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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 (ne Bailey) 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 6 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, who emigrated to Canada from Kilkenny, Ireland in 1818 and his wife Ellen. After Patrick
and Ellen purchased the home, they constructed the two story addition to the main home, a front porch
and small second floor balcony and had eight children. 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.
The Reid family called this their home until August 2004 when Don and Zoe purchased
it. Over the course of the next 9 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.
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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