Anglican Church Vicarage

Description:

Eye-catching 3 story Edwardian style residence, just a few blocks north of downtown Mission. Built of Clayburn brick, with a front verandah facing north; the property slopes steeply to the south, with magnificent views of the Fraser River and Mt. Baker.

History:

In 1910 Edward James Abbott built his family’s second home in Mission on Third Avenue where they owned a large berry farm. Edward’s granddaughter Mildred thinks that Edward had bought this property in 1900. He owned practically the whole block from Grand Street and Third Avenue down to Second Avenue and then east until the last three lots before James Street.

At that time, the only structure on the property was a shed¹ right about where the gate to the house is now located. When Etta (Edward’s youngest daughter) was 9 years old (ca 1910), the Abbott family moved from Cedar Street, where their first farmhouse had been built. ²

This new house in town was ahead of its time by having electricity, indoor plumbing (including flush toilets) and a hydraulically operated “dumbwaiter” cooler which Mr. Abbott invented himself, and which extended from the kitchen to the basement. The dumbwaiter was used for numerous items such as jars of canned fruit, and in the summer, a cool storage place for milk. This house was also unique in having a toilet on the ground floor. This was so that Edward, when working, would not have to take off his boots and go through the upstairs to use the washroom.

In 1912 the house which sits just to the east was built for Edward’s son, Cephus and his new wife. It is difficult not to include the history of this neighboring house as it is so intertwined with the family and history. Unfortunately, Cephus died overseas of the Spanish flu in 1919 just after WWI. That house was then rented out until Edward’s youngest daughter Etta was married on August 19, 1921, and moved into it with her husband Andrew Davidson McRae and they raised their family. Edward Davidson McRae (Andrew and Etta’s son) was born at home. Mildred and Lois (Edward’s younger sisters) were born in the Mission hospital. The family remained in the home originally built for Cephus until Edward died in 1932.

Etta and her family moved back next door to 33022 Third Avenue with Etta’s mother Charlotte where they stayed until Charlotte passed away in 1939. Etta and Andrew then moved back to the home where they had originally begun their family. The 33022 house was rented out and eventually, it was made into two apartments for rent.

After Etta passed away on Dec. 22nd, 1981 the house that had been built for Cephus was also rented out and Edward, Etta and Andrew McRae’s son, managed the two houses. Edward, Mildred, and Lois later sold one of the properties and Mildred moved to the upstairs apartment in the other property.

The house was recently on the market and has been purchased.

People Associated with the Site:

Edward James Abbott bought the property and built the houses. He was married to Charlotte, and together they had multiple children, including Cephus, Mina, Ira, and Etta.

Andrew McRae’s sister and her husband, with their two daughters, lived across the street from the Abbotts. Andrew’s two nieces were friends with Etta, who would go on to marry their uncle.

Andrew McRae, who had arrived from Ontario at 16 years old, would go on to have three children with Etta. Their names were Edward, Mildred, and Lois. They became the owners and managers of the houses once their parents passed away.

Both the Abbott and McRae families were very involved in the local community and active in many associations.

Architectural Features:

An Edwardian-style house, typical of prosperous Ontario family residences, with two front doors, one into the dining room and one into the front hall. On the main floor, there was a parlor at the front and a master bedroom that had a porch off of it. Two storey’s plus attic and a basement. Dormer windows. Edward James Abbott was the builder; he may also have drawn up the plans.

Construction method/materials: wood frame with a Clayburn brick exterior, decorative shingle pattern on the gabled roof.

Landscape:

The lot was originally a berry farm but is now subdivided and urban, with a large back yard. Mr. Abbott planted numerous fruit trees along the back – an Oregon Red apple tree, a Winter Banana tree, a cherry, a pear, a prune, and a big plum tree. Later, he would grow an Oregon Red and Winter Banana for the neighboring house which was his but built for his son Cephus. There are still remnants of one of the cherry trees that had to be cut back. It was called a Carnival Cherry. Mr. Abbott nursed a seedling along and when it started to produce it was a big Bing-like cherry, but a little juicier; it always ripened by the first of July. When Mr. Abbott got Mr. Eddy from Eddy’s Nurseries to come down to see it, Mr. Eddy wanted to take cuttings from it. Mr. Eddy wanted to call it the Abbott, but Mr. Abbott was far too modest, so they called it the Carnival.

A path leads from the front porch around the east side of the house down through a gate into the back yard. The yard contains many flowers and shrubs, including a wisteria vine on the southwest porch. Grapevines in the back of the house extend from the ground and can reach all the way up over the third-floor balcony. The Carnival Cherry tree still exists in the back yard along with a vegetable garden, raspberries, a fig tree, and other fruits.