"Farm home owned by Frank and Mima Ritchie. This picture was taken during the 1930's by their son-in-law, Reginald Coker. The farm was owned by the Ritchie family and was worked and operated as a dairy farm first by father Frank Ritchie, and then by his son Milton Ritchie. The farm consisited of 188 acres of land and during the Ritchie era was worked mainly with horses. In 1954, the farm was sold by Milton Ritchie to Elmer Stong. The house was built by Davis Stoddart in 1879. Off the main hall there was an oak circular staircase with an oak banister, which was fun to slide down on in the morning for us kids. There were approximately twenty-five rooms in the home with twelve foot ceilings. It was heated with wood and at time coal, but needless to say, in the real winter of yester year, one always wore sweaters indoors. Window shutters kept it cool in the hot summer months. Inside plumbing was not part of the home during the Ritchie era. The floors of the home were maple. The parlour hosted many events from Saturday night dances to weddings, wakes and funerals. Located off the main upstairs hall, stained glass double doors opened to a balcony overlooking the flower gardens adorning the front exposure. Many garden parties were held in the gardens during June, July and August. Sadly, the buildings fell into disarray after Mr. Stong sold the farmland to developers in 1971. The dairy barn built by Frank Ritchie in 1918 burned in the early 1980's and the house was allowed to deteriorate until it became only the shadow of what it had once been, which is now portrayed in some paintings. Mercifully, it was finally put to rest a few short years ago and another chapter of Bradford West Gwillimbury history became a distant memory." Written by their grandson, Alan Ritchie.
A sketch of the Holland Landing Anglican Church as it appeared in the Holland Landing Scope. The caption read: "The Holland Landing Anglican Church is a landmark in that community, as represented here in a sketch by Simon Limbert. The community was officially named in 1821 when the first post office was established. The church was constructed in 1850 from materials taken from an older building.
The hamlet of Coulson's Hill was named after the Coulson family who settled here in 1822. They donated the land for the two church properties and cemeteries. The Anglican church was built in 1854, the Presbyterian church in1857. The hamlet was the home for a hotel, stagecoach shop, a blacksmith shop and an Orange Hall.
The Bannerman family are one of the many of the Scotch Settlement buried here (the Hunters, Magees, Faris' and Macbeths are others who have family plots within the cemetery).
Two tombstones belonging to the Bannerman family. Behind them is the Bannerman family plot. "To the memory of George Sutherland: Native of Sutherlandshie, Scotland, who departed this life Feb 10 1859, Aged 66 years." "Christina, wife of George Bannerman Died Dec 17, 1875, Aged 86 years. Native of Sutherlandshire, Scotland"
