The Harris House
The Harris House in the winter. Archie in the foreground.
The Harris House was built around the middle of the 19th century by the Settles. An earlier farmhouse probably existed on this property as it is known to have been farmed by previous owners. Andrew Settle farmed here throughout the early part of the 20th century and passed the property (approximately 125 acres) on to Stuart Harris who operated it until the early 1970s. The house is characterized by two attractive dormer windows and a sun-filled verandah which was added around 1929. Volunteers converted the verandah into a Tearoom in 1990. It is attractively decorated with hand-stenciled curtains and knitted tea cozies. Almost everything, from china cups and saucers to old-fashioned wooden chairs, has been donated by friends and neighbours. A gift area offers a variety of local souvenirs and crafts. There is something for all tastes and pocketbooks. Revenue generated by the Tearoom and the sale of gifts goes toward the operation of the Museum. Other rooms in the Harris House are used for office, storage and work space.
The garden in front of the Tearoom has many older roses collected from gardens and old farm sites. A beautiful, fragrant little rose, known locally as "the Bissett Rose", flowers briefly around the first of July. A family story tells that this rose was brought by the Bissetts when they immigrated from their home in Montbelliard, now part of France, in 1752.