Photo above: Patti Foley
History tells us that between 1830 and 1850 hundreds of thousands of brave Irish souls took “the gamble of their lives” and left Ireland behind and immigrated to Canada. Eliza Duffy was among those bold and feisty newcomers and she settled on the outskirts of what is now Bolton.
Photo credit: Patti Foley
The Duffy homestead, located on the east side of Emil Kolb Parkway (formerly Coleraine Road) and north of King Street, is now being painstakingly restored by Alan Duffy, a direct descendant of Eliza.
Local residents can meet Alan personally, and hear him speak and answer questions about the restoration, and related museum project, at the upcoming Humber Valley Heritage Trail Association (HVHTA) AGM.
What: HVHTA Annual General Meeting
When: Wednesday April 12th from 7:00PM to 9:00PM
Where: Caledon Seniors Centre, 7 Rotarian Way, Bolton
Meeting is open to members and the public.
About Alan:
Alan Duffy. Photo Credit: Dan O’Reilly
Al was born and raised in Oshawa, Ontario. After completing a Business degree he started working in the Automotive sector. After a few years he founded an Engineering and Inspection services company which was expanded to cover all the Americas, from Canada to Brazil. After 30 years of a successful career he retired to pursue other interests.
In 2016 he became the President of the Ontario Regiment Museum. He has significantly expanded the museum which now has the largest collection of operational military tanks in the world.
At a young age of 25, Al developed a serious curiosity as to his family’s history and origins. Forty years later in 2018 Al was able to purchase his family’s original 1832 homestead in Bolton, Ontario. For the past five years he has been restoring the log home and barn with the goal of opening a private museum. The Duffy Homestead now sits on 60 of the original 100 acres.
Al is the Chairman of the board of the Duffy Heritage Foundation which oversees the Duffy Homestead. By the end of the second quarter of 2023 the Duffy Heritage Foundation will be fully established and the museum will be open for private tours.
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