Wednesday, May 1, 2024 
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
October 28, 2021
The oldest surviving buildings in Canada date back centuries, with many still standing from nearly 500 years ago.
With early colonial settlers making their way to different parts of the country at different times, each province and territory has its longest-standing buildings spanning many decades.
Quebec, for example, is home to a laundry list of buildings from the 1600s and is the only province to have surviving buildings from that century. Meanwhile, the less populous northern territories with their harsher climates have relatively newer historic buildings.
Below are the oldest buildings still standing in each province and territory in Canada.
Quebec – Maison des Jésuites-de-Sillery (1637)
Quebec is home to dozens of the oldest buildings in Canada, but the Maison des Jésuites-de-Sillery is the oldest in the entire country. It was part of the first establishment built in New France by the Jesuits, who were on a mission to evangelize the indigenous population.
Originally built to protect the harbour of Annapolis Royal during King George’s War, the fort is now home to a museum where you can learn about the history of the area.
American loyalist Peter Secord (whose nephew married the iconic Laura Secord) built this little stone home for his family in the late 1700s. American troops set fire to the neighbourhood in 1814 but this house somehow survived. More recently it was converted into a two-room bed and breakfast but has since closed.
Built Right on Hudson Bay, there was originally a log fort built here in 1717 that was later replaced with the stone fort that stands there today. The walls are six metres tall and nine metres thick, with 42 cannons mounted on them.
