Decaire Farm

This photo shows Grandpa Thomas, Emmet and Carlo (their dog) in front of the original barn. The Decaire farm was 100 acres on Lot 23, Concession 12, West Ferris Township.  The farm is located between two present-day golf courses: Pinewood Park and Osprey Links.

Thomas Decaire, from Penetanguishene, married a woman from Country Cork and settled the farm around 1900. Six children, 4 boys and 2 girls, soon arrived. (Decaire built the road that bears the family name.) When his wife died, he and the kids lived in a shed for the winter because of a house fire. Thomas sold the property and moved to Manitoba. A few years later the family moved back and were lucky to buy back the original homestead.

The farm produced corn, potatoes and pigs, which the family slaughtered themselves. They sold chickens to the rabbi from North Bay. Weekly, the whole family was packed up in horse and wagon to “go to market”… in this case to go to barter at Ben’s Supermarket in town. Eventually the twin boys, Leo and John, inherited the farm and their descendants continue to live there after ceasing commercial farming about 1955.

Memories of... Unwelcome Visitors
“One fine day my neighbour friend, Terry Ryan, and I decided to play hooky. We discussed where we should go, and Terry volunteered his house, since his parents were at work. As we approached the house, we noticed the door wide open. 

Hesitantly we stepped inside and found the kitchen in a great mess—food spilled everywhere and a bad smell. As we looked around we heard cot springs squeaking and a grunting noise coming from the bedroom. What should we discover but one of our pigs making herself comfortable in the cot. Her partner in crime was occupying the bed in another room. We herded the sows back home, and a very angry Mom set out to clean up the mess they had created. But she didn’t lecture us for playing hooky because the mess could have been much worse.” 

— Armand Decaire