Description of Historic Place

The Allen Barn is a 1 ½ storey symmetric maritime vernacular cabin, which evolved from a house to a storage barn, built circa 1850 in Union Corner.

Heritage Value

The Allen Barn is valued for its age, its architectural style and integrity, and for its association with a community in Prince Edward Island in which English settlers and Acadians co-existed despite a pronounced language barrier.

Originally a dwelling house, this maritime vernacular cabin was built circa 1850 for Francis Gallant, an Acadian farmer from Union Corner in Lot 15. Of wood frame construction, it recalls the architectural style favoured by Acadian settlers in the province with details inspired by New England building techniques, such as the use of wood shingle cladding on the exterior walls.

Around 1900, the Gallant farm was purchased by Webster Allen of New Brunswick. He opted to build his own home on the north side of the road and had Gallant's house moved into place behind it for use as a storage shed (it would later house a milk separator). The farm was eventually passed on to Allen's son, Charles, and remains in the family today, although the acreage has been reduced.

The Allen Barn has been little altered since its construction, with the exception of asphalt shingles installed on the roof circa 1990 that replaced the original wood shingles, and an antique style of red paint applied to the east elevation. It stands as a significant architectural example of an evolved barn that is still easily recognizable as having once been a house.

Although the Allen Barn no longer sits in its original 1850 footprint, the fact that it was moved and repurposed as a barn within the community is illustrative of the important role played by building movers in an era when such activity was carried out by horse and capstan, and when many similar buildings from this area of Lot 15 are known to have been moved to Summerside by way of ice-covered water, to be used as houses in the west end of the city.

Heritage Places files, Department of Education, Early Learning & Culture, Charlottetown, PEI
File #: 4310-20/A49

Character-Defining Elements

The heritage value of the Allen Barn is shown in the following character-defining elements:

- the wood frame construction
- the wood shingle cladding
- the slim cornerboards
- the vertical board doors
- the original door and window openings
- the four-over-four sash windows
- the rough glass of the windows
- the lack of a foundation
- the steep pitch of the roof preventing build-up of snow
- the symmetry of the east and west elevations
- the placement of the barn in a linear line behind the main house to offer easy access and shelter from wind
- the evolution of the structure from house to barn with little modification
- the overall visibility of the barn to passing motorists
- the overall preservation of the structure