How this 315-year-old private home in Annapolis Royal became a national historic site

When Alyn How's parents first purchased the de Gannes-Cosby House in Annapolis Royal, N.S., in 1983, their goal was to return the historic building to its original essence. 

The one-and-a-half-storey home, located at 477 St. George St., was first built for the French officer Louis de Gannes de Falais in 1708, back when Annapolis Royal was known as Port-Royal and was the capital of the French colony of Acadia.

The building has been occupied by more than 20 families since then, but until James and Pauline How moved in and began methodically stripping away years of alterations to reveal its full history, its future was not guaranteed. 

Forty years later, however, the proof is in the new plaque, commemorating the de Gannes-Cosby House as a national historic site. 

On Saturday, about 100 people were in attendance as the plaque was unveiled by Parks Canada and the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, including members of the How family, and descendants of de Gannes.

The house is noteworthy for being a visible symbol of the prolonged conflict between France and England for control of Annapolis Royal, having been occupied by the French until Port-Royal was captured by the British in 1710, and later serving as a residence for British officer Alexander Cosby in 1727.

According to Alyn How, it has been carbon-dated as the oldest wooden house in Canada, something that's remarkable considering all the home has survived, including multiple attempts by France to regain control of Annapolis Royal in the 1700s, and incidents like the Great Fire of 1921, which destroyed many nearby properties on St. George Street.

"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," MP Steven Guilbeault, the minister responsible for Parks Canada, said in a release Saturday.

Father would be thrilled by ceremony

Although James How died in 2019 before he could see the home become a national historic site, his son believes he'd be thrilled by the belated recognition.

"My dad never really relished the limelight," said Alyn How. "But he was such a passionate believer in heritage and was very involved in the rehabilitation in Annapolis Royal … and I think, to see his house, not just locally plaqued and provincially plaqued, but now nationally plaqued would really be a dream come true."

James How built his life and career around heritage, working in a variety of influential positions in Nova Scotia, as the director of the Glace Bay Miners Museum, at the Fortress of Louisbourg where he was the head of Interpretation and curator of Collections and Buildings, and finally as an interpretation officer for Fort Anne, Port Royal, Grand Pre and Port Edward. 

In retirement, he focused his efforts on Annapolis Royal, volunteering in numerous places, including as head of the town's heritage advisory committee.

Pauline How, now in a nursing home, was unable to attend the event, but the couple's children travelled to Annapolis Royal for the ceremony and to celebrate the work of their parents.

They spent much of this past week, said Alyn How, getting the home ready for the plaque unveiling. 

As a private residence, the de Gannes-Cosby house is not typically open for public viewing, but those in attendance Saturday were able to do a walk-through of the rooms on its first floor, which have all been staged with period-appropriate furniture and antiques. 

"It was a glimpse for people today … to capture a moment in time," said How.

He thanked several people in the community for helping the family achieve its goal of making the house a national historic site, including Jane Nicholson, who has restored several other properties in town and spearheaded the nomination for the plaque, and Alan Melanson, head of the Annapolis Historical Association, who was mentored by James How and is writing a book about the de Gannes-Cosby house with his wife Durline Melanson.

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