Backus Heritage Village

Photo Credit: Keith Syvinski

The Backus Heritage Conservation Area is simply massive. Covering over 1,240 acres, the area offers visitors a unique blend of both nature and history. The area provides a chance to step back in time to our pioneer past.

The first place to start should be the Heritage Village museum which is home to a collection of exhibits about the Long Point area. Here visitors can learn more about the many shipwrecks of Lake Erie as well as view some of the storefront exhibits from 19th century local businesses.

Also on site is the Conservation Education Centre where visitors can discover the nature that inhabits the area. A collection of exhibits will provide information about the plants, animals, and birds that call the Backus Woods home.

Once you've learned a bit about the history of Backus, take a tour of the heritage village where more than a dozen restored buildings can be explored. During the summer months, many of these historic buildings are bustling with activity as pioneer tasks and trades are carried out.

Some of the historic buildings visitors can explore include:

• The Backus Homestead - Constructed in the mid 1850's, this was the home of several generations of the Buckus family.
• The Ice House - A building that was used to preserve food before the invention of freezers.
• The Cottonwood Tree - A one hundred and eighty-seven foot tall tree.
• The Backus Garage - The home for the Backus familys Model T
• The Backus Gravestones - The actual gravestones of the Backus family.
• Hazel's Playhouse - A playhouse built in the late 1920's for Hazel Budd Buckus.
• Victoria Carriage Shop - Built in 1842, this building has served many purposes throughout the years including wagon repairs, carriage repairs, and as a general store.
• Teeterville Baptist Church - A historic church built in 1859.
• Cherry Valley Schoolhouse - A rural schoolhouse built in 1866.
• John C. Backhouse Mill - Built in 1798 by the Backus family, this mill still grinds wheat today.
• Forbes Barn - Built in 1870, this historic farm still houses pioneer farm equipment.

Once visitors have explored the education centre, museum, and the hertiage village, the real fun begins! Adjacent to Backus Heritage Conservation Area lies Backus Woods. In this forest you may ski or hike on 12km of trails through 700 acres of Carolinian Forest.

If visiting on a hot summers day, bring along a swimsuit. During the summer months the area also offers a fully supervised swimming pool.