The O’Keefe Property includes a two-storey biscuit box house and a root cellar located in The Valley in Ferryland, NL. The designation is confined to the footprint of the house and the cellar.
Formal Recognition Type
Municipal Heritage Building Structure or Land
Heritage Value
The O’Keefe Property has been designated a municipal heritage site by the Town of Ferryland because of its aesthetic, historic, and cultural value.
The O’Keefe Property has aesthetic value within the community of Ferryland as an example of early 20th century biscuit box design, featuring a low-pitched roof and symmetrical front façade. The root cellar on the property also has aesthetic value as an example of typical cellar design in the region. The common design of root cellars along the Southern Shore featured a square or rectangular pit dug into the ground, which was then lined with stone and topped with a shed. The cellar was used to store food – including vegetables from the family’s garden and up to four quintals of salt fish in the winter. Garden produce included potatoes, onions, carrots, turnip, cabbage, beets, and rhubarb.
The historic and cultural value of the O’Keefe property is tied to the continued occupation of the property by the O’Keefe family. The land was originally obtained by Valentine Keefe, who immigrated to Newfoundland in 1820 from Tipperary, Ireland. A shipwright by trade, Valentine taught carpentry to his son Thomas. Around 1900 the construction of the house was undertaken by Thomas Keefe and his sons Augustus (Gus), Daniel, and Robert. Thomas also built furniture and coffins for residents of Ferryland and surrounding communities.
The house was inherited by Augustus, who made a family there with his wife Catherine Sesk and their nine children. The house was then occupied by Augustus and Catherine’s bachelor sons Albert (Bert), Leo, Harold, and Valentine (Tine) O’Keefe. Both Valentine and Albert served in World War II; the former being a member of the Newfoundland Overseas Forestry Unit (1940-45) and the latter serving in the Royal Navy (1939-1945) before being wounded in battle and losing some ability in his legs. Albert was the last to occupy the house, passing in 2003 at 88 years of age. The house is currently operated as a vacation home.
Music, songs, stories, and dance were important in the O’Keefe house. The family were well-known in the community for their ability to entertain and the property was a popular gathering place down through generations. The family were also once known for their brewing of alcohol. If the blinds in the house were pulled down, it was understood that a brew was underway. Moonshine was typically run around Christmas, St. Patrick’s Day, and Easter.
Source: Town of Ferryland Regular Council Meeting May 6, 2014.
Character Defining Elements
Those pertaining to the house include:
-number of storeys;
-low pitch roof;
-window size and placement;
-size and placement of exterior doors;
-dimension, style and location of porch on right facade;
-dimension, location and orientation of building.
Those pertaining to the cellar include:
-original form, scale and massing;
-original roof type;
-stone foundation;
-window size and placement;
-size and placement of exterior doors;
-dimension, location and orientation of cellar.
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