Our Heritage  Special Places Project

Site Inventory / Page 6 / Pierson





The village of Pierson was named for Jean Louis Pierson (1854-1944). Mr. Pierson was head of an Amsterdam finance house, which had invested in the Canadian Pacific Railway. 
The first regular passenger train came to Pierson February 19,1892. Settlers coming to fulfill their homestead commitment were offered special rates for shipping their effects on the Canadian Pacific Railway.
The first building erected in Pierson was a grocery store belonging to Gould & Elliot. The usual assortment of services followed in a building boom.
Around 1900, the businessmen of Pierson, especially J. F. Dandy, saw a need for more accommodations for the travelling public.
The Avondale Hotel featured a large dining room, reading room, lobby, kitchen and sample room, as well as12 second-floor bedrooms. It was later named the “Leland Hotel”. Pierson quickly became the service centre for the southwest corner.
 
GPS: Downtown Pierson
49* 10’ 46.70” N
101* 15’ 43.63” W




 
 
Pierson Post Office Building
80 Railway Ave.
402.A.1.
1968
Former site of Lefty’s Cafe

 




Pierson United Church
Elva St.
301.B.1.
1902

Presbyterian Church 1902 - 1925





Used for High School classes in 1959 while new school was being built.
Re-sided, renovated

 



 
Pierson Bible Chapel
Railway Ave.
402.B.2.
1957

The first Bible Chapel ca. 1941
 


 

Former Warehouse & Hall

10 Broadway
402.C.1.
1891

“In the fall of 1891 a large warehouse was built where Mr. Gregory Nicholls now lives. It was owned by Sherriff's and Company. The lower part housed machinery, sleighs, cream separators, parts and feed. The upper part was used as a hall. “

First school located in the upper hall.
Converted to a residence by Dr. Morrison
Gregory Nicholls



Re-sided
Two-storey bay





Johns House
20 Broadway
402.C.2.
ca. 1900

Reportedly once owned by a banker.



 

Dr. Shier House
Broadway & Arthur
402.C.3.
1934

Previous site of Ben Shannon’s Pierson Bakery.
Mrs. Rookes
Dr. Shier

Dr. R. L. (Roy) Shier came to Pierson upon graduation in the spring of 1910. He was gazetted Provincial Coroner in 1911 and made health officer in 1914. He enlisted in the Medical Corps in 1916 and was wounded in 1918. He returned from active duty to points in northern Manitoba and came back to Pierson in 1941 as Municipal Doctor. He went to Lyleton one day a week, with his office in Mrs. Boyle's house. He continued to work as Municipal Doctor as long as his health allowed (until 1953).


Side dormer
Enclosed Porch
Original hardwood floors, French doors

 




Kenner House
Latham Ave
402.C.4 .

Kenner
Keilhorn 1955

Well designed – gingerbread, gables, bays





Tom Fennell House

Broadway
402.C.5.

Tom Fennell
Coop Manager
Don McDermot
Ken Jacobson
Brad Lee



One of the earliest residences.




 
 Former Methodist Manse
Broadway & Gov’t Rd
402.C.6.
Ca. 1895

Methodist Church
George Barrows
Bill Milne

Original siding




Lottie & George Barrows




Broadway as it looked in 1910.




 

Pitt House

48 Gov’t Rd.
402.C.7.

Robert Pitt, early Pierson entrepreneur
J.R. Pitt
Richard Phair

Dormer
Bay window, piano window
Built-in Hutch
Re-sided

Robert Pitt bought an implement business from Sid Davis in 1906. He sold his coal dealership to Art Browton in 1931. He took over the duties of secretary-treasurer of the R.M. of Edward from 1931-1934.
 
 




Neumann House
52 Eunola at Gov’t Rd.
402.C.8.
ca. 1910

Moved from Waskada



 

Former Daniel’s Nursing Home

10 Elmore
402.C.9.
1912

Mrs. William (Ethel) Daniels came to North Antler from Tilley, Alberta, in 1925. Expectant mothers were soon requesting her assistance and in 1944, she and her husband secured a licensed nursing home in the village of Pierson. Services were given for $1 a day. She cared for mothers and babies from Lyleton, Gainsborough, Winlaw, Tilston, Fertile, Storthoaks, Elva and Pierson. Dr. Shier acted as attending physician. This was the only nursing home ever in the Edward Municipality.
 Between 1944 and 1951, 80 children were born here.




