In 1813, after 19 years as a fur trader with the North West Company, John Macdonell (1768-1850) retired to Hawkesbury Township with his wife, Magdeleine Poitras – a Métis born on the Manitoba section of the Qu'Appelle River – and their children. Macdonell's home, known as Poplar Villa, is a graceful adaptation of the Palladian style. It served as a centre for his milling, general merchandising, warehousing and freight-forwarding business. Macdonell died in Pointe Fortune in 1850. In 1882, the Williamson family bought the house. It remained in the Williamson family until the early 1960s. The Ontario Heritage Trust acquired it in 1978 to save it from demolition, and conducted extensive architectural and archaeological investigations on the property. The site is operated by the Friends of Macdonell-Williamson House/Les Amis de la maison Macdonell-Williamson. For Digital Door Open, explore this unique heritage property and its fascinating history through the video below.