Life on Sparrow Lake in the early 1900s

Postcard Memories is a weekly series of historic postcard views and photos submitted by Marcel Rousseau. Some were previously published by the Orillia Museum of Art and History and in the book Postcard Memories Orillia.You can take a trip down memory lane with us each Saturday morning!

Peninsular Farm Resort was located near Sparrow Lake. 

Norman Bennett’s farm and resort were situated on the long narrow peninsula between the Severn River and Welch Bay at the south end of Sparrow Lake, on some of the best farm land in the area.  

This view of the resort is from the opposite shore of the river, circa 1905.  

Bruce McCraw’s book See You Next Summer tells us the resort was built in 1900, after the original homestead burned in 1899. We also learn that Norman acquired a small steamer, the Rob Roy, and carried supplies and guests from Severn Bridge to his resort. 

Beginning in 1920, Norman’s son, Haemon, ran the resort for 45 years. The dairy farm operation was discontinued during the Second World War.  

Over the years, Norman Bennett’s hotel appeared on postcards under a wide variety of names - Peninsular House, Peninsular Farm Resort, Bennett’s Peninsula Farm Resort and Bennett’s Hotel.