Armstrong Homestead
Boissevain area,
SW 12-3-20W

Designation Date: September 7, 1995
Designation Authority: The R.M. of Morton
Present Owner: privately owned

George and Margaret Armstrong, originally from Ontario, arrived in the Boissevain area about 1882 and by 1914 were able to construct this house and barn. Their son, Roy, became a full-time farmer and well-known auctioneer. In 1962 the Turtle Mountain Agricultural Society honoured Roy Armstrong for his contributions to the Boissevain and area community. The farm was sold in 1964 after being in the Armstrong family for 83 years.

The house is a good example of a "four-square" design, a simple but comfortable residential style that was very popular from 1885 to 1940. This large, buff-brick residence, set on a stone foundation, is surrounded by an impressive maple grove. The adjacent barn, typical of barn construction from southern Ontario, was built into the side of a hill to allow access to both the stable and loft from ground level. The stable was constructed of fieldstone while the loft featured heavy timber construction that was covered with board and batten siding. The fieldstone was obtained from a local quarry and the timbers for the house and barn were milled at Morton’s Sawmill at Max Lake in the nearby Turtle Mountains.