“The de Gannes-Cosby House withstood a tumultuous time in the history of the Maritimes and is exemplary of all of the early years of settlement that have shaped the Canada we know today. The plaque unveiled today commemorates the site’s rich past and its important place in Canadian history.” - The Honourable Steven Guilbeault Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada

The house was built in 1708 for French nobleman and officer with the garrison Major Louis de Gannes de Falaise with funds provided by King Louis XIV. Dendochronology done by Dr. André Robichaud in 2007, funded in part by The Historical Association of Annapolis Royal, dated it as Canada’s oldest wooden house. A rare example of a pre-Deportation residence in Acadia, it is typical of the houses inhabited by the colonial officer class under both French and British rule.

Founded within Mi’kma’ki, the traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq, Annapolis Royal was once known as Port-Royal and was the capital of the French colony of Acadia between 1605 and 1710. During this time, Port-Royal was repeatedly besieged and captured as the French and British empires fought for supremacy in North America. Major de Gannes de Falaise had arrived in Port-Royal in 1701. The house was constructed on the foundations of an earlier house which had been razed during the 1707 siege of Port-Royal by the British. After the final capture of Port-Royal by the British in 1710, he returned to France. The house was forfeited to the British Crown. After 1727, it served as a residence for British officer Alexander Cosby, lieutenant-governor of the fort and town of Annapolis Royal. After his death in 1742, his wife Anne Winniett lived in the house from 1727 until 1788. In the years since 1788, the house was rented and then sold numerous times. It has been occupied by more than twenty families over three centuries and has always been a private home. It is not open to the public.

Jim and Pauline How purchased the de Gannes-Cosby house in 1983. They moved in and began an ambitious undertaking to restore the important historic structure to its original glory. The How family have spent years restoring the house and furnishing it with period pieces. Today the importance of the house to Canada and the community is widely recognized.

Located at 477 St. George Street within the Annapolis Royal Historic District, the de Gannes-Cosby House is a private residence. This carefully restored structure retains many original features including post and beam framing, sections of wattle and daub infill, massive floorboards, fine pine panelling and a fieldstone foundation. It is a one-and-a-half-storey, rectangular building with an ell. The walls, which are of post and beam construction, were originally finished with clay wattle and daub. The average floorboard is 24 inches wide, and the largest is 31 inches wide x 20 feet long. The house sits on a fieldstone foundation and is clad with wooden clapboard. It has a distinctive gambrel roof with two front side dormers topped with pediments (added in the 20th century). The ell, constructed circa 1870, features three gabled dormers. The original house has a central hall plan with a full-length parlour on the south side and two rooms on the north side. On the second floor there are three bedrooms (one large, on the south side and two smaller, on the north) and a modern bathroom. The rear addition has a formal dining room with summer kitchen and pantry on the main level and two bedrooms and a bath above.


The Government of Canada, through Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, recognizes nationally significant persons, places, and events as one way of helping Canadians connect with their past. By sharing these stories with Canadians, they hope to foster understanding and awareness of Canada’s rich and complex heritage. The commemoration process is largely driven by public nominations. To date, more than 2,200 designations have been made. See the link below to nominate an historic place, person or event in your community.

To learn about more historic places and people in the Annapolis Royal Area, pick up a free copy of the Explorer Guide.

Click the "de Gannes-Cosby House Plaquing" Album below to see MORE PHOTOS of the plaquing celebration in Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia.