Welcome to Seven Oaks House
Seven Oaks House is the oldest home in Winnipeg. It was built from 1851-53 for John and Mary Inkster. By the standards of its time, this was an imposing mansion. The smaller building next door became the family’s General Store, but it was originally their first home. It was built in the 1830s, which makes it the oldest building left in Winnipeg.
John & Mary had been married for 25 years and had given life to all eleven of their children before construction began on the building known as Seven Oaks House. Its architectural style is based on the trading posts and administration buildings used by the HBC – which would have been the most imposing buildings in the area at that time. The design is Georgian-inspired, and this simple style was used for the homes of many elite Red River families at this time (eg: St Andrew’s Rectory; Twin Oaks; the Sutherland family home formerly in East Kildonan.)
The Inkster family lived on this property from around 1831 to 1912, witnessing 80 years of changes in lifestyle and technology. Their story embodies many of the changes our city underwent as it grew from a remote trading post to a Canadian metropolis. The furnishings and artifacts that fill the home have been curated to represent the many changes that the Inkster family witnessed here. For example, the family initially used home-made candles to light the home and went on to use coal oil lamps. Electrical and telephone lines were only expanded along Main Street into the Kildonan area around 1910, and the house would not have had running water.
The family were prominent figures in the community who gave their name to places like Inkster Boulevard and Inkster School Electoral district. Before street addresses were used, prominent families would name their homes. They called their homestead ‘Seven Oaks’ and helped popularise the name that is now used for our local neighbourhood, hospital, and school division.
‘Seven Oaks Creek’ once ran through this land. Its name came from a stand of large oak trees that stood out like a beacon on the otherwise barren prairie and were used as a landmark by the settlers. In 1816, the famous Battle of Seven Oaks occurred along that creek, and in 1891, an Inkster erected a monument on the family property along Main St.
John & Mary had been married for 25 years and had given life to all eleven of their children before construction began on the building known as Seven Oaks House. Its architectural style is based on the trading posts and administration buildings used by the HBC – which would have been the most imposing buildings in the area at that time. The design is Georgian-inspired, and this simple style was used for the homes of many elite Red River families at this time (eg: St Andrew’s Rectory; Twin Oaks; the Sutherland family home formerly in East Kildonan.)
The Inkster family lived on this property from around 1831 to 1912, witnessing 80 years of changes in lifestyle and technology. Their story embodies many of the changes our city underwent as it grew from a remote trading post to a Canadian metropolis. The furnishings and artifacts that fill the home have been curated to represent the many changes that the Inkster family witnessed here. For example, the family initially used home-made candles to light the home and went on to use coal oil lamps. Electrical and telephone lines were only expanded along Main Street into the Kildonan area around 1910, and the house would not have had running water.
The family were prominent figures in the community who gave their name to places like Inkster Boulevard and Inkster School Electoral district. Before street addresses were used, prominent families would name their homes. They called their homestead ‘Seven Oaks’ and helped popularise the name that is now used for our local neighbourhood, hospital, and school division.
‘Seven Oaks Creek’ once ran through this land. Its name came from a stand of large oak trees that stood out like a beacon on the otherwise barren prairie and were used as a landmark by the settlers. In 1816, the famous Battle of Seven Oaks occurred along that creek, and in 1891, an Inkster erected a monument on the family property along Main St.
Seven Oaks House Museum & Ross House Museum sit on Treaty One land: The traditional territory of the Anishinaabeg and Ininíwak, the land of the Dakota and the homeland of the Red River Métis.
Contact us:
Tracey Turner - Curator / Manager
[email protected]
[email protected]
Seven Oaks House Museum204-339-7429
[email protected] 50 Mac Street, Winnipeg, MB
|
Ross House Museum204-942-5396
[email protected] 140 Meade Street North, Winnipeg, MB
|
Operated with support from
|
|
|
|