Members of a Cape Breton family gathered in Big Pond on July 15 for a bittersweet reunion and farewell to a farm that has been in the family for 200 years.
Big Pond property has been owned by the MacIntyre family since 1828
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Vernon Ramesar · CBC News
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Members of a Cape Breton family gathered in Big Pond on Wednesday for a reunion and farewell to a farm that has been in the family for 200 years.
The MacIntyre farm in Big Pond has been home to six generations of the family since 1828.
Eddy MacIntyre and his wife, Ann, were the last of the family to occupy the property. He died in 2023, and she died the following year.
Following the death earlier this year of their daughter, who lived in Glace Bay, the family decided to put the farm up for sale.
Ahead of the reunion, 14 first cousins came together to visit the homestead one last time and share memories.
“It was kind of a nice nostalgic gathering … because that is the last time the MacIntyres will walk that land as MacIntyre land,” said M.A. MacPherson, a family member whose mother grew up on the farm.
John MacIntyre and his wife, Sarah MacNeil, came to Nova Scotia in 1802 from Barra, Scotland.
They settled in Inverness County and moved to the 200-acre (81-hectare) property in Big Pond with seven of their eight children in 1828.
Sarah wanted to move to Big Pond to be closer to her relatives who lived along the Bras d’Or Lake, MacPherson said.
When MacIntyre died, the land was divided among his three sons. Over the years, it was slowly consolidated back to its original size.
The farm produced dairy and eggs continuously until 1969.
“It was one of the largest farms in the area,” MacPherson said.
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In 1967, it was recognized as one of Canada’s Century Farms.
The designation meant it had been farmed by the same family for over 100 years. A Century Farm sign adorned the entrance for many years.
In October of that same year, a spark from the furnace landed on the roof and the farmhouse was completely destroyed.
With help from the community, it was rebuilt the next year.
For decades, the farm hosted the annual Big Pond Concert on a hayfield next to the home. The stage was set up in the lower corner of the field and people parked across the road.
Jim MacIntyre grew up on the farm and still calls it home even though he now lives in Windsor, Ont.
He remembered helping his father fetch 50 baby chicks from the Co-op in Sydney each spring.
They would raise them in the brooder house and later move them to the chicken barn.
Every morning, Jim and his brothers would collect eggs.
The farm had about 25 to 30 milk cows. They grew their own vegetables and potatoes and raised a steer for beef.
“We ate like kings, but we had to work for it,” Jim said.
“I’ve left this property to go seek my fortunes like everybody else … but this is still home. And for all the MacIntyre cousins, this is also home.”
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
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Vernon Ramesar is a reporter and video and radio journalist originally based in Trinidad. He now lives in Halifax.
With files from Olivia Boutilier
