Heritage Farm Program

Boris Wachna, a businessman and WWII veteran from Windsor, dreamed of owning a farm like the one he grew up on in Manitoba. Boris found the perfect sheep pasture on rolling hills with a creek running through it. Hence, the name Cedar Creek Farm. He moved his “city slicker” wife Mary Ann and 7 children aged 3-17 to the dream home he built. After endless tree planting Boris taught his wife and children the joy of farm life.

We raised Hereford beef cattle welcoming claves each year. We always had a dairy cow named Bessy which my mother learned to milk. The cattle grazed in the fields all summer after we cut hay. The hottest day in June we worked as a team to put the bales in the loft for winter. Enjoying hayrides and a bucket of Kentucky fried chicken when it was done.

In the warmth of our house each spring we raised fluffy chicks and ducklings. Once old enough they swam in our pond and we collected their eggs.

Mary was well known for her chiffon cakes that she made with those eggs. Our mother won many red ribbons for her baking at the Harrow Fair.

My Father loved bonfires and singsongs. A true music lover at heart, he even had bells on his beloved horse named Star. In snowy winters we hooked Star to a sled and went “dashing through the snow”.

Over years the seven: Cathy, Tina, Bob, Diane, Alan, Melanie, and Jeanne added 19 grandchildren that took over the next era of the farm. Enjoying the freedom and beauty of nature. Our trees turned into forests and our farm became a private oasis for our growing families.

Although Boris and Mary Ann are no longer with us their dreams still lives on through their great grandchildren who enjoy the farm, the animals, and the music.

The Neumiller family has been farming on this land for 60 years. Henry & Elisabeth Neumiller emigrated with their son and three daughters from Austria in 1957 and worked at Wrightland Farms on Ridge Road. In 1963, they purchased this farm and grew vegetables and some fruit that they sold at their popular roadside stand on the busy Erie Road (County Road 13). Henry & Kathy Neumiller purchased the farm in 1976 and continued to grow vegetables to sell at the roadside stand. In 1986 they started to transition the farm to all apple trees with some pear and plum added later. The farm was sold to James & Colleen Neumiller in 2021 who continue to farm the orchard and sell roadside with their children Adeline and Fraser.

The farm was bought on February 19th, 1952 by Keith and Bob Colenutt for $30,000. People thought that it was a crazy amount of money, but the family thought it would be a good investment. They pulled together the money and purchased the 150 acre plot from James and Sylvia McKee. The farm was the first in the area to own a self-propelled combine. Keith passed the farm down to Wilfred and Kelly Strong in 2003 after they had been working on the farm with him for years. Their three sons, Rylan, Cole, and Jake all help out on the farm and intend to continue working on their family’s farm for many generations.

The Defour Farm was established in May 1937, after it was bought by Raymond Defour from the government because of an outstanding title loan. He would go on to raise his three children, Camiel, Elsie, and Frank, alongside his wife, Judith, while working the land. Raymond’s son, Camiel, would eventually buy the farm in May 1963, and raise his three children, Faith, Elwood, and Eugene, with his wife, Mary. Elwood would buy the farm from his father May 2006, but let his parents lease the house until 2020, when Luke bought the farm from his father in May of that year. The farm still uses the same equipment from the 1950’s and 1960’s.

Heirloom Farms was first settled in 1768 by an American, Jacob Halstead. It was passed down 7 generations in the Halstead family until 1945, when it was sold to Samuel and Anna Meleg. Sam was a former Mayor of Harrow and very active in Essex’s political community for many years. He also enjoyed his work with the local research station to further the growth of agriculture in Essex County. The Meleg farm has been successfully growing crops in its sandy soil since 1945 including tobacco, soybeans, peaches, tomatoes, apples, corn, potatoes and even Christmas trees! In the year 2018, Sam’s granddaughter Amy and her husband Mike purchased the farm from the family estate and now enjoy it with their children (4th generation). They are dedicated to preserving the integrity of this historic piece of property while honoring the memories (and people) it’s holds so dear

