Settler of township lot: Lot 15, Conc. 9, Stanhope

Location: Map point is the approximate location with this 86 acre irregular, waterfront  lot on the north shore of Halls Lake at the east end of Halls Lake Road

Land acquisition: 1821 from Robert Deacon, Sr, his father. Ontario Land Parcel Register - Stanhope (Image 168)

Other land: Lots 15, 16, & 17, Conc. 8, Stanhope - 1921 from Robert Deacon, Sr., his father. Ontario Land Parcel Register - Stanhope (Images 74, 113. 153}

Dates of residency:

• 1928 Stanhope Voters List - no location
• 1929 Arrival: Niagara Falls, New York, USA

Interesting facts: 

Deacon Hill occupies the entire western half of Lot 15, Concession 9 of Stanhope Township. By 1918, seven of the Robert James Deacon family were married and had left the Hall's Lake property. Only George, who remained a bachelor, and the youngest child Emma, had a continued association with the Halls Lake Homestead. George would spend the balance of his life, the next 73 years (1898 to 1971) living at Hall's Lake. Source: From Earliest Land Owners of Halls Lake region - 'Deacon' Homesteaders in Haliburton

Twenty-three years of developing the Deacon Homestead may have taken its toll on the aging Robert James Deacon for in 1921 he passed ownership of the entire farm to his unmarried son George who continued to farm the family homestead. A photograph shows evidence that the lower portions of Deacon's Hill were used as pasture. The lakeside of this lot was fenced with a typical split cedar rail fence, presumably to retain the enclosed animals. A barbed wire line was strung along an east-west 'draw road' that bisected the lower reaches of the hill. The rugged upper reaches of Deacon's Hill were likely reserved as a source of firewood, game animals, and wild berry crops. There is scant evidence of use of the upper portions of Deacon's Hill, although two stone piles have been located in an area that borders an isolated segment of the maple/oak forest.

Early in George Deacon's tenure of homestead, he apparently recognized the new demands for leisure 'holiday properties' in the Haliburton Highlands, and realized that the inviting sandy shorelines of the property were ideally suited for that usage. George first sold 'cottage' segments along the more accessible beaches and lakeshore of the farm. The 'island' was sold to Walter MacBrien in 1923 for $400.

After six years in his ownership, in 1927, George Deacon transferred all of his properties to his sister, Emma Letitia and her husband Eugene G Ackerman, 'salesman'; both residents of Buffalo. George continued to work for his brother-in-law over the next 27 years. The Ackerman's and George Deacon developed a 'Holiday Resort' atmosphere on what became known as the 'Ackerman Homestead'. They housed guests at the main stone lodge and in several small cabins built by George for the purpose. Sumptuous home cooked meals were served in the main dining room of the stone farmhouse. Source: Halls Lake, It’s History, Geography, Geology, Mythology and Genealogy by Dave Bulford, 2001. Pgs 18-19

The favourite sport in Stanhope’s early days was baseball. Each settlement boasted a nine, and no summer event, be it picnic, Dominion Day or the Twelfth of July, was complete without a contest between the leading teams. So enthusiastic was the Boshkung group that they thought nothing of, after a hard day’s work in the fields, walking 5 or 6 miles from the head of the lake to Guin’s Corners where the practices were held. One of the player was George Deacon. Source: In Quest of Yesterday by Nila Reynolds. Published by The Provisional County of Haliburton, Minden, Ontario 1973 pg. 310

Preceding landowner:

• Lot 15, Conc. 9: 1899 Robert Deacon from The Crown
• Lot 15, 16, & 17, Conc. 8: Robert Deacon, Sr. from The Crown

Succeeding landowner:

• Lot 15, Conc. 9: 1922 James Scott
• Lot 15, 16, & 17, Conc. 8: 1924 various

Link to Settlers of Algonquin Highlands family tree

• George Deacon, b. 14 Jun 1886, Halls Lake, d. 06 Mar 1971 (Age 84 years). Buried: St Stephen's Cemetery
  Parents:
  • Robert Deacon, b. Nov 1834, Northumberland, Ontario, d. 8 Apr 1921, Ontario,  (Age ~ 86 years)
  • Margaret Jane Sisson, b. 19 Jul 1856, Ontario, d. 08 Feb 1928, Haliburton,(Age 71 years)