Our story
The History
The first Europeans came to this site 200 years ago. The only road on the Canadian side of Lake Ontario was a rough track known as The Street, now Dundas Street.
A grid of 100-acre parcels of land were divided on the treaty lands and territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit.
These settlers of Trafalgar Township were United Empire Loyalists who supported Britain against the Americans during the war of 1812. In the cemetery by Munn’s Church, at Dundas and 6th line, are gravestones of pioneers with the names Biggar, Featherstone, Fish, Bowbeer and Post. Many of their descendants are still around. Gradually farms were cleared, and markets established at the port of Oakville. One roomed schools, churches and meeting halls were built at crossroads and neighbourhoods were established.
William Bowbeer, b.1795 d.1861
The Original Buildings and Later Development
The barn and the original kitchen with a Mumford fireplace, were built in 1827 by William Somerset Bowbeer. He was a Reeve of Trafalgar township and had 12 children.
In 1853 he added a brick Georgian house with 5 rooms and 3 fireplaces downstairs and four bedrooms upstairs. Sybil and Leo Rampen have lived here for 65 years and raised five sons. They added on to the original building at the back of the house, building a studio in 1975 and connecting the studio and house with a wintergarden in 2006. In 2007 the barn, with its hand-hewn beams, was moved onto new foundations and rebuilt to become an art gallery. A foyer was added as well as a large catering kitchen. Also, a porch was constructed using beams from the barn next door. Upstairs there is a private research library and an office. A gazebo, behind the gallery, was built for weddings. At the back of the property, a large labyrinth, modelled after the labyrinth at Chartres Cathedral in France, was created in the meadow.
