A foursquare farmhouse, inspired by my passion for old houses and modelled after an Eaton’s catalogue home, is the setting for single mother Molly and her little girl Bridget in my bestselling novel, Wildwood.
Welcome to Letters From Windermere, where I write about:
- HISTORY: mostly Western Canada history.
- WRITING: info about my writing journey.
- BOOKS: one book recommendation each month.
Letters From Windermere is free and will always remain free!
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First, My Book News
I thought that my writing career had hit the pinnacle of success when my novel Finding Flora reached the national bestseller list. I was wrong.
Last week, BOTH Finding Flora and the new edition of Wildwood appeared on the list of top ten bestsellers in Canada!
This is in no small measure due to you, my loyal friends and followers, who have supported me every step of the way. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.
This development is particularly exciting because Wildwood is not a new book. I wrote it ten years ago, it was published in 2018, went out of print in 2024, and then came roaring back last month when my new publisher, Simon & Schuster Canada, based on the success of Finding Flora, reissued it with a brand new cover. It’s wonderful to see Wildwood’s rebirth!
Flora is still making the rounds among book clubs. Deb Janz commissioned this cake for her book club meeting in Port Moody, British Columbia from her neighbour, Katherine Comberbach. Thank you both for the photo!
Next on the list is my debut novel, Bird’s Eye View, about a farm girl from Saskatchewan who joins the air force in the Second World War. That will appear in November, and I hope it strikes a chord with my new readership.
Finally, my brand new ranching book, set in 1890 on the southern prairies, will appear in April 2027. My editor is currently casting her eagle eye over my first draft. The only update is that we are searching for a new title. It’s harder than you think to come up with something memorable.
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Wildwood Foursquare: My Inspiration
My dream was always to buy and renovate an old house. My husband, alas, does not share my vision. Instead, we built a new house and incorporated some historic features. Read more here: Ten Ways to Make a New House Look Old.
I decided to write about an old house instead. The foursquare farmhouse in Wildwood was modelled after a house plan offered by the T. Eaton Company in 1924, called The Eastbourne.
Even if you didn’t know what they were called, I’ll bet you have seen dozens of foursquares. Foursquare houses were wildly popular in the early 1900s because they were cost-effective, easy to build, and fit nicely onto a standard lot. The basic plan consisted of four walls of equal size, four rooms on each floor, and four roof panels. Obviously garages were not a thing back then.
While researching Wildwood, I visited a foursquare house in Oyen, Alberta which was being operated as a bed-and-breakfast, shown here. I even gave my foursquare farmhouse the same color combination, cream on the bottom portion and red shingles on the upper portion.
This house, like the one in Wildwood, was originally ordered from Eaton’s catalogue. Back in the day, catalogue homes were delivered in pieces (much like Ikea furniture) and assembled on the spot by skilled carpenters. Every component was included in the package, right down to the last nail.
This is how I imagined my fictional living room in Wildwood might look, including the stone fireplace and the sliding pocket doors between the living room and dining room (and even the dog, Riley).
So well-built were these houses that many of them are still standing more than one hundred years later. I found the floor plan for my house, Eastbourne 666, in this book compiled by Les Henry. He travelled around the Canadian prairies documenting the homes that are still in use.
While writing Wildwood, I wondered whether foursquares had made it as far north as the remote Peace River, Alberta area where the novel is set. The answer is yes, and one of them still exists on the bank of the Peace River itself. Although it now has private owners, a historic plaque marks the spot. It was built in 1916 for the local Commanding Officer of the North-West Mounted Police.
Foursquare Restored
There is a resurgence of interest in preserving these old beauties throughout North America, and I was happy to learn about one of them, located just outside Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.
You must admit it was a labour of love to tackle this project!
Ron and Bernie Cruikshank found their dream home via an advertisement placed in the Western Producer newspaper in 2006, located in a field west of Davidson. They hired a mover to bring the old foursquare farmhouse to a quarter-section of land near Aberdeen, just north of Saskatoon — almost 300 kilometres away.
The house was an original Eaton’s catalogue house, built in 1918, The Eager design. As Bernie explained: “While it had good bones, benign neglect had taken a heavy toll. Both the exterior and interior were restored to their original character. The modern amenities are present but discretely hidden away behind the heritage details. Appropriate materials, such as cedar siding and hand crafted corbels, accentuate the underlying classic lines of this building.”
And here it is today, in all its glory!
This is a side view, with the spring landscaping still in progress.
This is the woman who is living my dream, Bernie Cruikshank, standing in a field of crocuses. Bernie writes a blog about their foursquare farmhouse and you can see more photos and read all about it here: The 1918 Eaton’s Eager.
In 2023 she and her husband Ron won a Saskatchewan Heritage award for their dedication to preserving local history. Thank you, Bernie and Ron!
Foursquares Today
If the backbreaking labour of restoration is not for you, you can build a brand new foursquare from scratch. This company called DC Structures offers a custom kit (available only in the United States) for a new foursquare modelled after the grand homes of the past, even including period details such as tiled fireplace and stained glass windows.
Although I will never live in an old house, I do enjoy visiting lovely old buildings and staying in historic hotels whenever I have the chance.
He who loves an old house never loves in vain.
How can an old house, used to sun and rain,
to lilac and larkspur, and an elm above,
ever fail to answer the heart that gives it love.
— By Isabel Fiske Conant
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Book of the Month
How to Read a Book is a charming story about a young ex-convict named Violet, a retired English teacher named Harriet, and a handyman named Frank. The three of them frequent the same bookstore in Portland, Maine, and develop an unlikely relationship.
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Friends, I find myself getting up earlier these days, unwilling to miss a single hour of the long summer daylight. I’m sending you best wishes for a happy Victoria Day on May 24 — did you know Canada is the only country in the world to celebrate Queen Victoria’s birthday?
Warmly, Elinor
