Lizzie's Land: Sloss Cottage

This little 3 bay stone cottage was built ca. 1855 by Andrew Sloss, a Scottish immigrant who came to Canada with his elderly mother, Janet. Andrew purchased the lot from James Calder, who had split it from a larger original lot. Andrew first built and lived in a log cabin and then a frame house until the 1850's when he married his mother's caretaker, Elizabeth Herron, a young fellow native of Scotland. Mother Sloss was relegated to the log cabin whilst the couple enjoyed married life. She passed away in 1858 at the age of 79, by which time the present day stone cottage had been erected. Its design is rooted in seclusion, with rolling vistas blocking any would be voyeuristic neighbors. The cottage faces Carluke Rd., but the present day driveway stretches 2300 ft ending at Butter Rd. where the current owners reside in a 20th c. home.

A long married life was not in the cards for the Sloss family. In 1863 at the age of 49, Andew Sloss, known for being the town drunk, passed away leaving Elizabeth a childless widow. To maintain the farm, Elizabeth brought her parents and siblings over from Scotland (the McClures and Herrons).

As it were, old James Calder from the neighboring lot was waiting in the wings, and soon married Elizabeth. Try as he may, James was not able to pressure the land rights out of Elizabeth's grasp, and it remained in her stead until the day James met his untimely end in 1875 after being gored by a bull.

What is a girl to do? Elizabeth decided two last names just wasn't enough, and soon married Reverend Anderson. Elizabeth's nephew continued to farm the land until her death in 1912, at which time the ever lurking Calders purchased the land at an estate sale, sending the remaining McClures and Herrons packing.

Time churned on, the land was logged for its wealth of timber, and it was sold several times over. The last know property owners are Klaas and Wilma Klaver, who live in a modern home which is directly facing Butter Rd. In 2008, the couple petitioned Hamilton City Council to exclude the Sloss cottage from Heritage designation/protection in order to prevent them from incurring any expenses associated with the proposed compulsory repairs such a designation would warrant. Judging from the condition of the house, I have to assume their commission was fruitful.

Now that I've bored you all to tears, please enjoy. When I spotted this place from the road, I had no idea of the history, so I would recommend either seeking permission or approaching the property from Carluke Rd. Oh ya, it's also a shit filled raccoon breeding mecca, so I don't know how receptive the owners would be to explorers!

(information compiled from websites listed in links, as well as what I found on my shoes)