South Street, No 19, Ipswich

This land was first sold by the Government of New South Wales in 1856 to James Fletcher. Ipswich Council records from the 1870s show that the property was a vacant allotment owned by Mrs James Fletcher. In 1884 the property was transferred to Isabella Fletcher, a widow from Laidley, who gained ownership of 32 perches on the corner of Gordon and South Streets in Ipswich. It is assumed that Isabella was James Fletcher's wife. Isabella Fletcher soon sold to Harry Hooper of Ipswich in April 1884. He sold the property in May 1884 to Nancy Hiley, Spinster. Council records show that the property was a vacant allotment in 1884.

The building was constructed in 1884. On 1 October 1884 Nancy Hiley paid her first rates to the Ipswich Municipal Council for a wooden house. In May 1900 the property was purchased by Esther Lindsay, widow. She mortgaged the property to Nancy Hiley for 80 pounds in May 1900, with interest to be paid at 6 per cent per annum payable half yearly.

In 1904 Edith Seymour, Spinster, purchased the property until February 1905 when she sold to William Parker. He mortgaged the property in February 1905 to James Ernest Walker for 170 pounds repayable quarterly at six percent. William Parker again mortgaged the property in 1914 for one hundred and eighty pounds. In 1919 the land was subdivided into subdivisions 1 and 2, each 16 perches. Subdivision 2 was purchased in August 1919 by Alfred Stephenson Millar. Subdivision 1 was purchased by Ida Annie Auguste Giesemann, wife of August Johann Giesemann, in 1921.

Ida Giesemann mortgaged the property in 1924 to Sarah Robina Stanley, wife of Edwin Charles Stanley, for an unknown amount. Charlotte Rose Wiggins, Spinster, purchased the property in 1926. She mortgaged the property in 1932 and again in 1934. Charlotte died on 17 May 1966 and the property passed to Reginald George Wiggins and Royal Hewlett Aitken Stephens as devisees in trust with power of sale in 1967. Reginald died on 8 April 1970 and Ernest Edward Saunders and Sheena Saunders purchased the property in 1972. A year later in October 1973, Dr. Graham and Genevieve Isbell purchased the house for use as Dr. Isbell's optometrist's surgery. They sold the property in 1983 to Robert and Leonie Maxwell and the house was used as a chiropractor's surgery.

In 2000 the property was purchased by the Presbyterian Church of Queensland and was used by Ipswich Assist up to 2009.

Source: Margaret Cook