It’s been just over a year since the John R. Park Homestead in Essex was closed for extensive renovations.
The long-anticipated wait to reopen the doors of the main house, built in 1842, was welcomed by the hundreds of visitors who attended the fourth annual Holiday Makers’ Market.
Close to $1.5 million went into the preservation of the house that sits on a historic property now owned by the Essex Region Conservation Authority (ERCA).
As part of the repairs, a fortified break wall was put in place to help fend off the elements from Lake Erie.
“We have a problem with our shoreline around this coast. Some good winds and good wave action have eroded the building,” said Tamara Stomp, chair of the volunteer group, Friends of the John R. Park Homestead.
Brothers John and Thomas Park moved to Amherstburg in 1824 and in 1833, John purchased land at what at the time was known as the Iler Settlement. He married Amelia and they built the large Classical Revival house in 1842.
“We are saving the building because it is one of the primary examples in Ontario of an early settlement that is still in good shape. It is very interesting to see how they lived in the past,” noted Stomp.
Those who came to the Homestead on the weekend were able to sample cider, nibble on a chestnut, head to the blacksmith shop, and visit with ponies and a fine-looking and very approachable horse who didn’t seem to mind a sip or two of cider.
John and his wife Amelia Park lived in the house for close to 30 years raising their six children. When they retired and moved to Amherstburg, the property was sold to Francis Fox. It stayed in the Fox family until 1967 when it was sold to the Woodley family. In the 1940’s and 50’s, Gordie and Laura Fox called the house, “Loekholm.”
The Province of Ontario bought the homestead in 1974 and then ERCA turned it into a living museum in 1978.
As part of its ongoing history, the Friends of the John R. Park Homestead was created in the 1990’s and has continued to provide both financial and volunteers to keep it going.
“There are about 80 people that come out on a regular basis. They do what is needed to keep the place alive. They know their history and they know what it’s like to live on a farm in early Canada,” said Stomp.
On Sunday, volunteers answered a lot of questions and in the kitchen tended to the cooking on an open fire of a Canadian goose, potatoes and parsnips.
There were 20 vendors, fresh cut greens for purchase, a visit to the sawmill and a scavenger hunt.
John R. Park Homestead celebrates the holidays with re-opening of house
By Fred Groves