Preserving a Woodbury Homestead Prelude Village fosters community and shares local history.

written by HAILEY ALMSTED

For Joe and Roxanne Kielbasa, maintaining a 175-year-old farmhouse in their late 50s and early 60s was becoming difficult to manage.

“From Roxanne and I’s perspective, moving from a place that we had occupied for close to 30 years and moving into a smaller unit is the right thing to do at our age,” Joe says.

The Kielbasas have lived in Woodbury since 1990. They started out in the Highland Village neighborhood. Then, in 1994, they purchased the historic McHattie Farmstead.

Although the Kielbasas had just one neighbor upon moving in, the development of Wedgewood Park brought in new faces to the community. Joe became known as “the farmer,” and their land became a play space to neighboring children. It boasted a tree swing, a BMX bike trail, a zipline, a hockey rink and a warming house. Joe would bring children on tractor rides and host bonfires. Then, in 2016—and four children and 16 grandchildren later!—the Kielbasas sold the McHattie property to a developer to aid in the construction of Prelude Village.

“It was a challenging move, but the thing that we’re looking forward to is building a new sense of community with the residents that will be living here,” Kielbasa says.

Prelude Village is a living community for empty nesters or those looking to downsize that is built on the McHattie Farmstead. There are two different home models in

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Time For Tea

The history of McHattie home dates back nearly 180 years and starts in Afton. In 1833, Scottish immigrants and brothers John and Alexandar McHattie moved to Canada and the U.S. respectively. In 1841, both brothers staked a claim on land in Afton. John lived in Afton for three years, while Alexandar went to Gray Cloud Island and eventually sold his claim in 1844.

In 1844, John settled in Woodbury, and Alexandar followed in 1845; they are considered Woodbury’s first settlers. The McHattie home began construction is 1845. One year later, John married his wife, Jane Middleton. The brothers lived together until 1848, when Alexander married his wife, Margaret Middleton. (The first child born in Woodbury was Sarah Middleton, daughter of John and Jane, who was also the first married couple to be celebrated in Woodbury.)

The 5.7-acre property contained the farmhouse and more than 11 farm buildings, including a bunkhouse, a multi-purpose farm building containing a chicken coop, a pigsty, a tack room, a corn crib, a barn and two milk houses. In 1891, the granary was built and signed by Robert McHattie, John’s son. Around 1910, the front of the farmhouse was removed (and an addition was added) and moved roughly 100 feet to the northwest to become a guest cottage. Woodbury’s first post office was housed on the property and was on the corner of Bailey Road and Woodbury Drive.