Description
The Jacob and Eloshia Crocker House, built circa 1898, is a two storey biscuit box style house located along the waterfront in Trout River, NL. The designation is confined to the footprint of the building.
Statement of Significance
Formal Recognition Type
Registered Heritage Structure
Heritage Value
The Jacob and Eloshia Crocker House was designated a Registered Heritage Structure by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador in 2003 because of its aesthetic and cultural value.
The Jacob and Eloshia Crocker House has aesthetic value as it is a representative example of an early twentieth-century fisherman’s dwelling on the west coast of the province. This vernacular house type was built by fishing families in the Bonne Bay region in the late 1800s and early 1900s, and this is a good unaltered example.
The Jacob and Eloshia Crocker House has historic value for its association with the Crocker family. The home was built by Jacob Arthur Crocker Sr, grandson of George Crocker of Dorsetshire, England, one of the first settlers in Trout River. In 1897 Jacob Crocker married Eloshia (sometimes spelled Aloysia) Patience Howell, originally from Griquet. They had eight children together. After Jacob died of tuberculosis in 1916, Eloshia, known locally as Aunt Losh, worked outside the home at a local cannery and as a stewardess on the SS Kyle, the ferry crossing between Port aux Basque and North Sydney. Eloshia met her second husband, Frederick Blackmore, while both worked onboard the Kyle and later settled in Channel. Jacob and Eloshia’s son William Crocker became a master mariner at 27. He served on the MV Bluenose of Yarmouth as mate, chief officer, retiring captain, and master.
The Jacob and Eloshia Crocker House has cultural value as it is symbolic of a particular time, place and occupation. From the days of early settlement, life in this community was orientated to the sea, and generations made a living from it. Residents of the Jake Crocker House were participants in this tradition and the building stands as a testament to this way of life.
Source: Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador property file “Trout River – Jake Crocker House – FPT 1630”
Character Defining Elements
All those features that speak to the age and simplicity of the building’s vernacular design, including:
-flat roof;
-chimney style and placement;
-number of storeys;
-narrow wooden clapboard;
-wooden corner boards;
-asymmetrical placement of windows and doors on front facade;
-wooden window size, style, trim and placement;
-size, style, trim and placement of exterior wooden doors;
-dimension, location and orientation of building; and,
-location of building near the waterfront.
Location and History
Community
Trout River
Municipality
Town of Trout River
Civic Address
Main Street
Construction (circa)
1898 - 1898
Builder
Jacob A. Crocker Sr.
Style
Rectangular Long Façade
Location
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