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.