A 14-acre piece of Canadian history is up for sale.
The eastern Ontario property, which is listed with an asking price of $875,000, is credited with being the birthplace of the McIntosh apple.
While the homestead includes a 3,100-square-foot home and several other buildings, the online listing goes into far more detail about the property’s history than its present state.
In 1811, then-owner John McIntosh and his wife found apple seedlings on the property in Dundela, Ont. They planted the seedlings in their garden. Over time, they found that one of the seedlings bore a unique apple that they could sell and market – the first of the McIntosh apples which eventually came to dominate the Canadian market.
The McIntoshes kept the property in the family for more than a century and a half. It was sold to a “nice young couple” in 1974, great-great-granddaughter Nancy McIntosh told CTV News Channel on Tuesday.
McIntosh said the couple used the property as a hobby farm before selling it to its current owner, who she accused of falling behind on upkeep.
“It just hasn’t been looked after. Instead of being modernized and fixed up, it’s just been left to fall into disrepair,” she said.
“I don’t drive by, ever. It just breaks my heart.”
McIntosh said she hopes the property is sold to someone who will work on fixing it up.
“It would be lovely if it was a small park with walking paths and history, but we hope for what we can get,” she said.
In addition to the main house, the homestead includes a number of monuments paying tribute to McIntosh and his apples.
The listing advertises that the property has “lots of apple trees” – including some McIntoshes – as well as an apple storage building and an apple sorting building.
