The Deming Family Summer Home

This is the main house, or the "Big House" as they say, on the family property here on Wolfe Island, Ontario. The house is quite large, has a split level (a half a stairway to another floor) which gives it 4 floors of rooms, with a big old stone basement and a 'widows walk' on top of the roof that you can get to up attic-like stairs. You can only see a corner of the white bars that contain you while you are on it in this picture. 

Steven says there are 11 bedrooms, only 2 baths and lots of other rooms like the kitchen, dining room, livingroom, enclosed porch. When some of the larger families with many children are visiting, they have to eat in shifts!  Last year I walked through the house and took lots of photos of all the interesting furniture, old family mementos, etc. Some of the rooms are considered dormitories and hold at least 6 kids! Steve says one of the bedrooms was called the "Birthing Room" because it was on the first floor and I guess they used it for such in times past. 

Steven's grandmother was born in a log cabin on the same home site. Her family lived in the Oats Barn (see my previous blip) while the big house was being built by Steve's great grandfather, probably close to the 1890's, Steve thinks. His grandmother's descendents still come every summer and use the house, but 3 out of her 5 children built other houses or cottages on the property. One of them was Steve's dad. We stay in the cottage he built instead of the large family home. But the big house is well used -many of Steve's relatives had 3-10 children and so, this place is so hoppin every year! ;o)

I love the look of the Deming family summer home and the history. A few days after I originally wrote this, I am adding a link to an old postcard of the family's summer home. :0)