THE CHARLES MACDONALD HOUSE OF CENTREVILLE SOCIETY

During World War I, Kentville Concrete Products was a thriving business. Demonstrating remarkable foresight, Charlie saved a part of his earnings during this period in a rainy-day fund. When the Great Depression hit, these personal savings allowed him to provide much-needed work for his staff. Between 1934 and 1938, Charlie and his staff worked to build five concrete cottages at Huntington Point. 

 

Charlie and Mabel first camped at Huntington Point in 1919 when it was a secluded spot accessible only through a wooded cow pasture. Charlie decided this was the perfect location for his cottage project. Working without formal plans or blueprints, he improvised with materials such as concrete, beach stones, brick, wire, and wood. He creatively incorporated windows of various shapes and sizes, using salvaged materials to reduce costs. Each cottage was unique, yet they shared common characteristics: they were built from a mix of materials, reinforced with iron and driftwood, brightly painted, and deliberately asymmetrical. Each also featured an oversized fireplace, a space for cold storage, and a sailboat figure perched on the chimney rain-cap. Their whimsical designs and imaginative craftsmanship earned them the nickname "faerie cottages."

 

Four of these cottages remain today. The Red Cottage is still in the Macdonald family, owned by Charlie and Mabel’s direct descendants. The Blue Cottage is owned by the Charles Macdonald House of Centreville Society and is available to Society members for week-long vacations. The two other cottages are privately owned. The fifth and most distinctive cottage is no longer standing. Known as the Teapot Cottage for its unique teapot-like shape, it was demolished in the 1980s to make room for a new building.