Welcome to this project!

Located at 1200 Princess Street, in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Heathfield is the present site of Providence Motherhouse, the home of the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul and two other religious congregations.

In the 1830s, a cottage-style villa was constructed on the site at what is now 1200 Princess Street. In 1852, the property was acquired by Charles Heath, and from this time on it was known to Kingston residents as Heathfield. Heath sold the property in 1865 to Professor James Williamson, a brother-in-law of Sir John A. Macdonald, Canada’s first prime minister. Sir John A. Macdonald rented the home for his sister Louisa and, while he was prime minister, made it his home on his frequent visits from Ottawa.

In 1930, the Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul purchased the property. The villa served as novitiate until 1932, when it became a residence for Sisters teaching in the city. In 1964 the villa was demolished to make room for a new wing at Providence Motherhouse.

Today, 1200 Princess Street is the future home of Providence Village, where, over the next few years, a long-term care facility and palliative care unit will be built. In the meantime, this project is a space to document the biodiversity of Heathfield, which, in its present state, includes a thriving meadow, lawns, and a cultivated woodlot.

Heathfield provides exceptional habitat for native species, which thrive in the woodlot's undergrowth, and the open field behind the convent's buildings. These species include fungi, wildflowers, shrubs, vines and trees. Honey bees and Monarch butterflies feed on Goldenrod and Milkweed. Riverbank Grape tumbles over clumps of Dogwood and Ash. Oak, Elm, and (possibly cultivated) Ohio Buckeye stand at the margins of the meadow.

Please note: Heathfield is private property and should not be explored by users who do not have permission to access the grounds. Please ensure that your observations are gathered when the property is open to the public!

Publicado el sábado, 01 de octubre de 2022 a las 12:48 PM por botanising botanising

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