Abstract

The Macdonell-Williamson House is situated in the Township of East Hawkesbury on the southern shore of the Ottawa River, adjacent to the village of Pointe-Fortune. John Macdonell, a retired North West Company fur trader, was prolific in the construction of outbuildings during the early period of occupation on the property. Between 1817 and 1842 he built over 20 outbuildings, six of which have been discovered archaeologically in the space of one acre. This paper will discuss the ice house and smokehouse buildings uncovered during archaeological assessment in 2007 and their context within the farmstead estate.