Meadowvale, Ontario

Carl and Madonna Ahrens moved to Meadowvale Village, Ontario, with their son, Laird in 1907. A year later, shortly after the birth of their daughter, Penelope, Ahrens fell gravely ill. Regular long walks to the train station combined with the hard labor of maintaining a large garden placed proved to be too much physical strain for him to bear.

Although the village included a lively community of artists and offered Ahrens a welcome change from city life, the family of four returned to Toronto in 1909. Meadowvale is now a heritage district within Mississauga, a quiet enclave largely preserved despite the surrounding suburban development.