Miniature village hidden in Ingersoll, Ont. sparks community curiosity
A hidden village of miniature homes and buildings, nestled along a creek in Ingersoll, has piqued the interest of residents for decades.
The small structures have sparked questions over the years like who put them there and why?
The answer lies with Linda Huntley. Her parents lived on the property and together began building the village in the 1980s.
“They built a church, and they built a school, and then every year they just continued to build different buildings,” Huntley told CTV News.
Each little cabin is just a few feet wide by a few feet high. The village grew year after year. In 1992, Huntley’s father built a railroad that ran through the backyard, and it didn’t stop there.
As the number of little buildings grew, so did the community interest.
“I don't know, it just got opened up that people wanted to come here and tour, so Mom, when she would be home, Dad would still be working, so when people would come, and she'd show them all through,” she said.
The building stopped when Huntley’s mother died. It was tough for her father to keep up the creativity.
“He was pretty depressed actually, and then he decided he can't do this anymore without her here. So then the railway stopped, and then the carousel stopped,” Huntley said.
Linda Huntley holds up a photo of her dad building one of the small cabins. (CTV News/Spencer Turcotte)
Huntley’s father is gone now too, yet all their labours of love still are still alive and thriving.
It’s all thanks to the new homeowner Steve Puffer. He understands how much it means to the community.
“Pretty much just replacing whatever rots out if we can. If it's salvageable we'll do it,” said Puffer. “People would stop by and tell me the history of it, and apparently as a kid I came here on a field trip.”
Puffer hopes to not only keep the village going, but to eventually add to it. So even with the creators long gone, their creations live on.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.