On January 20, 2010, the Mount Allison University Dendrochronology Lab (MADLab) released the results of its Dendrochronology study which found that there were remnants of wood in the cellar dating back to 1808.
Although we do not have documentary evidence to prove that any part of the house we see today was original to the 1807 Land Grant, the discovery of wood from 1808 fits in with Charles Doucet’s receipt of the original grant as he would have built a house as soon as possible on the site, cutting wood within the year.
It could also mean, however, that in a later iteration of the house, possibly in the 1830s, 1840s or even as late as 1858 (where there is dendrochronological evidence of new construction), the original 1808 wood was simply reused.
There are several theories about the date of house construction but no archival records remain to tell us when it was built: what we do know is that a dwelling would have had to be built within 5 years of the receipt of the 1807 Land Grant or the Grant would be forfeited by the Crown.
An 1819 report by Hugh Munro (after whom Munro Street is named) describes the house as a farmhouse where lodgings could be rented to travellers.
An 1845 survey map (above) shows a much smaller version of the house at 1 1/2 stories from what we see today.
Paintings and lithographs from the late 1850s show a 2 1/2 story building. And we know that wood in the attic and in the sill of the House has been dated back to 1858 by the Dendrochonology Study.
This study is available in PDF format only. Click on the image to your right to download the study to your desktop.
For images of the MAD Lab Scientists in action go to the Gallery Page.
For YouTube video of them on site go to the YouTube page.