Norway House was built in 1813 by Edward Mortimer who was an aggressive leader, politician and businessman. He made a personal fortune on the lumbering and shipbuilding trades. We are indebted to him for his support of Pictou Academy. Norway House was named after a Hudson’s Bay Company post in the North West Territories, when it became the home of Lord Strathcona, Sir Donald Smith, Chief Factor of the Hudson’s Bay Company. It was an Oddfellows Home, until recently, now the Edward Mortimer Inn.