Wilson House

The Department's description

Exterior description and setting

The buildings are sited just short of two miles from the centre of Strabane to the north of the road that travels in a south-easterly direction to Plumbridge.

The approach is by means of a narrow lengthy lane that turns to the left at the top to obtain a view of the buildings.

The direct entry, two structural bay dwelling, that faces south, is made up of a two storey slated bay flanked to the right (east) by a single storey thatched wing with outshot, and to the left (west) by a thatched byre.

To the east of the thatched part of the dwelling there is a further byre in this case roofed by means of planks laid horizontally.

A plain chimneystack rises on the left hand (west) gable of the slated block, and there is another integral with the skews that terminate the right hand (east) side of the thatched section. The thatched covering of the byre terminates also in cement skews.
Starting at the front from the left hand (west) side the thatched byre is entered by a double timber sheeted door, the slated part has a 3/3 vertically-sliding sashed window above a 3/9 vertically-sliding sashed window, both with sash stops. The thatched part of the dwelling is entered by timber sheeted door, and is lighted by a 3/6 vertically sliding sashed window with sash stops. Finally the byre has a timber sheeted entrance door.

At the rear the thatched roof covering extends over the bed outshot and two quartered casements provide the fenestration to the kitchen. There is a small opening in the east gable of the plank- roofed byre. Otherwise there are no further openings at the rear or at the sides of the buildings.

The finish to the stone walls both outside, and inside is of lime-washed plaster, and the window reveals are plastered.

Outbuildings
The pig house, of whitened stone with a thatched roof between cement skews, is divided into two compartments each served by a walled enclosure at front. The fowl house and cart shed are of similar construction. The house is set back from the shed and extends at the rear. The gable of the shed is barge-boarded above horizontal timber sheeting.
The buildings are generally of random rubble construction with harled and whitewashed finishes and roofs of corrugated iron.

Historical information

A building is shown on this site on the OS map of 1833 / 34 but is not recorded in the contemporary valuation. On the OS map of 1854 the house is shown abutted by a long building to the southwest side. This is not now aparent. Unfortunately the second valuation of 1857-58 does not supply a description of the buildings, merely the name of the occupier, William Wilson, the immediate lessors, Andrew Spotswood and Connolly Lecky, and the rateable value, 15/-.

William Wilson is believed to have been a relation [?nephew] of James Wilson, who had emigrated to America from Dergalt in 1807. On the voyage James met and later married Annie Adams. They had ten children, the youngest of who, Joseph, was the father of Woodrow Wilson, 28th President of the United States (1913-21). During his term in office, President Wilson was responsible for important pieces of legislation such as the extension of the franchise to women and the prohibition of alcohol. He also lead the US into the First World War and played a key role in the peace negotiations at Versailles and in the formation of the League of Nations.

The house was acquired by the Northern Ireland government in 1963. It was the intention of the then Minister of Finance, Terence O’Neill, to hand the building over to the care of the National Trust, but the Trust declined this offer due to lack of proof that the building was indeed the ancestral home of President Wilson. The building, is now an ‘outreach exhibit’ of the Ulster American Folk Park and is managed with the assistance of Strabane District Council

References- Primary sources
1 PRONI VAL/1A/6/5 OS map, County Tyrone sheet 5, with valuation
references, (1833 / 34-c.38)
2 PRONI VAL/2A/6/5 Revised OS map, County Tyrone sheet 5, with valuation references, (1858 / 59)
3 PRONI VAL/2B/6/41 Second valuation, Camus (1859)

Secondary sources
1 Montgomery, Eric, ‘The Scotch-Irish and Ulster’ (1965), pp.17, 21
2 Dixon, Hugh, ‘An Introduction to Ulster Architecture’ (Belfast 1975), pp.59-60
3 “The Presidents from Ulster” in ‘The Sunday Times Magazine’ (?c.1980)
4 Gailey, Alan, ‘Rural Houses of the North of Ireland’ (Edinburgh, 1984), pp.98, 157, 159, 162, 246-47, 249
5 Gallagher, Lyn, and Rogers, Dick, ‘Castle, Coast and Cottage- The National Trust in Northern Ireland’ (Belfast, 1986)
6 Pfeitter, Walter, and Shaffery, Moira, ‘Irish Cottages’ (1990), pp.19, 24
7 EHS files

Criteria for listing: architectural interest

A. Style
B. Proportion
C. Ornamentation
D. Plan Form
I. Quality and survival of Interior
J. Setting

Criteria for listing: historic interest

Z. Rarity
V. Authorship
W. Northern Ireland/International Interest

Evaluation

A direct entry, two structural bay vernacular building with attached outbuildings. One structural bay is thatched. The other bay is raised to two stories and slated. Reputed to be the ancestral home of President Woodrow Wilson.

Of special interest for its style, proportion, ornamentation, plan form, structural system of the roof, the quality of its interior and its rarity as a survivor of a once common type. Interest enhanced by the historical association with the Wilson family and by the state of preservation of the farm yard.