Commemoration
The front portion of this structure one of the earliest surviving military buildings in Ontario, was constructed as a residence about 1810 by Colonel Edward Jessup, the founder of Prescott. Following the outbreak of the War of 1812, the stone house was appropriated for use as a barracks by local militia and later, British regulars. It was soon enclosed within a stockade with other buildings, including a log schoolhouse also converted for barracks. Although a fort was completed nearby in 1814, the Jessup building continued to form part of the strategically located Prescott garrison. Between 1815 and 1817 it served as a combined hospital and barracks store, and in 1823 the British force purchased the house from the Jessup family
Background
The building is done in the vernacular Georgian style. It is built of materials easily available locally. The windows are one of the few changes to the look of the house, having been updated in the 1990s. The addition on the east side was added in the 1880s.
It was a private residence until it was converted into a museum in the 1980s. It has since been returned to that role by a new owner.
Its long service before that as a military building shows the lasting impact of the conflict begun in 1775.