Hon. Aileen Carroll
Minister of Culture and Seniors
Government of Ontario
5th Floor, Mowat Block
900 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario M7A 1L2
Dear Minister,
Fallbrook Farm
Historical Site
I am writing in support of the effort to preserve the
Fallbrook Farm Historical Site in Georgetown, Ontario. Earlier
correspondence on this subject is in your possession, most recently a
letter from S.J. McKay dated 13 October 2008. In this letter he has
reiterated the historical importance of the site and has given you an
update of recent developments. There is no need for me to repeat what he
has said, but I do wish to add my views. Not only do I think the site is
well worth preserving but I also believe that it would be deplorable if
the Credit Valley Conservation Authority were to demolish the site. Over
the years a great of evidence of the contribution made by Ontario’s
pioneers has been neglected and lost. The responsible thing to do at
this stage is to preserve whatever remains of the physical evidence of
their work. Fallbrook Farm is an important example of that work and of
the presence of the pioneers in nineteenth- and twentieth- century
Ontario. That the family that opened up the land was not prominent is
irrelevant in this context: historians are now much more interested in
so-called anonymous people than they once were, reflecting an improved
appreciation of their essential contribution to the growth of our
province.
It is my hope that you will use your influence to
preserve Fallbrook Farm and to give encouragement to the group of people
who have been working tirelessly for its preservation.
Sincerely yours,
Michiel Horn, PhD, FRSC
Professor Emeritus of History, University Historian
York University, Toronto |