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History of The Tymparon Inn
George Baxter emigrated to Canada from Dundee, Scotland in 1818 to become headmaster of the Royal
Grammar School in Kingston. He married Grace (nee Baillie) in 1821 and
purchased 450 acres of land from Richard Cartwright in 1827. In 1828 the Baxters built the
historic Cataraqui Grange, named after the Cataraqui River, that runs along the property line, across
the street from The Tymparon Inn. The Cataraqui Grange is listed in Kingston's Historic Registry
as one of the finest examples of a Georgian style structure and is a local Kingston landmark. George
and his wife had six children.
George was also one of the founders of St. Mark's Church in the Village of Barriefield. After the 1837 Rebellion
he lost his job as headmaster due to the fact that he was the brother-in-law of William Lyon Mackenzie, one of the leaders of the Rebellion (grandfather of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie
King). George bequeathed the 125 acres comprising this property to his son, William Lyon Mackenzie Baxter in his 1866 will.
The present Baxter-Fowler home was either built by William or his father, circa 1865. William sold the
property in 1874 after becoming an inspector of weights and measures in Kingston. Subsequently, in 1888,
Mathew Brynes sold the property to Patrick Fowler, the grandson of Patrick and Ellen Fowler who
emigrated to Canada from Kilkenny, Ireland in 1818 - they were one of the pioneering families that
cleared and farmed the land in and around the Kingston area, as well as being most prominent members of
the community. Their grandson, Patrick and his wife Agnes went on to have eight children and they in
turn, would work and farm the land that today is called The Tymparon Inn. 1.
When Patrick and Agnes purchased the home, they constructed the two story addition to the main home, a front porch
and small second floor balcony. Many generations of Fowlers worked and farmed their 125 acres (cows;
sheep; pigs; horses; chickens) over the next century until Robert Reid and Wendy McAdoo-Reid purchased
it in 1989 and lovingly restored the home to pristine historic condition.
Of note, County Road 15 (also known as Highway 15) follows the general alignment of the old
"Furnace Falls" road, a settlement road dating back to the early 1800's, however before the Cataraqui
Grange was built that dirt road was located farther to the west. After the Cataraqui Grange was
completed in 1828 the road was moved out to create a large spacious lawn in front of the Cataraqui
Grange. Perhaps it was at that time the road was renamed "Point Road".
The Reid family called this their home until August 2004 when Don and Zoe purchased
it. Over the course of the next nine months we added two en-suite bathrooms;
did some minor re-decorating and painting; installed a brick front walk and outside lighting; lengthened
the stone driveway and created a three vehicle guest parking area; landscaped the front of the home and
converted it to a friendly and welcoming B&B to all travelers near and far from around the world
in June 2005.
Over the next few years we also added a large deck in the back of the home for B&B guests to enjoy
that surrounds the seasonal hot-tub. We landscaped the grounds with a number of trees, shrubs
and perennial gardens and while landscaping we uncovered a number of interesting artifacts from the
past including: horse shoes; empty medicine bottles; square nails; and pieces of old china. Guests are
encouraged to ask us about the history of our home as we are always happy to share what we have
learned about our heritage Baxter-Fowler Home, now called The Tymparon Inn. We thoroughly enjoy being
B&B Innkeepers. Every day we look forward to meeting guests from all over Canada and the world. Sharing
stories and getting to know our guests is the most rewarding part of being B&B
Innkeepers.
1. We greatly appreciate the information that Esther Fowler Van Wicklin provided about
Patrick and Ellen Fowler and their grandson Patrick Fowler as it relates to the Baxter-Fowler home.
Baxter-Fowler Home circa 1950
Baxter-Fowler Home with Rose Fowler's daughter Tara and her dog Shadow in 1979
"Baxter's Nose" @ 1930 - note The Tymparon Inn in upper left hand corner
View of Summer Hayfields from The Tymparon Inn
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