Written By David Gomez, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
GLENCOE - On the quiet stretch of Simpson Road outside Glencoe, two concrete silos rise above the Thames River flats. Once built to hold feed, they now carry something different: stories, memory, and community. The structures are the legacy of Stewart Simpson, who spent fifteen years shaping one of them into a living space. His vision was never to create a luxury escape but a sanctuary where people could find rest, healing, and connection to the land. He finished it shortly before his death at 94, leaving behind more than a structure — a philosophy of care rooted in agriculture and resilience.
Today, Old River Farm remains a working landscape, where cattle graze on pasture and gardens yield vegetables for the table. Under the stewardship of Mary Simpson and Ross Snider, the silo is not a rental or a business in the modern sense. It is a place where guests share in the rhythms of farm life: cooking, harvesting, and tending to the gardens. Mary calls it “five-star camping,” where hospitality is measured not in amenities but in participation. The experience is shaped by stewardship — each visitor is asked to clean their way in, clean their way out, and care for the space as if it were their own.
That ethos was evident on September 6, when Old River Farm hosted the Plant Spirit Retreat, led by Julie Gaia of Gaia Hive Herbalism School. Participants arrived carrying lawn chairs prepared for a day outdoors. The retreat began with tea and a morning plant walk guided by Mary, who shared the plants she tends and harvests. From there, the group entered a circle for introductions, song, and drumming before moving into an afternoon of land walks, herbal teachings, and seasonal medicine-making.
Lunch was vegan and local, and later, participants wove flowers and herbs into creations that reflected the season. The day closed with meditation and gratitude, extending into a shared supper around the fire.
In those hours, the silo was more than a structure; it was the silent witness to a gathering of people intent on reconnecting with plants, land, and one another.
In an age when many rural landmarks vanish with changing farm practices, the Old River Farm silo endures, not as a monument to the past, but as a living space where heritage and community continue to grow.
