Windsor-West Hants
Joint Planning Advisory Committee

CLIFTON HOUSE/HALIBURTON HOUSE

Thomas Chandler Haliburton, author, lawyer, politician and judge, was born in Windsor, Hants County, in 1796. The only son of William and Lucy Haliburton, Thomas was a third generation Nova Scotian who is best known for his creation of the infamous Yankee peddler Sam Slick. In fact, Haliburton is generally considered to be the first Canadian author to have gained international recognition and some of his character's more clever sayings, such as "barking up the wrong tree" and "quick as a wink", have survived to find their way into every day twentieth century usage. In January of 1833, Haliburton purchased a forty acre lot of land located on Ferry Hill over looking the town of Windsor and surrounding area. He named the estate "Clifton" after the home of his wife near Bristol, England, and about 1836 erected a relatively small, one-and-a-half story, wooden Italianate villa on the site.