Description of Historic Place
The Morton-McLeod House, also known as the Amos Judd House, is a one-and a-half storey, white clapboard residence located at 12 Queen Street, in the Village of Morton. The Morton-McLeod House was constructed in 1855 by George Morton, founder of the Village, and served as housing quarters for a nearby mill. It eventually became Amos Judd's permanent residence.
The Township of South Crosby recognizes the heritage values of the Morton-McLeod House in By-law No. 22-83.
The Morton-McLeod House is associated with, George Morton, Amos Judd and the early development of the Village of Morton. Amos Judd was born in South Crosby and moved to the Village of Morton in 1853, after its founder, George Morton, purchased property near Morton, formerly called Whitefish Falls. Upon arrival in Morton, Amos Judd was listed as George Morton's agent for the mill and plaster factory. Amos Judd is associated with the early development of Morton as he and his family were one of the first to settle in the area. By 1857, when Morton's streets were laid out, one of the lanes was named after Judd. Judd later went on to become active in trade pursuits in the area and was also a provincial road commissioner under Oliver Mowat's Liberal government.
Additionally, the Morton-McLeod House is associated with Amos Judd's son's tenure living in the house. James Chesterfield Judd, in the last few decades of the nineteenth century, was active in local affairs, maintained a law office in Morton, and went on to stimulate tourism in the area by acquiring two steam yachts offering day excursions on the Rideau Canal. James Chesterfield Judd also supported tourism and transportation advances in the larger South Crosby area as it is reputed that he also purchased prime lakeshore property for later sale to campers and cottagers. He also was a strong advocate and fundraiser for the construction of the Brockville-Westport Railway and spent a great deal of time exploring potential mining sites and buying land and mineral rights. James Judd owned the house until 1904. The Morton-McLeod House recalls early infrastructure and economic development in the Village of Morton and also reflects a relationship between the village and the building of the Rideau Canal. The Morton-McLeod House stands as a unique reminder of change in the area in the latter half of the nineteenth century and bears witness to the nexus between small-scale economic development and the tourism industry in the area, both linked to the construction of the Rideau Canal.
The Morton-McLeod House was constructed in 1855 by George Morton to be used as a staffing house for the manager of his mill, Amos Judd. It is reputed that within two years, Judd purchased the house and then later rented it to a tenant miller, Duncan Ripley. For a brief period, the Morton-McLeod House served as a housing quarters for people who worked at the nearby mill.
The Morton-McLeod House reflects architectural elements associated with the Neo-Classical style, as seen by its symmetrical façade with a low pitched front gable. This one-and-a-half storey clapboard house features a protruding entranceway replete with sidelights and transom lights. The main door inside the vestibule has rectangular sidelights and a transom and is flanked by rectangular windows with a simple wood trim and sills. The west elevation has six-over-six paned sashes, most likely original to the construction.
Sources: Township of South Crosby By-law No. 22-83; Sue Warren, Hub of the Rideau: A History of the South Crosby Township, Township of South Crosby (1997).
Character defining elements that reflect the heritage value of the Morton-McLeod House includes its:
- one-and-a-half storey wood construction
- low pitched front gabled
- symmetrical façade
- clapboard exterior
- double-hung windows
- windows with a six-over-six pane arrangement on the west façade
- wood lintels and sills
- small protruding vestibule with side-lights and transom lights
- simple eaves