Photo of Thimble Cottage

• Main Author: Mannion,Maura
• Other Authors: O'Brien, John, 1791-1857, was the founder of the O'Brien farm in St. John's and Aloysius's great-grandfather.
• Format: Still Image
• Language: unknown
• Published: 1973
• Subjects: Migration/settlement; Houses; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://collections.mun.ca/cdm/ref/collection/ich_avalon/id/6054

The present structure was the third home built by John O'Brien on his farm. Built for his son Timothy, it would usually take two winters to gather sufficient materials from the nearby forest to build such a dwelling. He made the chimney from locally-gathered stone and sheltered the structure with locally-made spruce shingles. The two-and-a-half-storeyed salt-box house has a sloping roof which makes the structure a single storey at the rear where the kitchen is located. The dwelling is typical of a nineteenth century Newfoundland Irish farmhouse. It is the sole survivor of approximately 20 similar homes that were once common in the Freshwater Valley area. Thimble Cottage was declared a Registered Heritage Structure in 1992. This structure was also awarded the Southcott Award for Heritage Restoration by the Newfoundland Historic Trust.