipality.

For more information see The Morris Project.

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