"Wellington Villa" is found at the corner of Wellington and King Streets in Chatham. It was built in the 1860’s by J.B. Snowball.
Snowball’s home is a good example of buildings of the Gothic Age. It has tall windows. The window frames are high and pointed. They reach above the top of the house. The front door is a beautiful piece of handwork. It has colored glass on each side of the entry.
At one time there was a very nice fence around the grounds to the house. This fence was brought from England. Only part of it remains today.
J.B. Snowball was a very important businessman in Chatham from the 1890’s to the 1920’s. He owned stores, sawmills, and land. Snowball also made a lot of money from the Chatham Railway which he owned. He was the founder of both the Chatham Electric Light Company and the Miramichi Telephone Exchange. The telephone company was founded in 1888. “Wellington Villa” was the first home in Chatham to have a telephone. Also, it was one of the first to have electric lights.