BY

Patrick Philip Ryan
 

A Dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Arts of St. Patrick's College in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Commerce.
 
 

June 1949
Ottawa, Ontario
Canada
 
 
 
 

CONTENTS

Page

Preface

Introduction

Chapter 1 History Prior to 1825
Chapter II History of Industry 6
Chapter Ill Progress in Education .... 27
Chapter IV History of Religion 31
Chapter V Social Advancement 43
Chapter VI Improvement in Municipal  Facilities 45
 

1 wish to acknowledge the help which 1 received in the writing of this Dissertation, 1 would thank particularly: Reverend Brother Francis, for the History of St. Gregory's Parish, the History of St. Michael's College and the History of St. Lawrence Academy; Rev. J.E.L. Joyce for the History of the Anglican Church; Mr. J.A. Bryant for the History of the Presbyterian Church and for the History of the James MacLaren Company Limited; Mr. W.R. Mackenzie for the History of the Baptist Church; Miss Agnes A. Higginson, Mr. Hugh McGurn, for their generous help and to Miss Bourque and Miss Thomson of the Canadian Archives.

My special thanks are also due to Miss Florence Murphy who so kindly helped assemble and type this Dissertation.

This dissertation was originally planned to cover the History of Buckingham to the present day. However, this field was too wide and it was decided to write the History up until 1900. Anyone of the Chapters could be a complete dissertation in itself. It is the author's hope that someone will complete the History from, 1900 to the present day. This dissertation contains much original material which would have been lost forever if it had not been collected when it was. So the author feels that this dissertation was very worthwhile and enjoyed very much writing it. If the writer has made errors in dates, facts, etc., it is through no fault on his part. The most reliable and authentic sources at his disposal were used in the collection of the data for this dissertation.
CHAPTER 1

THE HISTORY OF THE TOWN OF BUCKINGHAM
PRIOR TO 1825
Buckingham, township and town, was named after Buckingham County, England, which had in turn received its name from George Nugent-Temple Grenville, Ist. Marquess of Buckingham ( 1753-1813).

This is the name which was given by Mr. Ackley, who surveyed the Ist, 2nd, 3rd and 4th ranges of the town previous to the year 1823.

The first grant of land was made in 1799, to John Robertson, a former Ensign of His Majesty's late Eighty-fourth Regiment. The Land Grant was made by Robert Shore Milnesp Lieutenant Governor of the Province of Lower Canada, can be found in the Canadian Archives in the volume "Buckingham Land Grants," and reads as follows:
LAND GRANT

His Excellency Robert Shore Milnes, Esq.,

Lieutenant Governor of the Province of

Lower Canada.

To the Surveyor General of the Province of Lower Canada - Greetings.

"Whereas John Robertson, Esq., former an Ensign in His Majesty's late Eighty- fourth Regiment, reduced on behalf of himself by his Petition of November II, 1799, did request 2,000 acres of Crown Land.

The Executive Council of the Province found the application correct and gave the order for the ground to be granted. Reservations had to be made for the use of the Protestant Clergy. The breadth of each lot was to be one third of the
length and .-the ~ land -a long~-.-the river was to be granted in such a way so that as many people as possible could have access to the river. The different lots were to be distinguished by numbers and it was commanded that the survey should be completed in six months.

1 do further require and command you to report whether there are any and what quantity of Lands contained within the said Tract fit for the production of Hemp and Flax or either of them. Provided always and 1 do hereby direct you the said Surveyor General not to certify any Plot or description of the said Tract or Parcel of land until it shall appear unto you by a certificate under the hand of the Surveyor -General of woods for the said Province of Lower Canada or his deputy lawfully appointed, that the land comprised within the same is not part of, or included in any District marked out by the said Surveyor-General of woods or his deputy lawfully appointed as a Reservation for the growth of Masting or other Timber fit for the use of the Royal Navy." .......

Given at the Castle of St. Louis in Quebec City on November 14, 1799, in the fortieth year of His Majesty's reign.

R.S.Mi Ines. ( 1

He also warned against the danger of granting land twice.

The reading of this Land Grant brings to mind many historical notes of interest. It will be remembered that this Land Grant was issued 150 years ago.

The first fact is that provisions were made for the Protestant Clergy. At that time Land was set aside in each district for the use of the Protestant Clergy for building churches, graveyards and suitable land for cu cultivation.

The second note of interest is that the land was parceled out in such a manner as to have as many farms as possible bordering the river front. This is typical of the colonial days and is found throughout

(1) Buckingham Land Grants, Canadian Archives.

Quebec even to the present day. The farms along the St. Lawrence are very narrow, have a waterfront and stretch far back from the river.

