Photo of the exterior of the home of Mr. Mel McFadden, located on King Street North. The property originally belonged to John and Martha McFadden, a pioneer family from Ireland who had three children. After Martha died, John remarried and with Margaret Johnston had four sons and three daughters: William, John, Margaret, James, Richard, Eliza Jane, and Matilda. Alexander, who was the son of Martha and John, had originally homesteaded on a lot in Tecumseth in a log home, but later returned to Cookstown in 1910 to live in the house pictured. His son Melville "Mel" McFadden became the owner and publisher of the Cookstown Advocate, and also worked as a lamplighter c. 1919. He and his wife Ida (née Cornish) printed the Cookstown Advocate from June 1939 until May 1953 when the paper was suspended. The house itself is made of red brick and boasts a second floor balcony that doubles as the roof of the front porch, as well as an attached garage on the rear side of the house.
