Scottsdale
Farm is an Ontario Heritage Property administered by the Halton
Conservation Authority accessible as a side trail from the Bruce
Trail or from the onsite parking lot off Trafalgar Rd at 13607.
Calling a 15-car lot large is a matter of perspective.
The
working farm was bequeathed by the Bennett Family to the people of
Ontario in trust. In the year 2015 the farm houses have been leased
to tenants but the farm itself remains unworked and the barns empty.
The unmown fields and garden plots remain untended and are rapidly
returning to weeds and scrub. To a former farmboy it is sad to see
barns slowly mouldering away their board and batten sides turning
grey and growing moss. The asphalt shingles may protect the roves but
they look out of place along with the modern white eavestroughing in
which grow a crop of weeds and small trees. The outbuilding and
former farm homes feature multiple gables and a white paint job. Most
buildings have air vents or dovecots up top.
Pictures
of former draft horses and winning bulls are no substitute for the
real thing. There's a so-called wishing well and an untended pond
with bridge crossing the dam on the Cold Creek. The Marsh appears a
prime breeder of mosquitoes but probably supports a good crop of
frogs and toads as well. The trail was a pleasant walk through muted
Autumn Foliage.
Alas, the tone of this entry betokens the fact that I expected more. Even the barns are off-limits today.
