If you look closely at the floor of the forest west of the modern road at the south edge of the Old Orchard, you will be surprised to discover a neatly laid brick walkway leading from just beyond the edge of the road up through the forest to a flat surface atop a small hill.
Beginning in the 1860s, much of Picnic Point was under cultivation by resident family farmers or tenants. Sometime prior to the 1890s, a residence was built near the base of Picnic Point on a hill with a commanding south-facing view of what we now call University Bay. In the early 1900s, the home was occupied by Prof. Daniells, the first superintendent of the University Farms.
When Edward and Alice Young purchased the Picnic Point property in 1925, they decided to renovate the home and make it their primary residence. It was around this time that the accompanying barn and silo were torn down. The Youngs only lived in the house for about eight years before it was destroyed by a disastrous fire.
This brick walkway is an unintentional monument to the time when this land was a private estate and closed to all but a few. Today, it is held in trust by the university for all to enjoy.
