Photo of Charles "Charlie" Keyworth Sutton's Bird Haven. Mr. Sutton, a cabinet maker born in Walkerton Ontario on 5 August 1896, along with his wife Victoria Sidle, purchased part of lot 16, concession 4 Innisfil from George and Marjorie Constable on 26 September 1934 for $150. The picture shows the main dwelling at "Bird Haven". This structure was rebuilt from the Zion Hall, which stood just south of Fennell's Corners on Highway 11. Around the perimeter of the property were tourist cabins, which were the forerunners of modern day motels. Mr. Sutton obtained logs for the cabins by walking over two miles to the swampy area of the seventh line. Here he cut all the cedar logs required to build the cabins and construct the furniture including beds, wash stands and bookcases. His wife made the quilts for the beds. Many American tourists, as well as Canadian, patronized both the tourist cabin business as well as buying bird houses, lawn furniture and lawn ornaments - all hand made by Mr. Sutton. In later years more buildings were added. Charles Sutton sold the land back to George Constable on 18 September 1951 and then moved to Newmarket where he operated a chicken farming/processing operation for a short time until he sold the business, moved to Toronto, and then to Colborne, Ontario where he died in 1974. The Bird Haven business was sold and operated under the name John Peel Inn, owned by a Mr. Cropley. In 1990 the property was in possession of the Hill family. Much of the preceding information was provided by Bill Warnica in June 2018.
