10301 Highway 1: The Ernest Burke House

Architecture Style: Modified Greek Revival

Built: 1905

Ernest Burke was a blacksmith, and his wife Gertrude kept a hotel.  Their house was built on land that passed from William and Ellen James, owners of “Ellenhurst”, and then to Charles and Sarah Anne Durling, their son Carey, and his wife Ruth.  The property began at the “south corner of the schoolhouse lot” and was later divided into two house lots. The Durlings, like the Burkes, ran a blacksmith shop and a hotel together; the women kept the hotel, and the men did the blacksmithing. When they bought the property in 1902 they had already built their home/hotel on the Paradise Lane. Perhaps the parents owned one, and Carey the other.

It was the Burkes, however, who were remembered as the hotel keepers in this home, and are usually considered the builders.  A sign out front said “Paradise Inn”.  Gertrude was a “tailoress” as well. When her husband died, she married Dr. C.B. Sims, veterinarian, and resident of the hotel. He was much younger than she and ran the hotel after that.

When the railway came through Paradise, it was common for salesmen and travellers to stay here or at the Durlings’ hotel on Paradise Lane.  But Dr. Sims’ “Paradise Inn” was marketed as the hotel of choice for those who came as tourists. The Dominion Atlantic Railway aggressively sought New England business, advertising the excellent fishing in the area, “Five minutes’ walk to a good salmon stream”, its advertisements said.  The best season was May 1 to June 30, and for $10.00 a week, the Inn could be headquarters. “Indian guides”,  Haggai and Charles Luxey, could be hired for $3.00 -$5.00 per day.

Until the last half of the 20th century, the Annapolis River was alive with fish, the tides came every day, and the marshlands were rich with farmers’ hay. This house existed to take advantage of the natural attractions of the village of Paradise.

Agnes and Bill Miner and their children, Stephen and Julie, lived here for many years. Bill was a veteran, and Agnes a keen worker in the Paradise Sunday School and Community Hall.  From 1974-1976 their daughter Julie taught at the Paradise School.