1820s-1830s Log Cabin at Risk from 31 Sand Rd Development

On the 31 Sand Road property, a rare log farmhouse dating to c.1820s - 1830s has been uncovered. This cabin sits on land tied to the Upper Landing, where Simcoe’s 1793 expedition met with First Nations leaders, and where the Pine Fort and Johnson’s Landing once stood.

It is one of the oldest surviving pioneer structures in York Region, built of hand-hewn dovetail logs with original plaster chinking — yet it is completely unprotected under the Ontario Heritage Act (OHA). The property is under active development review, and there is a real risk the developer might damage, demolish, or extinguish the cabin without public awareness or before its status can be changed to "Designated" under the OHA. The change in legal status would mean it has been officially recognized by the municipality or the province as having cultural heritage value & would impact the development of the site.

Those of us who live right near the 31 Sand Rd property know that it has been uninhabited for some time but during this period all the buildings have been heavily vandalized. As there is rarely anyone or any vehicles on the property, if anyone sees any vehicles or any individuals roaming the property, please inform the police immediately so we can prevent this rare log farmhouse from being vandalized or destroyed.