Dakeyne Farm
Mount Denson, Nova Scotia
History is all around us and sometimes it is in clear view but we just don’t pay enough attention. A prime example of this is the faded words printed on this building peeking out from behind the shrubs. Looking at this photo would you assume the building played a big role in Canadian and British history? Or would you simply assume it is just another farm like any of the other numerous farms throughout the Nova Scotia landscape?
Dakeyne Farm, located in Mount Denson, NS, definitely is not just any farm. This farm played a part in the larger British Home Children movement of 1869 to the 1930s. Between 1912 and 1935 over a hundred young boys and two girls passed through the farm.
Today, the farm is an operational family run farm owned by Donald and Annie Wilson. This issue of our newsletter will concentrate on the story of the Dakeyne farm.
A Short History of Dakeyne Farm
In 1912, Mr. Oliver Hind, with the help of John Player (of Player’s Tobacco Company) and the Dakeyne Street Boy’s Club of Nottingham (founded by Mr. Hind in 1907) purchased 250 acres of land in Mt. Denson, NS, for the price of $11, 800. Over the years more land would be bought. In 1911 Mr. Hind and two English farmers toured Canada searching for a suitable location to set up a farm. They arguably choose the quite picturesque area in Mount Denson because it closely resembled the English countryside. This farm would not be a farm like any other. The farm would be a place for British boys to go to learn the ways of farming and after a year of training they could go and find employment on farms elsewhere. Some would remain in Hants County but many boys went to other parts of the country. This farm was, and still is, known as Dakeyne Farm.
The first group of approximately 14 boys arrived in Canada via ship in 1913. After arriving in the port of Halifax they were taken to Windsor via train. They were then picked up by horse and wagon and taken to the farm. By the next year 10 of the boys were placed on other farms and four stayed at Dakeyne Farm to help maintain the farm as new boys arrived.
Days were long and full of hard work. The boys spent most of their time in the barn or out in the fields and usually were only in the house to eat and sleep. On the main floor, at the back of the house, there was a long sink for the boys to wash. The kitchen and dining room were also on this level. On the second floor was a room with a library and games for the boys. The third floor was where the boys slept. On one side were their beds and the other had their trunks. The families of the farm managers lived in the house with the boys. Farm managers over the years included Mr. Charles Lockhart, Mr. Arthur Smith, Mr. John Smith, Mr. Roy Grant, Mr. Gunner Nelson and Mr. Arthur Curry.
The barn was built in 1913 and originally had two silos. The boys would go through a weekly rotation of chores. This allowed the boys to become capable in all areas. The farm had dairy and beef cattle, poultry, pork, vegetables, hay, berries, and 30 acre apple orchard. The livestock on the farm was shipped from England.
By 1925, 93 boys passed through the farm with 67 taking up farming as a profession. When boys visited years after their time on the farm it was the barn they were usually most interested in seeing.
By the 1930s the number of boys arriving had decreased significantly. Farmers were no longer in such high demand and the farm stopped operating as a training facility. Around 1926-27 Nova Scotia Premier Edgar Rhodes was asked to take control of the farm but the province declined. Sometime in the late 1920s or early 1930s the farm was sold to the National Council of Social Service Inc. in London, England. In 1935, after much negotiation, John Ingram Wilson purchased the farm. He was the grandfather of current owner Donald Wilson.
A Prank Gone Wrong
Life on the farm was full of hard work but as the saying goes, boys will be boys and so there were times of mischief.
When the road through Mount Denson heading to Hantsport was being repaired the construction crew had a supply shed set up on the side of the road. One day a few boys from the Dakeyne Farm snuck up to the shed and stole some dynamite. The boys had an idea of scaring the passengers on the Rotundas ferry boat as it travelled up the Avon River. The boys then took the dynamite and planted it on the banks of the Avon River. When the Rotundas came up the river the boys set off the dynamite and almost sank the Rotundas. They had to each pay a fine of $25 for damages.
Nova Scotia’s First Sunflower Maze
In September 2012 the Dakeyne Farm made its way into the history books again by opening the province’s first sunflower maze. What better way to spend a sunny afternoon in the valley then taking a walk through a field of sunflowers while taking in the view of the Avon River and countryside.
Proceeds from the maze went to the Valley Regional Hospital Foundation’s Our Community Our Health Campaign. Click here for more information on the Dakeyne Farm