According to local historian, Charlotte Isabella Perkins, the house was built by local Member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly, William Robertson,[3] around 1770, although other sources indicate the builder was John Easson, an early Nova Scotia settler.[4] Records show that Loyalist settler Joseph Totten obtained the property in 1783.[1]
In 1816, the property was obtained by James Robertson, a justice of the peace.[1]
By 1837, Elizabeth "Marm" Bailey was living at the house. Elizabeth was the daughter-in-law of the prominent author and Loyalist, Reverend Jacob Bailey. She operated the Bailey House as an "aristocratic boarding house".[1][3] It was during this time that she served her renowned "Moose Muffle Soup", a fusion of Mi'kmaq and European cuisine.[5] After her death, her daughters continued to operate the boarding house until 1910.[1]
After 1910, the house was rented as a tenement and became dilapidated until restored by then owner, Suzanne Halliburton.[3] Ruth Eisenhauer, a local historian, acquired the house in 1962 and lived there until her death in 1997.[6] At that time, the house and contents were offered to the Nova Scotia Museum. The museum declined the offer and the house later opened as a bed and breakfast.
