Exterior

Almost twenty US Presidents have descended from Ulster or Ulster-Scots emigrants – amongst them Andrew Jackson (the 7th US President) who served two consecutive terms from 1829-1837 and is thought of by many as the father of the Democratic Party.

Jackson’s parents, Andrew and Elizabeth, lived at Boneybefore, in the ‘Scotch Quarter’ end of Carrickfergus. The original house was demolished in 1860, but this single storey, whitewashed thatched cottage, built c.1750, is representative of the Ulster homesteads of that time. 

This simple cottage is very typical of the Ulster-Scots cottages of the 17th century; this one main room was used for living and cooking. Furnishings were hand-made and simple.  The light was often poor, particularly in the darker winter months, and a tax on windows in Ireland led to the expression “daylight robbery”.

A permanent exhibition inside the cottage highlights Carrickfergus’s strong American and Ulster-Scots connections whilst detailing the family’s life in the town; and Jackson’s eventual legacy in America.