John Wilson and his family arrived in the region west of Pilot Mound in 1879. His son Richard Milner Wilson took up a homestead in the Rural Municipality of Argyle, 14 kilometers west of Pilot Mound on Highway 253 and 1.5 kilometers north. There, he built a log house and livestock sheds. He married a local girl, Annie Elizabeth Baird (1863-1897), and they had eight children. After Annie died, Richard married her sister Louisa Baird (1870-1923) and they had three more children.
In 1909, the Wilsons built this two-storey, red brick home to replace the original farmhouse. The Wilson children dispersed through the years until, by the late 1970s, the house stood unoccupied. Now named the Marringhurst Heritage House, the former Wilson house has been restored to its original grandeur. Operated as a turn-of-the-century farmhouse museum, it is open for tours on request. The spacious lawns and modern kitchen facilities provide a venue for weddings, anniversaries, meetings, and retreats. It is a designated municipal heritage site (1994).
Marringhurst Heritage House (September 2012)
Source: Gordon GoldsboroughSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.23397, W99.06475
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Memorable Manitobans: Richard Milner Wilson (1855-1916)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Come Into Our Heritage: R.M. of Argyle, 1882-1982 by The Rural Municipality of Argyle, 1981, pages 708-709.
Marringhurst Heritage House, Manitoba Historic Resources Branch
This page was prepared by Ed Grassick and Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 4 July 2024
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