Arthur Cottage
Encyclopedia
Arthur Cottage in the village of Cullybackey
, County Antrim
, Northern Ireland
, is the ancestral home of Chester A. Arthur
, the 21st President of the United States
. It is situated 4 miles from Ballymena
, only a short walk from the village of Cullybackey. The thatched cottage and interpretive centre detail the story of President Arthur and his road to the Presidency.
beams support the thatched roof of local flax. It is earthen-floored with a cobble–stoned hearth. The simple rectangular cottage consists of two rooms, each the full width of the building. One room is a kitchen/living room, while the other serves as a bedroom (with access to a second bed in the loft above it). Latter additions to the building were removed to restore the cottage to its original condition.
Minister. Chester A. Arthur was born on 5 October 1829 at Fairfield, Vermont
. He became President on 20 September 1881. The President's sister, Mary, and his schoolboy son, Chester Alan Jr., visited the Arthur homestead in 1882 and made contact with various members of the Arthur family who were living in the district.
and pancake baking demonstrations by women dressed in period costume also take place on organised days.
Cullybackey
Cullybackey or Cullybacky is a village in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It lies 4 miles north of Ballymena, on the banks of the River Maine, and is within the Borough of Ballymena. It had a population of 2,405 people in the 2001 Census....
, County Antrim
County Antrim
County Antrim is one of six counties that form Northern Ireland, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of 2,844 km², with a population of approximately 616,000...
, Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
, is the ancestral home of Chester A. Arthur
Chester A. Arthur
Chester Alan Arthur was the 21st President of the United States . Becoming President after the assassination of President James A. Garfield, Arthur struggled to overcome suspicions of his beginnings as a politician from the New York City Republican machine, succeeding at that task by embracing...
, the 21st President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. It is situated 4 miles from Ballymena
Ballymena
Ballymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....
, only a short walk from the village of Cullybackey. The thatched cottage and interpretive centre detail the story of President Arthur and his road to the Presidency.
Features
It sits in an elevated position on Gourley’s Hill. It is constructed of local stone and its walls are some 20 inches thick; bog oakBog oak
Bog-wood, also known as morta is wood from trees that have been buried in peat bogs and preserved from decay by the acidic and anaerobic bog conditions, sometimes for hundreds or even thousands of years. The wood is usually stained brown by tannins dissolved in the acidic water...
beams support the thatched roof of local flax. It is earthen-floored with a cobble–stoned hearth. The simple rectangular cottage consists of two rooms, each the full width of the building. One room is a kitchen/living room, while the other serves as a bedroom (with access to a second bed in the loft above it). Latter additions to the building were removed to restore the cottage to its original condition.
Arthur Family
President Arthur’s grandparents, Alan Arthur (born 1761) and Eliza Arthur (née Meharg) lived in Cullybackey at Arthur Cottage. Their son, William (the President's father) was born on the 5 December 1797 in the Cottage and emigrated, with other members of the family, to North America between 1816 and 1820. There he met and married Malvina Stone and earned his living as a BaptistBaptist
Baptists comprise a group of Christian denominations and churches that subscribe to a doctrine that baptism should be performed only for professing believers , and that it must be done by immersion...
Minister. Chester A. Arthur was born on 5 October 1829 at Fairfield, Vermont
Fairfield, Vermont
Fairfield is a town in Franklin County, Vermont, United States. The population was 1,800 at the 2000 census. It is believed President Chester A...
. He became President on 20 September 1881. The President's sister, Mary, and his schoolboy son, Chester Alan Jr., visited the Arthur homestead in 1882 and made contact with various members of the Arthur family who were living in the district.
Access
The Cottage is open to the public from May to September. There are regular period-costume and craft days to show what life would have been like in the house when it was occupied 200 years ago, as well as music and story-telling events. Traditional soda breadSoda bread
Soda bread is a variety of quick bread traditionally made in a variety of cuisines in which sodium bicarbonate is used as a raising agent rather than the more common yeast. The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, bread soda, salt, and buttermilk...
and pancake baking demonstrations by women dressed in period costume also take place on organised days.