The Shiretown ~ Dorchester

Come with me
for a walk by the sea

well ~ it is a bay
but why split hairs over a body of water??!!

I am going to take you through
the village of Dorchester

once a bustling community
it has died a slow death over the years

it still holds charm
beautiful old houses
and lots of memories.

One of the most popular draws
to this little village is
The Bell Inn

it is the oldest stone building in New Brunswick
built in 1811

it is now a restaurant and I can tell you from personal experience
if you are ever in the area ~ stopping there is a must.

Next stop on the tour is

a beautiful old stone home
with gorgeous grounds

just up the hill from the square
is another gem

Chandler House ~ Rocklyn

this is still a private home.

Some of the gorgeous old homes
I have been inside of
over the years

this one belonged to Rev. and Mrs. Baker
she always had the most beautiful gardens
and I wanted to be married by him

sadly he passed away before I
was ready to wed

my Great Aunt & Uncle lived here
many a meal and a memory from this house

this one has been made into a tea house
Gina and I stopped here for lunch while she was here
it's another beauty

another private home

this one has been renovated into apartments
and is called The Maples

in disrepair ~ but loving those windows

the old fire station
ir run by a volunteer force

For a little village
there was no shortage in churches

there are 5 of them
and 3 are still active churches

Dorchester Baptist
~
I went to Sunday school here
many, many years ago

Trinity Anglican

Dorchester United

St. James Presbyterian
is now a textile museum

and last but not least

this was the Catholic Church
sadly it closed a few years back
due to the shortage of priests in the area

it is now used as a community hall.

The village square
used to have a bank, store,
doctor's offices, a gas station
and many other businesses

quiet and quaint
now this old building houses the library

roses bloom around a common area

and the old jail stands as a reminder
of days gone by

this is the Dorchester Penitentiary
perched high atop the hill

the guard row
aptly named as this is where the guards used to live

the old stone stairs heading up the hill
another reminder of the past

then the two big houses up top
right in front of the "big house"
this is where the warden and assistant warden
used to reside

as we go down the Cape Road
we head to Dorchester Cape
and my little piece of heaven

on the way we see the old fertilizer plant
shut down back in the 1970's

and the church where my Aunt Dot was married
this is Dorchester Cape Church
and it was made over to a private residence
many years ago.


Well ~ I hope you enjoyed your visit to Dorchester

of course you have already been
down the hill to the cape
many time with me before

I really had fun the afternoon
I walked around taking shots
for this little piece.

I wish you all a wonderful week-end!




xo