Fraser-MacKenzie Farm
Kempt Head Road
1860
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George Fraser likely built this house circa 1860. Around the turn of the century, he sold the house to Rod MacKenzie, and left Boularderie to work in the Gold Rush in the western United States. Rod worked with gravel, and lined his gardens with cannonballs he found at his work site. Consequently, the current owners have found numerous cannonballs slightly submerged in the gardens. Marguerite Drummond looked after Rod until his death. Rod's son Duncan married a French mail-order bride. He sold the 19-acre property to its current owners in 1983.
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Architectural Comment
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This house was constructed in a three bay Gothic Revival style. It probably originally contained double hung casement windows, with one side Gothic window, and one triangular window at the front of the house. The windows have all been replaced, but they are still hooded with typically Gothic wooden labels. The house contains a full two storeys, and a unique original covered wooden drainage system. On the interior, the original fireplaces and locally turned newel post remain. Some walls and doors have been removed: when the current owners bought the house, there were eleven doors off the kitchen, as well as two back porches!
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Contextual Comment
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This was originally the homestead of George Fraser's fully functioning farm. There were several outbuildings left from the farm that have fallen down in the past few decades. A farm woodworking centre was likely used to carve the remaining newel post on the staircase. A steam engine remains on the property- it would have been hauled to the farm's grain mill in order to aid in production, but would have been abandoned (along with the mill) as soon as technology made shipping the grain out more economical. The original farm land-holdings were apparently divided numerous times. Donald MacKenzie lived on the adjoining property, and worked on the ferry until he moved to Boston.
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