The Lost Farm Houses of Whitby
A number of years ago these farm houses were relocated to a field in Whitby. The owner had planned to use them as part of a bed and breakfast style retreat. Unfortunately the zoning application failed and they’ve been left to the elements.
This last one is the Hastings farmhouse and I will try to do a little more research on the family.
Brown’s Corners is the name of a community in Scarborough in Toronto, Ontario, Canada at the corner of Finch Avenue East and Markham Road. David Brown operated a business and post office on the southwest corner. The Post Office was relocated to Malvern Village,[1] but the business continued as a grocery store well into the 1950s. The northwest corner was the Hastings farm.[1] The Hastings farm house was relocated to the Cullen Gardens park in Whitby to await restoration. A huge barn was located at the intersection and remained there long after the farms disappeared. A car dealership replaced the farmhouse and barns. Thomas Maxwell lived on the northeast corner and there were smaller houses on the southeast corner.
The N/W corner of Markham and Finch is now a very attractive car dealership.
This is the only photo I’ve found of the farm in it’s original location.
Found on Urban Toronto. Photo credit: A. Phillips
The Hastings’ family gravestone in the cemetery of Knox United Church in Scarborough
Lost Toronto 
I wish the B&B had happened, though I can’t imagine how you’d get folks out to Whitby…
August 1, 2013 at 4:39 pm
Such a shame nothing is being done….of course, developers in Markham were given incentives to relocate homes displaced to a subdivision ( >-> bit.ly/15rwUvZ?=ypyqzk)
August 2, 2013 at 11:18 pm
I recognize the before photo. I lived in this area for close to 10 years until the early 90’s. It’s a shame the original structures are gone.
August 11, 2013 at 1:45 am
I remember driving by the farm in it’s original location as well. Not sure on the exact date it was moved.
August 11, 2013 at 12:06 pm
I visited friends, two university aged guys, who were (I assume) renting an old farmhouse at the southwest corner of Finch and Markham. I don’t remember how far west of Markham the driveway was, but it wasn’t too far. I remember it being dark at night and very country-like, not well-populated or well lit, and not developed at all. This was in the mid-90s and I lived in southwest Scarborough. Driving for 15 minutes northeast and seeing this old farmhouse was something of a novelty for me! I remember a long driveway, not paved, and parking on the grass. The house was small, certainly from the late 1800s or early 1800s, but extremely old and run-down. It had been renovated and was a bit of a Frankenstein house in that respect, with older antique bits and “newer” bits from the 60s or 70s. I do remember crazy 60s or 70s wallpaper in the kitchen! That’s all I remember, really, and I’m sad I can’t recall more details. I passed by the spot yesterday and memories kept flooding back. I can’t believe how much it’s changed. Finch Avenue going west from Markham Road has a bridge now over the tracks. That wasn’t there at the time. I’m only 45, but just remembering all this….now I feel OLD.
March 9, 2021 at 10:08 am
Yeah…I know the feeling…..
Good story.
March 9, 2021 at 11:06 am
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Thanks for linking!
September 6, 2016 at 6:32 am
Good research.
September 6, 2016 at 6:34 am