Howe House

This former residence and inn stands on part of a town allotment made in 1811 to John Howe (1774-1852), who arrived as a free settler aboard Coromandel in 1802 and became a man of some prominence in early Windsor. He became Chief Constable of the town from 1814 to 1821, Coroner from 1822 to 1836 and with James McGrath was engaged in a number of building projects such as the enlargement of the wharf at Windsor in 1814. He is also credited with leading several expeditions commencing in 1819 which resulted in opening up the Hunter region to settlement. According to early maps, a dwelling for Howe was built on the site by 1827 however Howe advertised a newly constructed building for sale or lease in The Sydney Herald of 3 April 1837 as he was moving to the Hunter Valley. This building later became the Daniel O’Connell Inn operated by Edward Coffey (1840s) but the exact date of construction has not been confirmed. In 1876 the building was sold to George Louis Asher Davies a printer who published The Australian: Windsor, Richmond, and Hawkesbury Advertiser newspaper from 1871 to 1889.

In collaboration with Windsor Municipal Council the building became the historical museum of the Hawkesbury Historical Society in March 1962. With the erection of an additional building on the adjacent site in Baker Street opened in May 2008, it became part of the new Hawkesbury Regional Museum precinct. Plans are underway to have the house open to the public once more and will offer a variety of displays relating to the uses of the building over time, including an inn, private home and newspaper office. A special display relating to the history of Richmond RAAF will also be a feature.