Placentia Area Historical Society

Identity area

Identifier

NL0041

Authorized form of name

Placentia Area Historical Society

Parallel form(s) of name

Other form(s) of name

Type

  • Community

Contact area

 

Tom O'Keefe

Type

Address

Street address

48 Orcan Drive

Locality

Placentia

Region

Newfoundland and Labrador

Country name

Postal code

Telephone

Fax

Email

Note

Description area

History

Geographical and cultural context

Mandates/Sources of authority

Administrative structure

Records management and collecting policies

The O’Reilly House Museum is aware of its responsibility to preserve and protect the collection and will endeavour to do this by following the standards established by the ABCs of Collection Care and the “Rules for Archival Description (RAD).”

The complete collections policy can be found here: http://www.placentiahistory.ca/attachments/065_PAHS%20-%20Collections%20Management%20Policy.pdf

Buildings

The O’Reilly House Museum was restored by the Placentia Area Historical Society and opened to the public in 1989. It was subsequently designated a Registered Heritage Structure on the 24th April, 1999 by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador.

Originally called “Brefery House,” this Balustrade Queen Anne Victorian house was built in 1902 by W.J. Ellis for the William O’Reilly family of Placentia. William O’Reilly was the Magistrate from 1897 to 1923. After he completed his tenure, the O’Reilly House served as home to the Magistrates of Placentia until the 1970s.

The O’Reilly House Museum captures the trappings of life and the wealth of the owners. Whether it is the stained glass that decorates the entrance on the ground floor, the finely detailed and intricately hand-trowelled mouldings in the parlour or the dental detail notched into the main staircase, the house imparts this richness.

On the ground floor, the parlour and dining room also offer a taste of the life enjoyed by William O’Reilly and his family. Both rooms contain fireplaces, an attribute of the wealth and status of Magistrate O’Reilly. Similarly, the master bedroom and some of the other rooms on the top floor contain fireplaces. In less affluent homes, heating by virtue of the oven was restricted to the kitchen, often the warmest room in the house.

In this light, towards the rear of the house on the ground floor, a part of daily life is reflected in the kitchen and pantry. In these rooms, the food and meals that eventually decorated the dining room table were prepared. A narrow and unadorned stairway connects the kitchen to the maid’s quarters on the top floor. Its plainness typifies an aspect of life that did not require the embellishment characteristic in the other parts of the home.

Collectively, the features of the O’Reilly House Museum convey the time when this home was built, in addition to a fragment of the life led by those who lived and worked within its walls.

Holdings

Finding aids, guides and publications

Access area

Opening times

Access conditions and requirements

Accessibility

Services area

Research services

Reproduction services

Public areas

Control area

Description identifier

Institution identifier

Rules and/or conventions used

Status

Level of detail

Dates of creation, revision and deletion

Created - April 10, 2013

Language(s)

  • English

Script(s)

Maintenance notes

Access points

Access Points

  • Clipboard

Primary contact

48 Orcan Drive
Placentia, Newfoundland and Labrador