The Pinhey’s Point Foundation
The Pinhey’s Point Foundation was established in 1980 and is a voluntary registered charity dedicated to the heritage aspects of the historic site Horaceville at Pinhey’s Point on the Ottawa River near Dunrobin.
Horaceville, established in 1820 and named after founder Hamnett Pinhey’s eldest son, Horace, remained in the Pinhey family until sold to March Township by the heirs of Miss Ruth Pinhey, who died in 1971. In 1980 the Pinhey’s Point Foundation was tasked with preserving and developing the estate as a historic site and passive recreation area. The Foundation acquired the property in 1983, negotiated a heritage easement (including the interior of the house) with the Ontario Heritage Trust in 1988, and conveyed the site to the City of Kanata in 1990. Kanata amalgamated into the City of Ottawa in 2001.
The City of Ottawa owns, manages, and maintains the site and is responsible for programming, but the collections remain in the ownership of the Pinhey’s Point Foundation. Through its volunteer members, the Foundation presents historical exhibits each summer, organizes additional events, publishes an annual journal, the Horaceville Herald, assists in staffing the house for special events, and interprets the history of the estate, the Pinhey family, and more generally the Township of March and City of Kanata. At the same time the Foundation’s board of directors acts in an advisory capacity with the City of Ottawa on the heritage aspects of the site.