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The original establishment, a five-bay, hipped roof structure with a central main door facing St. John's Church square, was built c. 1775 as the first Lunenburg Courthouse. By 1890, the Court House had become run down and the Chief Justice of the time declared he would not hold court unless the building was repaired.

St. John's Anglican Church is the second oldest Anglican Church in Canada. This 'Carpenter Gothic' church, originally a Georgian style building, was built in 1754 when the Lords of Trade and Plantations (British colonial government administrators) granted 476 Pounds for its construction. The timbers arrived from Boston on an anon of war. The builder was Conrad Lord, son of U.E Loyalist.

The original owner of the home was William Ray, a cooper (barrel maker) who came to Dartmouth as part of a community of Quakers who established a whale fishing industry. The Quaker House has since been restored and furnished to reflect its 1785 construction date. It well represents the Nantucket Island domestic architecture from the time of its original construction.

The construction of the property began in 1802 by builder Daniel de Wolfe, son of Gabriel de Wolfe, a planter who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1764. Note: the construction date of the home is listed as 1802-1839.

Daniel, a notable citizen of Wolfville, married Mary Anne Pryor and together the couple raised 16 children in the home.

On June 29th, 1867 the corner stone of the church was laid and the foundation blessed by Very Rev. Dr. John Cameron. Sylvester O'Donoghue, a native Irishmen, built the Cathedral. Originally, the architect Owen Hamill was retained to design and oversee the construction of the Church but he died prematurely in 1868. As such, St. Ninian's was completed by architect A. Levesque of Montreal.