Perched up on a hill sits the Abandoned 1860s Homestead. I had watched it for a while but couldn't get in until early 2020 with Zenning with Zay!
This 160 year old homestead looked like it would be demolised but just months after it was denied, the historical designation was approved!
The Abandoned 1860s Homestead is a Classic Revival building with three wings added at a later date to the south side. The original building was built to a high standard. It still retains most of its original architectural detail & design both inside & outside, including original windows & trim.
The original homestead was built using dark bricks & featured a three bay front with absolutely beautiful brickwork accents. Much to my surprise, the wrap around porch & its pillars, arches & pendants were all original! That is pretty incredible considering the age of the place!
The homestead, which sits on 27 hectares of land, stayed in the family until 1941 when it was purchased from the bank. Unfortunately I was unable to find out why it was purchased from the bank & what ever became of the family.
The homestead is currently owned by a developer which typical means bad news. But since there was the heritage designation, there is hope this old beauty will be saved! The problem here is that despite being completely boarded up at one time, it was now wide open. Vandals ripped off boards & broke some windows. Fortunately it seems the only real damage was done to gain entry. That said, I don't condone forced entry & have been shut down by many abandoned places over the years. Patience is key in this hobby!
One thing I should mention, the developer who owns this place isn't heartless as many think! They also owned a mansion which we explored back in 2018! That mansion was leased out to a women & children's shelter type organization for several years.