Want to own an international border crossing? This centuries-old ferry service is for sale

CBC

4 hours ago

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On a little point of land jutting into the St. Lawrence River lies a chance to own a piece of history — asking price: $450,000.
The property offers some lucky buyer the opportunity to run an international border crossing and carry on a legacy that's over 200 years old.
That's how long descendants of one family have been ferrying people between Wolfe Island, Ont. and Cape Vincent, N.Y.
Known as Horne's Ferry, the crossing has none of the intimidation factor commonly experienced at the border. There's just a concrete dock, a small white building and a large sign declaring "Welcome to Ontario."
That dock is what's currently for sale. It's partner port on the American side is being listed too, as is the ferry boat itself.
"It's a very unique property," said real estate agent Bob Joy. "I've sold lots of cottages, docks, businesses, but never a dock involved in a border crossing."
It's estimated a ferry has been operating from that location since the early 1800s, according to Brian MacDonald, a member of the Wolfe Island Historical Society.
That means when it first started up women were wearing petticoats, men were sporting top hats and Napoleon Bonaparte was at the height of his power.
Centuries of stories
"It's a long time," MacDonald said with a laugh.
He said over the centuries the ferry has collected its fair share of legends.
Some of the more-recent stories involve tourists being led astray by their GPS telling them ferry offered a shortcut to the U.S. during the winter — despite it being closed for the season — and ending up stuck in a snow drift instead.
Another busy time at the border was prohibition, when the waters between the two ports saw plenty of traffic with "booze being transported back and forth under cover," MacDonald explained.
Hank Connell joked that his mother was among the smalltime smugglers who relied on the ferry — and past generations of friendly Hornes looking the other way — in order to avoid paying duties.
During one trip across the water, he remembered her talking about how nice the family was.
When he asked why, Connell recalled her turning to him and saying: "Well, I've got all these strawberries and I've got three or four sets of underwear that I'm wearing and I'm getting that across the border."
Connell, who's also part of the historical society, laughed at the memory, but said it points to something special about the ferry that somehow always made passengers feel like they were in a "holiday mood."
It was a service run by islanders for islanders. One that connected two communities and, through them, two countries, he explained.
Both he and MacDonald said there were many people on the south side of Wolfe Island who were known to say they felt closer to the U.S. than Kingston.
Having the ferry meant that's where they bought their groceries or went out for dinner.
"It's become vital to a lot of people," said Connell. "Visitors that come from hither and yon. They like to be able to get across quickly."
For the Hornes to sell is "a bit of a tragedy," he said, adding he believes they deserve credit for centuries of service and sacrifice.
The perfect summer job
William Darrell Horne Bates, whose mother was part of the Horne family, described the sale as both a loss for the Hornes and the two communities that relied on the ferry for tourism.
He worked on the boat for 25 years after he retired, calling it the perfect summer job.
One of his memories from those days involved a squall coming off the lake and catching the ferry when it was halfway across.
"We were dancing out there," Bates said, describing winds blowing more than 100 km/h and rain coming down in sheets.
When they made it to the other side and tried to tie off, the ropes broke and the ferry ended up drifting down river.
That's when a passenger started shouting "We're going down" and running around looking for life jackets, he said.
When the squall eventually died down and the boat made it safely to shore, Bates said one passenger had final words.
"She says, 'I'm not coming back,' and George says, 'Good,'" he laughed, referring to former owner George Horne.
The ferry weathered that storm, but Bates said several members of the Horne family have suffered health setbacks in recent years and they just can't keep it going.
Inquiries sent to the ferry's email address received an automatic response saying George Horne died last September and, as a result, there was no start date for the season.
Joy, the real estate agent, was born and raised on Wolfe Island and has his own memories of the ferry.
It's the only family-owned international crossing in North America and people on both sides want to see it survive, he said.