Pride of Place: The Life and Times of Cape Breton Heritage Houses

James O. St. Clair and Mary K. MacLeod

Out of Print

The houses of Cape Breton are more than architectural remnants of years gone by. They are the places where children were born and taught; where the sick lay dying; where wakes were held; where music was made; where poetry was composed; where despair over changing conditions was voiced; where clothing was made; where meals were prepared and where visitors were greeted. All the aspects of life were celebrated, discussed and known within the constructed walls. It is no wonder that individual buildings take on the aura of the people who lived in them. But the variations in people are probably even greater than the buildings in which they lived – merchants, teachers, framers, writers, artists, politicians, mothers, grandmothers, weavers, post-masters and post-mistresses. In addition, the variety of aspirations is quite evident in the way in which buildings are designed and decorated. The tenacity with which families have continued to live in buildings despite adversity reveals more of the character of the Cape Bretoner. So the buildings are significant in themselves, but they are even more important for the people whom they reveal. It is hoped that in the future we may learn much more about the people who lived in Cape Breton heritage houses.