The Coburg Bluestone Cottage
The Bluestone Cottage at 82 Bell Street Coburg was built in 1864. James Smith and his wife, Maria came from Ireland as assisted immigrants to Victoria in 1852. They landed at Portland and he was employed as a farm labourer. After a year the family moved to the Pentridge district where he obtained work as a Warder at the stockade.
They lived in a small wooden house in Rodda Street near the corner of Bell Street until 1857 when the house was burnt down. It is said that one of the children accidently set fire to the curtains with a lighted candle she was carrying.
They rented a house in Urquhart Street, which they later bought, but in 1864 he built a stone house on land he had purchased in Bell Street, reportedly saying that stone did not burn like wood. The house was then occupied by James, Maria and their children of which they had 7 when they moved in. Julia aged 1 dies that year but 5 more were born until 1877.
James and Maria passed away and the cottage was occupied by a number of their children and later by their grandchildren. The members of their family who did not marry lived at 82 Bell Street all their lives. The parents and their children are buried in the Coburg Cemetery, now know as Pine Ridge cemetery. Three generations of the family lived in the cottage until 1978 when the last Smith living in the cottage died and the building was sold to the Coburg Council. After extensive repairs the building was made available to the Coburg Historical Society in 1981. In 1988 the building was listed on the Historic Buildings Register.
It is now used as a museum by the Coburg Historical Society and at present it is open on the first Sunday of each month (except January) from 2.00 pm to 4.30 pm
The Coburg Bluestone Cottage
