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March 4, 2026

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Falling from great heights

Falling from great heights

The Equity

Even before this past weekend’s heavy winds, the large, tin-covered barn at Hurdman Heights Farm was in decline. For over a century, the Pontiac landmark on the north-east side of Highway 148 in Breckenridge has stood proudly on the height of land backed by the hills of Gatineau Park, overlooking the upper Ottawa River. Michael Trimm and Elizabeth Rolston have lived for the past 36 years in the magnificent stone house on the Hurdman property that has been in Elizabeth’s family since the 1860s. “We weren’t going to farm the land, so we decided it was time to sell it to the farmer who’s been farming it for 40 years,” said Trimm, explaining that the house had been separated from the rest of the property about 30 years ago. According to Trimm, the new owner found that, as with many barns of this vintage, there were significant structural problems that were beyond repair and that it would have to be taken down.



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Falling from great heights

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