The story began over 200 years ago when Abigail Price had this home built in 1793. The land was granted to her in 1808. She sold part of the property in 1813 then sold the remaining property in 1816. On the deed they referred to her as a widowed black woman. Local history shows that she signed an X over her name on the deed, which meant that she could not read or write. Abigail predates photography. It was rare for land to be granted to a woman at that time. It is suspected that ship carpenters helped to build the home with sturdy hand-carved beams that showed their craftsmanship, still visible today. She may have arrived in Shelburne as a freed slave in the late 1700’s. Her name is on one of the ship’s muster lists. How she got to Tusket remains a mystery, to this day.
Source: http://laurastastes2011.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-hatfield-house-tusket-nova-scotia.html