Built between 1835-1837, Ireland House at Oakridge Farm was the home of Joseph Ireland, one of Burlington’s earliest settlers. Emigrating from Bowes, Yorkshire, England in 1819 at the age of 27, he petitioned for land at Oakridge Farm and so began a legacy that continues today.
Joseph and his descendants occupied Ireland House until 1985. In 1987, the City of Burlington purchased the property from the estate of Lucie Marie Ireland Bush and established a museum, restoring the homestead to illustrate three distinct time periods that represent the generations of Irelands who lived in the house: 1850s, 1890s and 1920s.
Ninety percent of the furnishings are original to the Ireland family thanks to a generous donation by Helen Ireland Caldwell, Marie’s first cousin. Restorations of the house have reclaimed missing elements of former times, bringing the Museum back to its feeling of a period home and farm.
Guided tours, heritage demonstrations, and interactive programming bring Burlington’s past to the present as visitors explore the house, grounds and interpretive centre.
