Backus-Page House Museum, Georgian house museum in Dutton/Dunwich, Canada.

The Backus-Page House Museum is a two-story red brick Georgian house built in 1850 by Robert Morris for Andrew and Mary Jane Backus. Its walls are four or five bricks thick, using about 72,000 bricks fired on the farm from local clay. Inside, three fireplaces with black walnut mantels remain, one retaining its cooking crane.

The house was built in 1850 and was one of the first brick structures in this settlement area. Its construction marked a shift toward more permanent homes built with locally sourced materials in the region.

The house was called Lakeview when the Backus family lived there, and the land between it and Lake Erie was cleared, giving a view of the shoreline. The Page family, who owned the farm from 1925, kept a small dairy herd and produced eggs, pork, beef, cash crops and maple syrup. Jonas Page, who arrived from Oxfordshire in 1845, led the singing at the First Methodist Church in Tyrconnell with his tuning fork.

Visitors can explore the house through guided tours and walk the trails surrounding the grounds. The best time to visit is during dry weather, especially if you plan to explore the walking paths in the surrounding park.

The bricks were made directly on the property from clay dug from the land, giving the walls a locally made quality. Wooden beams inside come from oak and black ash trees harvested from nearby woods.