Link to:
Occupants | Photos & Maps | Sources
This two-storey wood frame house on First Avenue in Neepawa was thought to be built sometime between 1906 and 1910 by the Knox Presbyterian Church, serving as a manse, though the records are inconclusive.
In 1929, the building was purchased by Stuart Gordon Simpson (1887-1935) to be used as a funeral parlour and his family home. When Simpson died, the business was taken over by Jack White, and used until he moved the business to North Mountain Avenue in 1940. The next owners, Herbert Smith and William Hughes, also operated a funeral parlour in this building, and Hughes lived upstairs in a portion of the residence with his family. The remaining rooms were rented to Air Force personnel from the nearby base. It was sold in 1947 to Viola and Harold Knudson, at which point its use as a funeral home ceased.
Author Margaret Laurence is said to have used this house as inspiration for the funeral parlour in her 1966 book A Jest of God. Laurence’s uncle was Stuart Gordon Simpson (1887-1935), the first funerary owner.
The building is listed as historically significant by the Town of Neepawa and the Neepawa Heritage Committee.
Period
Occupant
1901-1910
Rev. R. Francis Hall
1911-1915
Rev. H. G. Crozier
1916-1920
Rev. C. H. Best
1921-1925
Rev. R. G. Stwart
1925-1929
?
1929-1935
Stuart Gordon Simpson (1887-1935)
1935-1940
Jack White (Dominion Manufacturers Limited)
1940-1947
Herbert H. Smith and William Hughes
1947-1976
Harold and Viola Knudson
1977-?
Peggy and Grant Johnson
The former Knox Presbyterian Manse at Neepawa (February 2020)
Source: George PennerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N50.224777, W99.46829
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Knox Presbyterian Church (396 First Street, Neepawa)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Knox Presbyterian Manse / Davidson House (281 Mill Street, Neepawa)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Davidson House (344 Main Street East, Neepawa)
Memorable Manitobans: James Henry Davidson (1862-1911)
We thank the Neepawa Heritage Advisory Committee for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by S. Goldsborough and George Penner.
Page revised: 1 July 2021
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