On Sunday, August 13, 2017, our farming family was blessed to celebrate my husband's farms 90th anniversary and my husband and mine 25th Wedding anniversary. This was huge for our family and we celebrate with a fantastic party. Leonard Anson Howson purchased the farm on February 1, 1927, and his youngest son Jack took over the family farm with his wife Geraldine. They milked cows and raised their six children. One of my favourite things to do is to listen to my father in-law, Jack tell stories of our farm's past. Once, I sat outside with Jack and he started sharing stories with me about how his dad was scared when Jack decided to buy the first milk quota but was happy when that first milk cheque arrived! One important decision made many years ago has now affected and blessed 3 generations of Howson farmers. My husband's grandfather made the request that no one ever mortgage the home farm. This became a huge deal in the 1970's when farmers were affected by interest rates and many local farmers lost their home farms to the bank. My father in-law honoured his dad and wouldn't take a bank loan because the bank only wanted the home farm as collateral. Now, years later our farm has grown to many other farms, we've changed things up and we sold the cows to focus on working the land and farming wheat and soybeans, knowing that times were changing and we needed to change too. Written by Amy Howson

My great-great uncle originally purchased Lot 9 in 1882. Unmarried, he passed property to his nephew Archibald Connel Campbell who purchased the west half of Lot 10 in 1887. After my grand-father, Archibald Connal Campbell, inherited the farm, he acquired east half of Lot 9 in 1909, then the entire farm parcel of 200 acres along with my grandmother Lyda Belle Campbell in 1932. My father, William George, inherited the land with his unmarried brother, Jack Edward Campbell, in 1956. My mother, Shirley, inherited the entire parcel upon their deaths, passing it to current owner, her son Reginald. Currently, the farm rotates between growing soybeans and wheat, and the woodlots on the farm along the Canard River have beautiful trails enjoyed by family, friends and neighbors.

An important part of the farm’s history comes from the Sugar Beets contract made during the 1930’s. My uncle, Jack Edward Campbell (1923-2002), related that a group of German POW's would arrive with a guard to manually harvest the beets, throughout the 1930’s. In exchange for the free labour, my grand-mother, Lyda Belle, would provide the prisoners a meal while they worked. This was no small task for her as she was raising 7 children (3 girls, 4 boys) who were all born between 1908 and 1928. Jack said that the prisoners did not attempt to escape since they were well treated with a sense of purpose in their work.

The Gagnon farm has a captivating history that spans generations, dating back to 1833 when it was owned by Ambroise Gagnon, who emigrated from France and established it as a farm.

In the late 1800s, Joseph Ferdinand Gagnon, Ambroise's first son, took over the farm. Joseph married Eva Lucier and together they cultivated a 25-acre farm on North Malden Road.

The legacy continued with Alfred Gagnon, Joseph's son, who became the steward of the land in 1930. Under his care, the farm expanded to an impressive 100 acres. In 1927, Alfred purchased his brother's adjacent 75-acre farm, which was also located on North Malden Road. He shared this farm with his wife, Roseabelle Colombe.

Alfred and Gerald, their oldest son, carried on the tradition of farming on both properties with the support of Roseabelle. A remarkable woman who not only supported her husband but was also a midwife, healer, and a dedicated farmer. She managed the dairy operation while Alfred worked off the farm, occasionally assisting his father on his own property. Susie Gagnon, youngest daughter of Alfred, later revised and maintained the farm from Alfred, and Gerald following their passing.

The Gagnon family's commitment to agriculture extended beyond their property, as Alfred's brothers also owned farms in the McGregor area. They are honored to uphold the legacy of Roseabelle and Alfred Gagnon, who left an indelible mark on this land. Their dedication to farming, family, and community continues to inspire us as we cherish and nurture this historic property.

They purchased their first tractor in the mid 1940’s, a John Deere B, and it drastically changed how they farmed. Malcom and his wife built and operated a restaurant and grocery store on the Southside of Highway 18A and Levergood Beach Road, until 1960.

Currently, the farm rotates between the crops they grow, like corn, soy beans, and winter wheat!

The Snider farm is one of the oldest farms in the area dating back to 1798, when it was owned by John Snider, a United Empire Loyalist who came to Colchester in the 1790s. The house and the farmland surrounding it have been tended to by nine generations of the Snider family.

In 1798, John Snider was granted the entirety of Lot 73, just west of the Village of Colchester, by King George III to thank him and his family for their loyalty to the British Crown during the American War of Independence. Many loyalist families migrated north following the conflict to avoid persecution and were granted land in both Upper and Lower-Canada to aid in the further settlement of English-speaking Canada.

According to family history, on September 10^th, 1813, while the Snider family was putting the roof on their house, workers and family members were able to see smoke and hear cannons being fired during the Battle of Lake Erie.

In 1828, Adam Snider would take ownership of the lands following his father’s death and tend to the land as his father had done for many years before him. It would continue to be passed down and today the ninth generation of the Snider family continues to uphold family tradition. The Snider family’s commitment to preserving their home and farm is inspirational, as they look to preserve their family history and honour those who came before them.