220 ELGIN STREET E

This lovely home was built in 1879 and designed by architect Silas Weekes. 220 Elgin St E is a Georgian-style heritage home with 10' ceilings and carries the kind of craftsmanship that's become rare, and it's the sort of house made to hold a family for many years. The baseboards set the tone the moment you step inside, a full foot tall and running through the main level with a quiet sense of grace.

The dining room is generous enough for the whole family, lit by two solid brass fixtures, with a bar tucked between it and the kitchen. Hardwood flows through both the dining and living rooms, and the living room welcomes you with a gas fireplace for the colder months. In the kitchen, a wood stove brings a gentle warmth to winter mornings.

Just beyond, you'll find a pantry and an office, and the office opens onto the back deck, where a few steps lead down to the grass, the perennial beds, and a small pond. The main level also offers a theatre room, complete with real theatre chairs, lovely as it is for movie nights and just as easily reimagined as a main floor bedroom. A powder room finishes the level for guests.

Upstairs, pine floors carry you through three well-sized bedrooms and two three-piece baths, with a washer and dryer placed on the same level. The detached garage is currently given over to woodworking, with a working blacksmith forge at the back, ready for you to keep, use, or reimagine. The home rests easily on its street, among the heritage houses that surround it, and within walking distance of downtown, the schools, the rec centre, and the senior centre.

As for St. Marys, they call it Stonetown for good reason. Its limestone buildings rose through the 1800s when the quarries were thriving, and much of that architecture still stands beautifully today, including the Opera House, another Silas Weekes design.

Add a charming main street, the Grand Trunk Trail, and the outdoor quarry in summer, and you have a town people settle into and rarely leave.