10347 Highway 1: The Asaph Marshall House

Architecture Style: Colonial

Built: Poss. 1830

Isaac Marshall at one time owned all the land between the Paradise Lane and the Baptist Church. A New England Planter from Massachusetts, he came to Granville in 1761, and then to Paradise, probably in 1768. He was among the earliest who arrived after the Deportation of the Acadians, to clear land and build a new village.

When Isaac died, his grandson Asaph bought the land in 1828 from his aunts and uncles for 250 pounds and built a simple but substantial home. In 1830 he married Eliza Ann, granddaughter of planter Samuel Morse, and began to teach. “Uncle Asaph” taught in the old “Pepper Box” on the Phinney farm. He would sit before the school’s blazing fireplace in winter, making fishing nets from horsehair and split brooms from yellow birch saplings, reciting Shakespeare to the students. He also loved Mathematics. Asaph’s wit, culture, and public speaking inspired his students. He began a library in his home, lending out his Goldsmith, Bunyan, Defoe, Milton, and Shakespeare; these books had a way of surfacing in Paradise homes! Asaph prized learning, and as a school trustee, he continued to foster education, even offering land for a new school in the heart of the village. He helped Paradise to establish schools recognized as the finest in Nova Scotia.

From 1828 to 1962, all but one owner farmed the land. The exception was Charles Banks, the millwright. The Monitor, 1910: “Banks made great improvements in the appearance during his three years’ residence here.” Perhaps Mr. Banks built the wrap-around verandah that was once a cool retreat in summer, under the gracious elms that lined the post road.

The Freemans, well remembered, lived in the house from 1934-1962. Many owners since, including New Canadians and C.F.B. Greenwood workers, have been welcomed to Paradise. Later owners removed the verandah and otherwise altered the “The Asaph Marshall House.”