Bell Estate

Whispers of history echo around the Bell Estate. This grand old home stands as a testament to generations past. The Bell Estate, originally built around 1830, wasn’t always known by that name. It began as the Thornbeck family home. Richard and John Thornbeck built this lovely fieldstone house on 100 acres of land. The 1861 census reveals a bustling household: Richard, his wife, six children, and his widowed mother. They even had a cooking fireplace and a built-in bake oven in the basement kitchen. In 1882, the property was sold to William Bell for $11,800. The name stuck, transforming the Thornbeck house into the Bell Estate. A devastating fire gutted the interior not long after. The resilient Bell family rebuilt, using the surviving two-foot-thick stone walls. They even raised the walls to create a full two-story home. The Bell family’s legacy extended beyond the house. In 1931, the brothers John, Joseph, Robert, and William established Bell’s Scarboro Dairy. This thriving business operated on the property until 1943, even boasting their own embossed milk bottles. The farm was later subdivided and rezoned for industrial use. Even after John and Joseph Bell passed away, the family held onto the farmhouse and a small parcel of land. Interestingly, the land south of the house became a Becker’s Milk plant. It seemed the property was destined for dairy. The house, hidden behind the plant and surrounded by trees, became a secluded sanctuary for Ella and Ethel Bell. Ethel’s will ensured the house’s survival, stipulating it couldn’t be demolished for 25 years after her death in 1988. The Bell Estate stands today, a testament to its enduring legacy. It has been renovated and even served as a senior’s drop-in center. The Bell Estate continues to watch over the neighborhood, a silent observer of Scarborough’s ever-changing landscape.