Built in 1854, Ross House is the second oldest home in Winnipeg.

The home was initially owned by William and Jemima Ross, members of a prominent Métis family. Resources for house building at the time of construction were scant, and the home was built in the Red River Frame style. The post-and-plank structure utilizes cut local timber and logs, as well as clay and straw to fill any holes in the planking. Often the exterior was then whitewashed.

William, born in 1825, was the second son of Alexander and Sarah Ross. Alexander was a clerk with the Hudson’s Bay Company before becoming Sheriff of Assiniboia (now Manitoba) in 1835.

Their children, similarly, grew up to play important roles in the colony. Their eldest son, James, worked as a journalist both in Manitoba and in Toronto, while daughter Henriette married a prominent minister. William also had an important job, which he received in 1855, as the community’s first postmaster. His family home became the town post office.

For a time, the Ross House remained on Market Avenue – long after the family had moved. Threatened by demolition in 1947, it was saved by the City of Winnipeg and the Manitoba Historical Society and moved.