Willow Tree Farm has been my most extensive photo project to date. I discovered this property in the same manner as most of the others, while out on a drive in the country. It is a fascinating place, full of reminders and memories of the past. These images were taken in the summer of 2004. At the time, the property was for sale, and sold shortly afterwards. Viewing the property on the real estate website, it stated that "The house needs to meet a bulldozer". As much as this was true, it was also a sad reality. Once again, history is lost forever. The property itself was 100 beautiful sprawling acres, half cleared, half bush. The house was surrounded by old farmland naturally converted by nature to meadows of a colorful mixture of wildflowers. It was a very peaceful, warm and welcoming place. Because of the extensive amount of images, I have divided this property into two pages. Please make sure that you visit both pages to view all of the images.

WILLOW TREE FARM PART ONE

(20 images to load, please wait)

The gated entrance to the farm.

The house as seen while approaching up the long laneway.

An image of the front of the house. Notice the door on the second level, which would have been a walkout from an upstairs bedroom.

A view of the left side of the house.

A view from the rear.

A view of the left side again.

The barn, still intact and in great condition. It was short for a barn, most are quite tall.

A detail image of one of the storage sheds. I'm not sure what the tool mounted on the shed wall was for.

An image of the kitchen window from the outside. Notice the Florida souvenir, and the washing basket in the sink. The house was full of personal effects.

Walking into the front entrance, an umbrella still awaits to shield someone from a rainy day.

Jars of cleaners and dried grains still line the shelves.

An old Liberty fire extinguisher. These were metal tubes full of a retardant. They were used to extinguish chimney flue fires. If you dumped the retardant onto the flames, the heat would carry the dry chemical up the chute and extinguish the blaze (hopefully).

Another view of the vestibule inside the front door, along with an assortment of items.

My first view of the interior. I was amazed at how many personal items remained in the home. In this image we can see an old tin top table, a coal stove, books, a tv and furnishings.

An image taken from the right hand side of the main floor room.

A telephone still hangs on the wall. Out of curiosity, I lifted the receiver, not really expecting a dial tone.

Another oddity.

This is a side door exiting from the kitchen area.

A chair sits next to the window that looks out to the side of the property adjacent to the road. Notice the toppled bookcase, and the books strewn on the floor. Many of the books were of a spiritual nature. I had the sense of an individual pondering the last days of their life.

An old chalkboard just inside the kitchen door.

CONTINUE WITH THE TOUR OF WILLOW TREE FARM (PART 2)>>>>>