The preservation of P.E.I.’s-built heritage is a noble goal. Denver Parkman, a skilled carpenter, has contributed to that goal by relocating and restoring an historic home.
In 2020, he took on the task of giving new life to a property formerly known as the Weeks house. The property had sat empty for many years, and a number of people feared it would fall to ruin.
The former Weeks home, which had been located on the original property where the first Weeks family settled in 1832, was a prominent, well-kept house. Built in the 1920s after the previous house was destroyed by fire, it was a full 2-storey, hipped-roof style house with a large kitchen wing.
Parkman, with the help of his family, moved the old house roughly half a kilometre across the fields from where it was located on Route 2 to a new property on the Fredericton Station Road beside the Confederation Trail. Putting his carpentry skills to good use, he was able to restore the house and preserve its original character. That work included milling his own cedar shingles for the exterior of the house.
For the restoration of this property, Denver Parkman has been chosen to receive a Heritage Recognition Award.