Cawker and Chapman

Sometimes I have difficulty finding an address. With this home on East 4th Avenue I couldn't find it. And that isn't due to the fact that the house is on a hill and between two large buildings. I actually found a mailman and asked him for help - he was new, this happened to be his first day on the route. When we walked back I realized that I was misreading the addresses - I had mistaken a suite number for a building address.

This is the Chapman house and it was built in 1906. The original occupant, James W. Chapman, was a wood carver.

I was also looking for another address - 273 East 4th Avenue. Now since this address is 236 the Richardson Residence should have been right across the street. Alas all we found was an empty lot.

My next stop was on the other side of Main Street and a couple of blocks over on East 6th Avenue.

My information said that this home was built in 1901 but Velma, a lady who lives here that I met while she was in the yard, gave me a date of 1908. There must have been something sort of dwelling here though because in 1902 a millman for Robertson and Hackett by the name of Richard Cawker (Caulker) lived here.

Velma told me that her husband bought this home then met her less than a month later. He wanted her to have a home she would love to live in. So the house that was there was taken down to the studs, raised and a basement put in and moved over a bit. So it isn't really the same house any longer but the original style and flavour was kept.

I hope you find the beauty around you.

Karen Magill, James Chapman, Vancouver, mailman, East 4th Avenue, East 6th Avenue, Robertson and Hackett, British Columbia