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Richard K.C. Ling, Broker

Harvey Kalles Real Estate Limited, Brokerage

Quaker's Pond, Grafton

412 Barnum House Road North

A Rare Historical Find

Canadian $318,000/~U.S. $212,000.00

(Please Click on Thumbnail Below to expand Pictures)

Richard's Notes

The Region

Tap into what the cognoscenti have known for several years, a little bit of insider information if you will - Port Hope, Cobourg and Grafton are turning into  bedroom communities of Toronto - each with its distinctive zeitgeist.  50 minutes of highway driving east of Toronto on HWY 401, Port Hope is one of (maybe a couple), towns in Ontario that has a proactive Heritage Conservatory that has prevented bulldozing of Century Homes for Parking Lots - "managed growth" is a term that comes to mind. Cobourg, just 10 minutes east of Port Hope, is the "sister" township that is one of Toronto's favourites. Grafton is a destination of choice for a more bucolic and Upper Canada "loyalist" feel.

And it is a good thing.  Steeped in history, the "triplets" were the playgrounds of the Rich and Famous since the early 1800's.  That would explain all the majestic estates in the surrounding countryside.

Northumberland County, where the "triplets" lie, benefits from the growing trend of "city folk" moving out from the hustle and bustle in the "big smoke" to somewhere quieter and safer.  With the Internet revolutionizing the way we do business and communicate, many have taken advantage of what telecommuting has to offer. When we placed the Director of Marketing for a major National Bookstore in Grafton 4 years back, he traded his home in North York for a 100 acre farm with a restored Century Home that once belonged to the Masseys for $550,000.  I am sure it's worth a lot more now.  A recent article in Toronto Star (July 1, 2002) mentioned that a developer from Peterborough is planning to develop a 4,800 people retirement community in Port Hope.  He does have the vision and started accumulating land mass 10 years back.

Northumberland County is only part of this "managed growth" phenomenon , although, additionally, there seems to be a trend in Health Spas popping up the the area as well as the traditional Country Fare.  Moving slightly eastward, we have the Big Apple in Colborne that opens year round attracting millions.  And Brighton turning into a well received retirement community - great success in the development of Brighton-by-the-Bay by a REIT.  Then Prince Edward County, with picturesque Picton,  is turning into the other Wine Producing region.  After selling The Hillcrest in Port Hope to an area Spa, I see a few more popping up that provide a variety of alternatives and choices.  Another client from the U.K., now a good friend, is setting up another one in Brighton.  I am sure this will be quite special - as influenced by her background as a hotelier in Africa and her son as an impresario in the entertainment/music industry in the U.K. and New York.  Then there is Trenton and Belleville, led by one of the most dynamic Economic Development Boards in the person of Chris King; and Kingston, which is experiencing phenomenal growth.

From another point-of-view, with the reciprocal commerce between Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa, Northumberland is the Gateway to Toronto from travelers in these regions.  A good break after 4 - 5 hours of driving!

The History

The Freeman Clark(e) House, c 1821

In 1820 Freeman Clark(e) [various records show spelling either Clarke or Clark], a prominent “Hicksite”Quaker from West Lake (Bloomfield, Prince Edward County) relocated to Haldimand Township. The one & one half storey post & beam residence was probably constructed in 1820-21 (Assessment Rolls show a change 1821). On June 6, 1828 the property was “Indentured” as a “meeting house, burying ground and schoolhouse” by Freeman Clark, Jonathan Clark and Anthony Terrill of The West Lake Monthly Meeting of Friends. (Registered August 23,1828, Registry Office, County of Northumberland, Book F, page 254, Memorial #1717).

“A History of The Society of Friends” by Arthur Garratt Dorland Ph.D. (Macmillan 1927) refers to the establishment of a “Haldimand Preparative Meeting” in the home of Freeman Clarke September 1827 (page 88). In 1841, after Freeman Clarke moved to Norwich in Canada West, the Haldimand Preparative Meeting was “laid down” (dissolved) “by authority of the Canada Half Year’s Meeting” (page 175).

This Society of Friends (Quaker) Meeting House was moved about 1/2 kilometre east of the original site to the present site (adjacent to Barnum House Museum) in 1988 and has been reconstructed as a private residence by the current owners John & Lyn DeLaCour and the property named “Quaker’s Pond” in honour of its’ heritage.

The building had slipped into considerable disrepair in latter years. The central gable was added during reconstruction, but otherwise doors and windows (except for west wall windows) are as originally placed. note that the front and rear doors are off-centre due to the placement of the original mortised & tennoned post & beams. The original sills, post & beams and wide-plank pine flooring have been preserved and the reconstruction done in sympathy with its humble beginnings (note the wooden eaves-troughs & chain downspouts).

My Thoughts

If there is one place that epitomizes what my perception of the idealized country living is - this is it!  Picture perfect setting with the Homestead backing against a gentle reverse slope that abuts 19 hectares of the Barnum House Creek Conservation Land ... fenced with a stone path leading to the back of the house... a Pergola with mature vine sits between the house and a reverse slope of a small rise ..... English Gardens.... tall stand of mature evergreen separates this area from the orchard (apple, peach, pear, cherry, crabapple) and the Garden Shed .... 1/3 acre Pond... Barnum House Creek running on the western boundary .... If there is one word I would use, it's "enchanting".

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