Before The Cove was The Cove, it was the Tweedsmuir (or ‘The Tweeds’ as many would remember).  But prior to The Tweeds, it was called The Lexena.

 Alex and Lena Brown combined their names to give The Lexena its title.  It operated as a hotel/inn for many years and served turkey dinners and good old-fashioned cooking out of the home once owned by the Fredenburgh family.

Lena is shown in the photo on the left in her late 40s or early 50s, and in the photo on the right, she is in her younger years (possibly in her teens).  Lena Laishley Brown was a prominent Westport business-woman and entrepreneur that maintained a successful, neat, and prosperous establishment.

 Alex and Lena purchased the Fredenburgh estate around 1930 and added the west wing to create the Lexena. Photos from the archives of The Rideau District Museum