September 23, 2023

For many years I have seen an abandoned building that looks like former fruit and vegetable market. It can be seen on the north side of the 401 just east of the Newtonville exit. It is actually located where Elliot Road was cut in two by the building of the highway. Research has failed to turn up anything regarding the history of this building. I suspect that some of the readers of this blog may have shopped there before and if they can shed any light on the site I will update this post. For now I am presenting the pictures and letting the mystery remain.

Direct Farm Marketing is done is several ways including the simplest form which is a road side stand or a wagon selling produce such as fresh picked fruit and vegetables. Farm stores and markets usually involve a more permanent type of building like the one pictured here. These are sometimes seasonal but can also operate year around. Recently a new type of farm market has come into style and that is the full farm experience. In these cases people open up their farms as tourist attractions and often include many activities for the children to partake in. A market is always included which will allow the customer to buy produce and fresh baked goods. Be aware that some of these require payment of a fee to enter before you can actually buy anything. The Big Apple near Colborne is free and has many attractions included while Chudleigh’s near Acton requires a $14 per person entrance fee before you can buy a bag of apples. We will likely review The Big Apple in a future post.

The roof of the building has some writing on it that appears to read “Chunk” but it is hard to say if this is recent graffiti or the original name of the property. One thing is clear, and that is the deterioration of the property. The surrounding area has grown up with small trees and the grasses and weeds have taken over what used to be the lawn.

The concept of a wishing well goes back thousands of years. It was believed that gods inhabited the waters of the well and that they would grant wishes. Water is necessary for life and the community well has been a meeting place where news would be exchanged. The ancient Celtic and Bavarian peoples used to throw coins into the wells as a way of paying the local god for granting a wish. It was believed that if the coin landed on the bottom facing up the wish would be granted but if it landed face down the wish would be ignored. A well has been excavated in Bavaria that is around 3,000 years old and is full of ancient artifacts that were placed in it. On a practical point, the ancient people may have accidentally discovered the oligodynamic effect. This refers to the biocidal properties of both copper and silver, two metals used in ancient coins. These metals can help reduce bacterial infections and may have made the water safer to drink. People who frequented wells that had coins thrown into them may have had less infections and that could have led the ancient people to believe that the well was good luck. There’s an old wishing well in front of the building but it appears that the local god may have moved on because it is dry inside.

For now the building continues to silently watch over the traffic that passes by a few metres away on the highway. Most likely it will eventually be lost to deterioration from the weather and neglect

Google Maps Link: Elliot Road and 401

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