Built Heritage Resource Guide

Clara Dennis visited Liverpool for the unveiling of the Captain Sylvanus Cobb monument in 1933. Many of Cobb’s descendants attended, and one great-granddaughter told Dennis the history of Cobb’s silvery grey house on Wolfe Street. Dennis subsequently included the story in More about Nova Scotia, pp. 373-374.

The great-granddaughter said the house was built in 1759. Clara Dennis relates that, “We entered the old house that has withstood the vicissitudes of wind and weather for 175 years.

‘Great-grandfather brought the frame from Plymouth', said the descendant. ‘See the wonderful big boards! Oh, the pantries are painted a different colour!’ she exclaimed, as we were shown the two pantries. ‘We had one red and the other blue, the red pantry and the blue pantry.’

Together we mounted the old staircase to the upper rooms, the descendant and I.

‘I was born in this room over eighty-five years ago,’ she said, with a tremor in her voice, as we entered a little room. ‘Oh, and there’s the rag-room where mother kept her mat rags. My! My! It makes me feel sad.’

The Cobb house is said to be the oldest inhabited house in the Dominion. It has been standing during the reign of eight different sovereigns of the realm.”

The Sylvanus Cobb House burned about 1943.

Photographer: Clara Dennis

Reference: Clara Dennis Nova Scotia Archives accession no. 1981-541 no. 429