Designation information

Motherwell Homestead, located near Abernethy, Saskatchewan, tells the story of western Canada’s settlement, Canada’s developing agricultural economy and its governance as seen through William Richard Motherwell’s contributions to grassroots, provincial and federal politics. In 1966, W.R. Motherwell was declared a person of national significance and his homestead was declared a national historic site for its architectural interest and historical association. Parks Canada acquired the site in 1969 and began restoration work. The site opened to the public in 1983.

The 8.3 acre designated place includes a variety of buildings and features, such as shelterbelts, a tennis court, flower and vegetable gardens, the dugout, vestiges of original drainage ditches, and farmstead roads and paths. The homestead is laid out in four distinct quadrants, which focus on shelter, work, food and water.

Several buildings at the site are considered to be resources of national historic significance, including: the stone house, the barn, the implement shed, certain elements of the hired men’s cottage and caboose, two wooden granaries, the steel Eastlake granary, and the outhouses. The stone house and barn are the most iconic structures associated with Motherwell Homestead. Both these buildings are Classified federal heritage buildings, meaning they have received the highest heritage designation from the Minister of Environment in the Federal Heritage Building Review Office program.