The cottage is significant for its close association with Caroline Chisholm, one of Australia's greatest pioneering women, who rented 1 and 3 Smith's Row (Mill Street) and converted it into a single cottage to shelter homeless immigrants in the district. At present it is the only known building to still survive that was associated with Caroline Chisholm. It is one of the oldest buildings in the district and demonstrates a way of life that was typical of the working class of Maitland at that time. It was the site of Maitland's first hospital in 1842 and 1843, known as the Maitland Benevolent Asylum. The construction method used for the cottage is of scientific interest as it is an example of a cheap house erected during the early development of a rural New South Wales town during the 1830s.Stafford, pp 20, 1985