 
Lee House
Elmore & Souris
402.C.10.
Ken Lee
ca. 1910

House brought in from west of Pierson when Ken Lee bought the land from the CPR Demonstration Farm

Also known as the Harwood House, a Guest House
Gingerbread trim added /  Re-sided


 

 
Rueben Ede House
25 Souris
402.C.11.
1913

Small bungalow with tin siding

Rebon Ede
Sid Baker
Chas. Dandy
Manuel & Kaye Schultz

Mr. Ede moved to town in 1913 from his farm on 14-2-29.


 
 

Basted House
Latham
402.C.12.
ca. 1910

Bay window /  Dumbwaiter

 


 

J.R. Pitt House

20 Arthur
402.C.13.
ca. 1910

J.R.Pitt
Tom Cuthbert
Modern addition.





  Former Anglican Rectory
Arthur
402.C.14.
1913

Built by J.R. Pitt

Anglican Church
Royal Bank Manager


 

 
Centennial Lodge
Gov’t Rd. Allowance
402.C.15.
1991

Seniors’ Residence
12 suites & common areas

Former site of Halbert’s Garage & Lee’s Garage


 


Former United Church Manse
Arthur
402.C.16.
1925

 


 

Former Doctor’s Office
Arthur
402.C.17.
ca. 1920

At least one Doctor from Melita used this small house as an office while serving the Pierson area.


 


Patterson Elevator 
Railway Ave.
402.D.1.
1965



By 1900 there were four elevators in Pierson

 


 

Former Pool Elevator
Railway Ave.
402.D.2.
1939. Annex in 1967



Built by Manitoba Pool
Now Patterson
Replaced a 1928 elevator that burned down.

 

 


Former Red & White Store

Railway Ave.
402.D.3.
ca. 1915

A.McRae
Sam Myers – Butcher Shop
Grocery
Confectionary / Café


 


Former Minshull Blacksmith Shop
Elmore St.
402.D.4.
ca. 1900

Built in ca. 1900 for Thomas Minshull on NW 7-20-26, in the R.M. of Silverton. Moved to Pierson in 1992 and to this site in 1994.



Original storage cabninet.






Former Cuthbert School
Eunola at Souris St.
402.E.2.
1891

Cuthbert School District: 1891- 1923

The first school district formed in this area was Cuthbert No. 633 in 1891. It was built on the west side of 20-3-28 in 1891 of logs. Covered with milled lumber. It was moved to 13-3-29 on the northwest corner of the section.
 

 


Pierson Cemetery
Hwy 256
402.F.1.



Land donated by Mr. Mundell in 1903.
Opened ca. 1897

Plaques on the gateposts commemorate local residents killed during service in the First World War and Second World War.

GPS Reading:     N49.17758, W101.24938



 
 
Kal-Lee Barn
Gov’t Rd
402.G.1.
1960

Site of the CPR Demonstration Farm
Replaced an older barn

“In 1912, the C.P.R. Company decided to develop a Demonstration farm and so built up a full line of modern buildings, including a two-storey cottage roof house, size 28 by 28 feet. The lower storey was covered with white siding, the second story with green shingles as was the cottage roof.
The out buildIngs consisted of an outside toilet, granary, pig house, hen house and a dairy building for the cream separator and churn, with a wash up space. There was a modern-type barn with a loft and storage space in the centre of the barn.
This barn was in use until Mr. S. Lee and boys purchased it. They replaced it in 1960 with a modern hip-roof barn. The house, pig house and hen house are still on the property but the big house has been sold and a more compact one replaces it on the farm now owned by Ken Lee. “
 
 




Pierson Community Hall
Elva St.
402.J.1.
1961

Al Boyd – Construction Foreman
Jerry Drier – cement foreman

Dring rafters
Maple hardwood floor





Jim Dandy Park
Railway Ave.
402.K.1.
2015



Benches
Digital Sign
Interpretive Sign provided by the Turtle Mountain-Souris Plains Heritage Association