PLEASE READ THE UPDATE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS PAGE

This is the house that started it all for me. It is very visible on the side of the road between Collingwood and Barrie. One can not drive past this house without having a look. It speaks full of character and wonder. I've seen many people stop to have a look or take pictures. Like many others, it's exterior has weathered to almost a silvery finish.

The house is a typical woodframe, wood plank construction. Brick was a luxury, as most bricks were made on site. The absence of clay in the ground would make brick construction expensive and time consuming. Notice the two brick chimney stacks, one for the cookstove, the other for the woodstove.

A view from the right side of the house.

A view from the left side of the house.

The front entrance. Like many doorways, this one seemed to be very short by toady's standards.

A view of the interior on the main floor. Notice the crumbling lathe and plaster on the walls and the ceiling.

The stairway. It looked pretty solid, so I carefully made the climb to see what was up top.

On the top floor, a doorway that opened to the bedroom.

The top floor was divided into 3 separate rooms. A lot of these farmhouses had a single or double room construction on the top floor, which didn't allow for much privacy. One can assume that there was a family with children in the home at one time.

UPDATE-Sadly, this home has been demolished. Rumour has it that someone was interested in the aged wood on the exterior to somehow decorate their homes interior, and the landowners owners sold them the wood and demolished what remained. This has upset a lot of people in the area, and sadly demonstrates that some have no respect or appreciation for history. I had an email from a concerned reader who filled me in on a few pointers. One, the house was built in or around 1830, which makes it a true pioneer settlement home. Second, there was never any indication that the house had indoor plumbing or electricity, so chances are that it unihabited for many years. In my opinion, the house should have been moved and placed somewhere for historical preservation. I wish that there were some sort of law in place that demands that such heritage properties are not be de demolished. It shouldn't even be about money. Anyone care to share their thoughts on this?