View our terms and conditions for use of our web site and our privacy policy. Visit Electric Scotland's Aois Community, our social networking site. Find our contact information and learn more about us. The Home Page of Electric Scotland ES Common Header Bar
This is where you'll find a comprehensive resource on Scottish accommodations. Electric Scotland's Article Service where you can both read articles and post your own. Beth's Newfangled Family Tree is a monthly publication giving genealogy advice as well as what's hapening on the Scottish Scene around the world. This is where you'll find around 300 books on Scottish history that we've published on the site. Our pages where you'll find books and articles about Robert Burns and his work. Gives you some information on the business scene in Scotland. This is where you can view Scottish events around the world and add your own. Learn about the history of Clans and Families of Scotland and the Scots-Irish. The personal site of Alastair McIntyre where he's posted his own mini biography as well as his travel journals. 5 volumes worth of biographies relating to Significant Scots. A weekly newsletter about the political scene in Scotland from the Scots Independent Newspaper. Lots of Scottish recipes along with contributions from our visitors. Play our collection of online games. 6 volume Gazetter on the place names of Scotland. This is our page for trying to give you advice on Genealogy. A FAQ where you go to get answers to frequently asked questions. Information and pictures about Historic places in Scotland such as castles and other properties. Main index page for our very large history section. Children resources including over 800 children's stories and lots of online and offline games. A bit of a catch-all page where you find loads of pages about music, haggis, scots language, culture, religion, humor and lots more. Our nature page where you can explore information on Scottish Wildlife, Plants, Flowers and lots more. Our weekly newsletters archive. Thousands of pictures of Scotland for you to enjoy. Loads of poetry and stories for you to enjoy with many contributions from visitors to our site. Our very own Webcard program which you can use to send online postcard to friends and relatives. Huge resources about the Scots Diaspora around the world and here is where you can find this information. A continually building information resource on the Scots-Irish who emigrated to Ulster and then onto many parts of the world, especially the USA. Create your own family tree with our special software. You can also import and export gedcom files. Our web-based scottish search engine which is a free resource for Scottish companies as well as Scottish organisations around the world. Current Scottish News headlines and links to Scottish news resources. A range of services, both big and small, that we currently offer. Our Tartan pages, giving you access to information on Tartans as well as tartan search engines. Sponsored by House of Tartan. Our travel section where we have loads of suggested tours of Scotland as well as old historic travel books. A wee collection of videos some of which we've produced ourselves. Learn about the last 100 pages we've added to our site which is updated daily.

Click here to get a Printer Friendly Page
 

Send Flowers

Fallbrook Farm Heritage Site
Update 15
 

FALLBROOK  FARM  HISTORICAL  SITE,

14513- 27 SIDE ROAD,

HALTON HILLS, ONTARIO.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2008

M. Michael Chong,
Fallbrook in 1998
Federal Member of Parliament,
Wellington Constituency, Ontario.

Mr. Chong

You are naturally very busy but our community organisation, the Fallbrook Farm Historical Site (McClure McKay Home) Inc. (patent letters pending) would like to make sure that the future of this precious heritage jewel is on your agenda. We know you have discussed the future of Fallbrook with city councillors and last week with Mr. Wayne Gates, a founding member of our board. I am following up on your discussion with Wayne. I also sent you a detailed letter in December of 2007 when we were working frantically with Halton Hills City Council to stop the demolition of the site by the Credit Valley Conservation.

In a meeting on April 15, 2008 at the office of the Ministry of Culture in Toronto, a delegation of the Friends of Fallbrook met with the entire Heritage team of the Government of Ontario. We discussed the Ontario Heritage Act and were told that Fallbrook easily falls in the criteria for historical designation. The law is clear and does not affirm a condition that the community groups, most often on the frontline in the never ending battle to conserve our heritage architecture, must arrive with fortunes to ensure the life of the property. We must work over the long haul with private and public groups to ensure their preservation. An historical property is historical...or it is not. Fallbrook meets the 2 criteria of the Ontario Heritage Act, architectural heritage and historical significance. We shall come to Halton Hills Municipal Council as an incorporated, structured heritage group, with a solid business plan and pledges. As long as the Credit Valley Authority maintains its demolition permit on the front gate of the farm, we can only be expected to meet reasonable conditions. The C.V.C.A., in front of city council on December 10, 2007, estimated the cost of renovation at $100,000. We pledged to work to raise those funds (private and public).

      Three events have radically improved the prospects of preserving Fallbrook Farm Historical Site as a memorial to the pioneer families of Ballinafad. The first is the architectural and historic survey completed for our organisation by Mr. Tom Murison. You have been hand delivered an original copy to your Guelph office or you can download it at www.electricscotland.com . Search Fallbrook Farm Heritage Site.

      Mr. Murison has concluded that the cabin was preceded by both a saw mill and a grist mill. It is assumed that these were built by William McClure, who had settled the virgin pine forest in 1853. It has been proven that the logs for the original cabin were cut in the the winter of 1855, and presumably, to prepare the logs for use, McClure built a saw mill, and later a grist mill to serve the local farmers. His intention was not to farm but to conduct one of the first commercial ventures in the area. We suspect that he had already cleared a farm on the 10th line. Mr. McClure had a solid business plan. We are working intensely on our own, 150 years later.

       For a reason we do not know yet, he sold the land and the mill.  A fire? A family tragedy? His descendants still live in Georgetown and are helping us to answer that question. Fallbrook is also the home of a Woodlands native village confirmed by numerous digs.

      The second event is the unequivocal support of the Halton Hills Heritage Committee chaired by Mr. Mark Rowe who will present a motion to designate as an historical site to Halton Hills Municipal Council on November 10, 2008. Their resolution will encompass all the findings and recommendations of the Murison Report.                                                                 

      The third surprise comes from your own government. I refer to the consultation headed by Minister of Environment John Bairds parliamentary secretary Mark Warawa in an effort to develop Canada’s own National Heritage Trust. (Ref: Globe and Mail, August 18, p.3, Josh Wingrove) We applaud the effort of your government, Mr. Chong, to save this irreplaceable Canadian legacy. Just recently, the media is talking constantly of the necessity to save heritage to save our threatened environment. I have read of your own efforts to curb unfettered development in your county.

      Halton Hills has a rich historical and architectural legacy to preserve. Scotsdale Farm, Devereaux House, White Church,Glen Williams City Hall and many others. Thanks to the perseverance of local and passionate amateur historians, past and present, only Fallbrook is currently threatened with destruction.

       We ask you, Mr. Chong, to work with us to preserve Fallbrook Farm Historical Site (McClure McKay Home) and to create a National Heritage Trust .Small community groups all across Canada are working courageously and with meagre resources to preserve this legacy. Preserving cultural and architectural heritage is the best line of defence against rampant development. This patrimony and the history of these first pioneers escaping oppression cannot and will not be destroyed.

                                                          Thank-you,

                                                           Sandy McKay,Great grand-son of Donald McKay,

                                                           For the Founding Board of Directors,

                                                            Fallbrook Farm Historical Site

                                                            Contact-tel. 819-935-4564   e-mail- fallbrook@live.ca

                                                            Website-GOOGLE- Fallbrook Farm Heritage Site

c.c.  the Friends of Fallbrook

        Mayor Richard Bonnette and Honourable Councillors,Halton Hills Municipal Council.

        Heritage Hills Heritage Committee

        Minister of Culture Aileen Carroll, Government of Ontario

        Mr. Ted Arnett,M.P.P., Wellington.

        Media

 

Return to Fallbrook Farm Index Page