The Ontario Cottage

3 Bank Street North

Built in 1837, the Ontario or Regency Cottage, pictured on the cover,
is probably the oldest surviving house in Millbrook. This architectural
style is said to have been popular with retired British army officers.
The exquisitely preserved one-and-a-half-storey home, with full length
awning-roofed veranda, fanciful treillage, large windows and
tall, decorative chimneys is built into the bank overlooking Baxter
Creek. The original front door faces the creek. The principal rooms
are in the lower portion of the house, with bedrooms on the upper
floor. The barn on the property is a reproduction of the original.
The townships of Cavan and Monaghan were surveyed in 1817
by Samuel G. Wilmot with assistance from John Deyell. Irish-born
Deyell settled in what is now the hamlet of South Monaghan. He
is credited with naming the two townships Cavan and Monaghan
and establishing Cavan township’s first grist mill where Millbrook’s
Needler’s Mill stands today.