Campbell House Museum

Fun: Museum

Learn: History, Architecture

William Campbell was born in 1758 in Caithness, Scotland. As a young man he studied law. His instructor passed away, and Sir William volunteered for the 76th Foot, a Highland regiment in the British Army. He was subsequently sent to America to fight in the Revolutionary War. He was part of the British Force that surrendered to the Americans at the siege of Yorktown, Virginia in 1781. At the end of the war, he was released and sailed with the United Empire Loyalists to Nova Scotia, where he resumed his legal studies to supplement his income. While there he met and married Hannah Hadley, the daughter of a successful local fisherman. Sir William rose to become the Attorney General of Cape Breton Island. In 1811, he was commissioned as a judge by the British crown and sent to the town of York in Upper Canada, which had a population of 700 prior to the War of 1812.

He had his house built in 1822 on a plot of land located at 54 Duke Street at the top of Frederick Street. In 1825, William became the 6th Chief Justice of Upper Canada. He retired from the bench in 1829 and became the first judge in Canada to receive a knighthood. Sir William Campbell died of illness on January 18, 1834.

Source: Campbell House Museum

Palladian architecture

Palladian architecture is a European architectural style derived from the work of the Venetian architect Andrea Palladio (1508–1580). What is today recognized as Palladian architecture evolved from his concepts of symmetry, perspective, and the principles of formal classical architecture from ancient Greek and Roman traditions, which emphasized symmetry of features (windows, fireplaces, doors, etc.) and grandiose proportions to exhibit wealth). In the 17th and 18th centuries, Palladio's interpretation of this classical architecture developed into the style known as Palladianism.

Source: Wikipedia, Source: Campbell House Museum

Fun Fact and Research Question

Campbell is a very special house with "wheels", which means a house has been relocated. Can you find out when did that happen,  and how far has the house traveled? 

Photo: Xin Yi Zhang