THE VIBRANT HISTORY of OUR HOME
Franklin Island, directly across from our home, featured Camp Franklin, a thriving tourist destination, reachable only by steamer, as there were no roads in the area. The camp was built around 1910 and our "Little Cottage" was actually Cabin No. 9 (see map below), floated over in the late 1950s and served as one of the first cottages on the shore, just down from "Mrs Dewar's Cottage", which is in the same, turn-of-the-century style and still exists, 3 properties to the south.
Mrs Dewar owned much of the shoreline from Snug Harbour, north. Ken Nichols, supported her and helped her for many years, by boat from Parry Sound. Ken was given first dibs and a good price, when she subdivided her land into lots and he purchased 4 lots. We have two of those original lots. His friend, Vynn Dunne, who owned Camp Franklin later on,
sold him Cabin No. 9 and together they floated it across.
CABIN
No.9
MOVED TO
86 REMY BAY ROAD
Time for renovation...
The little cottage was starting to decay, and it's foundations were logs, directly on the ground, which was not optimal. Given the special nature of this building, and it's history, we made the decision - much to the humour of our contractor - to lift the Little Cottage off the logs, put in a new foundation, electrical and plumbing, and reinforce the wobbly old building. It was conceded, after the addition, that the charm and beauty of No. 9 was undeniable, and perhaps some words were eaten! The expense was justified, we preserved a little bit of history, and really, our hearts will always be in Cabin No.9.
Thanks Scott Weir at ERA Architects for helping us along the way.
SAME
VIEW
15 YEARS
LATER
... and a little more!
The main cottage, built in 1960, was also in need of some loving, and also, a lot of thinking, planning, moving, storing, designing, building...
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The plan was to create a versatile home, easy to entertain in, breezy, with a bright beach house vibe. The house was built strictly to Carling Township building code, ensuring that all elements are inspected and approved,, and built to last.
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"Snug" as we call it, or "Club Snug", the name given by our more vivacious guests, is both a quiet sanctuary, and boisterous, fun-filled home. Materials are hardy, the house is simple to maintain and that allows for maximum enjoyment - in all seasons.
