Ardchatton
![A winding road leads to a home with a steeply pitched roof covered in cedar shingles.](https://www.communitystories.ca/v2/white-pine-college-gillies-mill-braeside_scierie-gillies/wp-content/uploads/sites/126/2019/08/1993-0007-Book-1-Historic-House.jpg)
1993-0007 Braeside Women’s Institute fonds, Arnprior & McNab/Braeside Archives.
The Almonte Gazette of November 22, 1878 describes this property:
Occupying a charming site by the road, there is a tastefully designed villa, well adapted either as a summer resort or as a residence for a family tired of city life. It belongs to John Usborne, Esq. of Arnprior, who is ready to accept any reasonable offer.
This distinctive house was built for Reverend Henry Usborne’s cousin Jack in approximately 1869. When later purchased by the Gillies family it was staffed by maids, cooks and gardeners. Several interior renovations have taken place throughout the years and it remains a landmark in the village today.