The 19th-century wooden vernacular residence at 178 Northumberland Street, Fredericton, is recognized for two of its owners. The house initially belonged to W. Alfred Turner, a well-known surveyor, who lived in it with his family for close to 50 years. For much of the administration of A.G. Blair (1883-1896), Turner also served as the doorkeeper of the Legislature.

In 1908, Mr. Turner sold the house to Henry H. Parent. Two years prior, while living on King Street, Parent had been part of a Fredericton-based effort by the local carpenters to establish a nine-hour workday. Initially, the builders and contractors had attempted to sway the union with higher wages, arguing the reduced workday would reduce productivity and impact contract deadlines. However, they quickly relented under the threat of a strike. The success of the carpenters inspired workers in other construction-related industries, such as plumbers, masons, and painters, to make the same ultimatum.