Cairn House, Blue Shank Road - destroyed

     There's been too many old buildings disappear on the Island this summer, including this old farmhouse on the Blue Shank Road in Kelvin Grove.  It was destroyed recently - probably by a "control burn" by the local fire department.
      The old Cairn's house appeared on the covered of Saltscapes Magazine five years ago this month.

     Below are photos I took yesterday, Sept. 22, 2014 of what's left of the house - the foundation with charred remains.   A few weeks earlier I noticed piles of clay behind the house - I suspected something was going to happen here as the house has been vacant for more than ten years.

Below: all that remains is a small barn.

     I took the following photos of the house on October 26, 2012 just after the large barn on the property was demolished - it had earlier been damage from high winds.

Carriage House, Blue Shank Rd, Kelvin Grove

     I had planned to photograph this property last fall and a lovely big old gambrel roof barn - but I missed it!  In a big wind storm in November the middle part of the barn roof blew in and within a few weeks the entire barn was demolished.  Note the barns foundation seen here to the front and left in front of the carriage house.
     This Cairns Farmstead hadn't been used for farming in quite a few years.  The only other farm building, besides the house, is this great building.  I'm calling it a carriage house - it was likely used as a workshop too.