The construction of Seven Oaks House was commenced in 1851. The oak logs used for construction were hewn seven inches square and set one on the other, with the butt joints secured with wooden pegs. Construction was halted in 1852 by the devastating floodwaters of the Red River, which covered the property to a depth of four feet. On completion in 1853, an impressive two storey, nine-room house bordered the bank of the Red River.
The house was lived in by the Inkster family until 1912 when it was turned over to the City of Winnipeg. The house did not open as a museum until 1958. Today its furnishings, some of them original, depict the lifestyle of the Inkster family.
The Inkster Store was built sometime between 1826 and 1831 and is the oldest surviving building in Winnipeg. Originally a two-room cottage, it was renovated around 1853 to serve as a general store and post office. It is a rare example of early Red River Frame architecture.
A plaque east of the museum was erected in 1959 by the Historic Sites Advisory Board of Manitoba. The building is a municipally-designated historic site.
Inkster House (April 1959) by John H. Warkentin
Source: John Warkentin Fonds, 2009-029/003, ASC16714, York University
Seven Oaks House Museum (August 2019)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Seven Oaks House Museum (June 2021)
Source: George Penner
Interior of the Seven Oaks House Museum (August 2019)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Kitchen interior of the Seven Oaks House Museum (August 2023)
Source: Rose Kuzina
Inkster store at Seven Oaks House Museum (July 2020)
Source: George Penner
Unveiling historic marker at Seven Oaks House (1959)
Source: Archives of Manitoba, Historic Sites - John Inkster House 2.
Seven Oaks House commemorative plaque (2010)
Source: City of Winnipeg
Artifacts found during the 2019 field season by the University of Manitoba field school excavations at Seven Oaks House Museum (August 2019)
Source: Rose KuzinaSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.93011, W97.11674
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Inkster House / Bleak House (1637 Main Street, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Red River Frame Buildings
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Municipally Designated Historic Sites
Memorable Manitobans: John Inkster (1799-1874)
Seven Oaks House Opened as a Museum by Frank Hall
Manitoba Pageant, Volume 4, Number 2, January 1959
Information for this page was provided by The City of Winnipeg’s Planning, Property and Development Department, which acknowledges the contribution of the Government of Manitoba through its Heritage Grants Program.
Seven Oaks House (115 Rupertsland Avenue East), City of Winnipeg Historical Buildings and Resources Committee, 1997.
We thank Rose Kuzina and George Penner for providing additional information used here.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 12 November 2023
Historic Sites of Manitoba
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