Here is a message from our resident historian Rolf Reiss with the identity of the mystery house I first posted on August 8th under the post title "Where in the Valley".
"First off we should congratulate both Nick Alba and Linda McDonald for correctly identifying the cottage as the original Brookside House built by Loami Lord sometime before 1875. Linda recalled that the cottage suffered a fire sometime in the 1950's and was torn down leaving the large addition seen in the most recent photo. The
addition still stands and is currently for sale two doors up and across the road from the house with the white picket fence. It is just before my house which is fire # 958. Nick Alba included some great information in his e-mail. He reminded me that his house as well as the one currently owned by the Ffrenches were also built by the Lords and that he had unearthed a sign advertising for summer boarders hidden behind his original fuse box. He recalled that there is a photo of the Brookside cottage in the 1896 Picturesque Ulster where it states that the "Brookside is the only house in Woodland Valley to take in summer boarders". Loami Lord owned almost 800 acres of land in Woodland Valley including most of the Cross Mountain Hollow (up and beyond Tonisgah Road) where according to George Barley he pastured his dairy herd in what was once a large clearing. The map of 1875 shows the Lords homestead,(the house with the white picket fence) the Brookside house, Lords sawmill , the Ffrench's, and Nick Albas home. It also shows Woodland Valley Road ending at that point.
Lords sawmill can be seen to the left in the photo below and parts of it's foundation are still visible today. More to come on the Lords when time permits!"
Below is a wonderful postcard of the Lord's boarding house sent by Linda McDonald.
