Formal Recognition Type

Municipal Heritage Building, Structure or Land

Heritage Value

The Dr. Henry N. Payne Community Museum has been designated a municipal heritage site by the Town of Cow Head due to its aesthetic and historic value.

The Dr. Henry N. Payne Community Museum has aesthetic value because it is one of the few early 20th century buildings remaining in the community of Cow Head in its original form. This house is a good example of early vernacular house construction. The simplicity of design reveals the functional nature of the house. A mid pitch roof has replaced an earlier gambrel roof; a common practice in much of rural Newfoundland. The house has a small lean-to side porch with a shed roof which was added to facilitate extra guests. The simplicity of the home is carried over in the lack of ornamentation, the narrow wooden clapboard, the wide corner boards and the 1/1 windows.

The Dr. Henry N. Payne Community Museum has historic value because of its associations with Dr. Henry N. Payne. Dr. Payne was a prominent citizen of the community of Cow Head. He was an educator in the community for 45 years, and – along with his wife Minnie – was very involved in his church. He was a lay reader for the Anglican Church for 60 years and Minnie was an organist. The couple often took visiting guests into their home, such as the bishop, Newfoundland Rangers, and visiting magistrates and school inspectors. Dr. Payne was a Justice of the Peace, a field worker for the co-operative movement, and a member of the library board, parish council, local improvement board, and the St. Barbe South Integrated School Board. In 1975, he was awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws from Memorial University of Newfoundland. The news release announcing his honourary degree reads, “Mr. Henry Payne, teacher, educator, has played a prominent role in the educational and cultural life of western Newfoundland.” The Payne home was donated to the Town of Cow Head for use as a museum.

Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador unnumbered property file – Cow Head Dr. Henry Payne House.

Character Defining Elements

All those elements of the 20th century vernacular design, including:
-narrow wood clapboard;
-mid-pitch gable roof;
-wide wooden cornerboards;
-1/1 windows;
-window fenestrations, and;
-side porch with shed roof.

Community

Cow Head

Municipality

Town of Cow Head

Civic Address

143 Main Road

Construction (circa)

1941 - 1941

Builder

Wallace Payne

Style

Rectangular Long Façade