Historic log cabin gains restoration boost from County’s built heritage fund

Watching as Elizabeth Crombie presents Cheryl Anderson with a $7,000 PEC Built Heritage Grant, from left, are: Gord Gibbins, Janice Gibbins, Borys Holowacz (all Moses Hudgin Log House Restoration Committee members), John Hirsch councillor and president of the South Shore Joint Initiative; Bob Clapp of the Hastings Prince Edward Land Trust and Dick Bird, restoration committee member. – Sue Capon photo

Efforts to restore the Hudgin House – an 1865 log home on Ostrander Point Road in South Marysburgh – got a $7,000 boost Tuesday with a grant from the Prince Edward County Built Heritage Fund.

The fund came about in August 2010, following the precipitous demolition of the 135-year-old Methodist Episcopal Church in Picton, as it brought a few concerned citizens together to discuss how important historic structures in the County could be saved. Since, funds are raised through annual Christmas House Tours and are administered by The County Foundation.

Elizabeth Crombie, a founder of the Christmas House Tours, presented the funds Tuesday to members of the Moses Hudgin Log House Restoration Committee and the South Shore Joint Initiative, spearheading the project.

The Hudgin House was home to three generations of the Hudgin family, beginning with Moses Hudgin and his wife, Ann and was last occupied in 1967. It is located on the Hudgin-Rose Nature Reserve now owned by Nature Conservancy Canada (NCC). As a land conservancy, NCC normally does not deal with buildings. As a result, the County’s South Shore Joint Initiative (SSJI) has taken tenancy of the building and is responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the house and surrounding property. The restoration is a joint project with the Prince Edward Historical Society.

With an aim to create a small, non-profit, education area and field house for nature-based surveys of the County’s south shore, SSJI’s Cheryl Anderson notes the grant funds will go toward the restoration of the building’s front door and rebuilding the windows, with any remaining funds going toward the replacement of the chimney. The house logs must first be stabilized before this work can begin.

“It’s all about combining the natural heritage and cultural heritage of the south shore,” notes Anderson. “As well as being available as a field house for naturalists or people doing studies down here. We have big plans for this place.”

The restoration committee has raised about half of its $100,000 goal, through fundraising and grant writing.

Donations are welcome for any amount. Those $20 or more will receive tax receipts via email. For amounts of $100 or more, a family name, business or organization will be inscribed on a plaque on display for sponsor and patron. Contributions over time will accumulate to the level chosen. Click here for details on the Hudgin House and donations