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Greetings to the Friends of
Fallbrook:
We send you warm greetings from all of us at the Friends of Fallbrook
campaign.
Early this past November, we learned that the farmhouse at Fallbrook
Farm, near Georgetown, was slated to be demolished by the owner, Credit
Valley Conservation. We prepared and presented our objections to the
Town of Halton Hills Council at its meeting on December 10, 2007. By
our concerted effort, supported by e-mails and letters, we succeeded in
blocking the destruction of the log farmhouse for 6 months. We will now
bring you up to date.
We have worked hard, but the road ahead will still be a difficult one.
Firstly, the elders of Silver Creek have forced the authorities to
reinstate the proper name of the farm. In the time of the McKays it was
simply ''the farm'' or ''Uncle Sandy's''. With their departure in 1943,
it became 'Fallbrook' after the beautiful creek that runs beside the
home and where, every morning, the first chore was to carry water to the
house and barn. Since Credit Valley Conservation became owners in 1973,
they have given it many erroneous names. The last name used, 'Beecham',
had no reason to be applied except to mislead the public when CVC was
seeking a demolition permit. We have come to understand that the
'Beecham' family was the first to rent the house after the Keirs left in
1979; they stayed until about 1984. Early this year, several members of
their family contacted us, and they have become supporters of our drive
to save the building.
We have succeeded in contacting many of the original SilverCreek farm
families and many are joining the campaign. We will be hosting a
gathering in the spring of the elders, families and friends of
SilverCreek to celebrate our common heritage. With our resident
historian, we have begun interviews to record the oral history. We have
established contacts with the Department of Scottish Studies at the
University of Guelph, the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board,
the Heritage Halton Hills Committee and the Town of Halton
Hills Council, as well as the C.V.C.. This intensive period was
to build towards a crucial meeting at Town Hall with all the vital
players on February 13 in a concerted effort to resurrect Fallbrook.
We initially had encouraging signs from the C.V.C. that they would
support our efforts to restore Fallbrook as a living museum to educate
young people about the life of these early pioneers. Much to our
surprise, they not only reiterated their intention to demolish, but
subsequently managed to intimidate other government agencies into
abandoning us and leaving us alone to restore the structure as well
as to singularly source the funding. Fallbrook is a thorn in the CVC's armour
as their negligence becomes embarrassingly clear to all. We have been
treated with the same disdain as the farm families of SilverCreek. They
maintain their insulting position that the contribution of the
SilverCreek pioneers is not historically significant in spite of our
efforts to record the history. This has become a battle not only for the
respect of our elders but of ourselves, as descendants. It was a
difficult day but we are getting a second wind.
We are now more formally organizing the effort with more new faces and a
renewed energy. We go back to our roots. We will mobilize public opinion
in Georgetown and Halton Hills. We will heighten the political campaign
to the Ontario Government whose Heritage Act is being used to justify
the ultimate destruction of Fallbrook. Soon, we will ask you to support
us with more letters to save the little loghouse of Fallbrook. Your
ideas are most welcome. Time is of the essence but our cause is just.
Fallbrook is now much more than the ancestral home of
one family. It is the last symbol of the courageous efforts of the
SilverCreek pioneers to settle this poor land that has since become so
prosperous. By fighting to save Fallbrook against great odds, we compel
the authorities to admit this truth.
Thank-you and best wishes,
The Friends of Fallbrook Organizing Committee:
Sandy McKay, John Carroll, Irene Carroll,
Joan Kadoke, Graham Bruce, Wayne Gates
email-
fallbrook@live.ca
posted notice on the gatepost at the
driveway entrance to the homestead
Fallbrook Farm complex taken 1979
showing the original barn central rear, since levelled by Credit Valley
Conservation
Two photos show remaining walls of the ice house, located downstream
from the bridge
27th SideRoad bridge just west of the house,
showing the falls that give the property its name
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