BY VERONICA STIENBURG, ARCHIVIST
In June 1930 the Sisters of Providence purchased Heathfield, an approximately 30 acre property just outside the western limits of the city of Kingston, from Mr. H. Jennings. The property was surveyed on September 25th, 1930 and the site plan was completed on October 10th, 1930.
The plan shows the original gatehouse that stood near the entrance on Princess Street. You can see the driveway had only one loop and shows the original residence, known as Heathfield Villa which was built in the 1830s, and was located approximately where the Chapel is now. Various outbuildings including a barn are visible on the property. The current Motherhouse building is not visible on the plot plan, as it wasn’t built yet. Notice that the property included a strip of land connecting the southern end to Bath Rd. This 15-foot-wide lane was sold in 1971. In 1981 the City of Kingston purchased 10,000 square feet along the north side of the property in order to widen Princess Street.
There is an error on the site plan as to the location of one of the stone monuments. The stone monument indicated on the north-western corner is in actuality located on the north-eastern corner. This makes more sense, as the stone monuments were used by the penitentiary to mark the boundaries of their property. In 1930 the property to the east (including where the Kingston Centre is now) and south was owned by the Kingston Penitentiary and was part of its prison farm.
