Building date: 1852
Original use:
Corner structures:
Mortar application and content:
Types and uses of stones:
Types and choice of windows:
Structures with similar masonry details:
Masons who worked on building: Levi Boughton
Unique features: Oldest cobblestone church in Canada.
Map views courtesy Google Maps. Address is Google Earth confirmed; 43°11'14.41"N 80°22'32.38"W.
City of Paris and Brant County Maps.
Levi Boughton built this house for himself and his family in 1852 and resided here for 30 years. There is an attached cobblestone kitchen wing. In the 1851 census his son, Levi Jr., age 18, was listed as a mason. It is thus likely he assisted his father in the building of the house and the laying of the carefully chosen cobblestones.
The front porch and wing were later additions. The house is an excellent example of pre-1850 cottage architecture with its balanced dimensions, low pitched roof, alternating quoins and wide doorway with side and overhead lights. The interior has changed little save for the addition of a furnace and hardwood flooring, which cover the original wide plank floors. Of particular interest is the plaster medallion in the hall ceiling. Boughton died in 1895 and was buried in the Paris Cemetery. A bronze plaque placed at the grave site lists his major contributions to the architecture of Paris.
Subsequent owners were John Carnie Jr., David J. Wilkes, Janet Weir, John O. Dickert, Ingvart Jensen and Thomas Jensen. Richard Palmer blog.
Levi Boughton House, County of Brant Public Library Digital Collections
County of Brant Heritage Driving Tour, page 17: Bra-2 Levi Boughton House, 1852.
- "Cobblestone Masonry", 1966, Carl Schmidt: Name reference, Dickert - Jensen House
- Page 224
¹ Photography courtesy Martin and Sheila Wolfish.
² Photography courtesy Richard Palmer.