The third interesting fact is that any timber districts, whose lumber might be useful in the construction of ships should be set aside for the use of the Government. This was characteristic of laws which applied everywhere in the Canada's. These laws were passed in order that the Royal Navy should have the necessary materials to construct ships and thereby increase its power and continue to be the ruler of the seas.

So we see that Buckingham from its very inception had the characteristics which were common to ail the Canada's.

This Land Grant comprised Lots in the Ist. and 2nd. range, now numbered Lots 9 to 15.

William Fortune and Eli Hawley, in the same year, were granted 14,400 acres, which included Lots 1 to 25 in the Ist, 2nd. and 3rd. ranges, and Lots 1 to 23 in the 4th. range, less the lots already granted to Ensign John Robertson as already mentioned.

However, no settlers came to the region for many years. The next thing that we know about Buckingham's history is that the Township was being surveyed, but from what we can gather, the surveyors had a very poor idea of the Township. From a report which was made by Joseph Bouchette who was Surveyor-General of Lower Canada, we get the following statement:

"Buckingham, on the north bank of the Ottawa, in the County of York, joins Lochaber; four ranges of it have been surveyed, and little more than one quarter granted. Bordering the river, the land is low, and from several large bays and ponds that run a great way into it, is frequently overflowed; but when that is not the case, there is some excellent meadow land, and also, z,~ some that is tolerably good for other purposes, In the rear the soil is but indifferent; in places so uneven and stony as to be fit for no sort of tillage. It is watered by several small streams, descending from the rear into the Ottawa. A few families have settled on convenient spots in front of the township and pursue their agricultural labours with success, and favourable prospects of improvements." (1)

(1) Joseph Bouchette, Topographical Description of Lower Canada, London 1815, 250.
 
 
 

The families which are mentioned by Mr. Bouchette must have taken up residence along the Ottawa River, which is approximately four miles from the Town of Buckingham. The Town itself was not inhabited till about ten years later than the date given by Mr. Bouchette.

Besides Mr. Bouchette, there were also Mr. Ackley, Colonel Fortune and Mr. John Newman who ail contributed to the surveying of the Township which was fairly well completed prior to_1823.

The aforementioned gentlemen each contributed to the surveying of the town as follows: Mr. Ackley, 1st, 2nd. 3rd. and part of the 4th. range; Colonel Fortune, completed the 4th. and part of the Sth. range; Mr. Bouchette surveyed the remainder of the 5th. and also the 6th. to the 9th. inclusive; Mr. John Newman completed the work by surveying the 10th. - 12th. ranges inclusively.

As 1 have already mentioned, during ail these years, the present site of Buckingham remained a wilderness without inhabitants. A few families were residing in the township along the Ottawa River. However, it was not until 1823 that a family settled in the district which now comprises the Town itself.

fb Prior to 1825,, there was very little activity any
where,in this part of the country. Ottawa and Hull were
getting their first settlers. The next Town that had a few
families was Lachute which is 75 miles east of Ottawa. The
territory which today includes the counties of Hull.Papineau
and Argenteuil, was a complete wilderness with a total popu
lation of less than 5,000 souls.
Mr. Lucien Brault, Ottawa's honourary historian,
summarizes concisely the conditions in Ottawa and Hull
during the years 1800-1816.
A quarter of a century before the
settlement of Bytown, Phileman Wright, of
Woburn, Massachusetts, settled at the Chau
diere Falls on the Lower Canada (Quebec) side
on February 2, 1800, 25 men, with 5 families,
including at least 21 children, set off in a
body from their home with 14 horses, 8 oxen,
5 sleighs, the necessary tools and provisions.
They reached Montreal on the 10th. following,
and after traveling over the frozen Ottawa
River for 80 miles in which district there was
not a house to shelter them, they arrived in
the Township of Hull on the site chosen on
March 7th. The men immediately cleared a corner
of land, built houses and gradually the establishment increased and became the present City of Hull.

Eighteen years later, a group of settlers on their way to Richmond, spent the summer on the point below the Chaudiere Falls on the Ontario side. After the war of 1812-1815, several English regiments stationed in Canada were disbanded here in order to encourage their members to settle in the colonies, especially in the proposed canai region. (1)

By 1828, the population of Nepean including Bytown had risen to 2,758. So we can see that prior to 1825 there was very little activity even in the main district of Ottawa and Hull.

If we travel down the Ottawa River we find few settlers. There were probably none between Ottawa and Buckingham. Below Buckingham, one would have to travel to Lachute to find any congregation of families.

"in Lachute the population as of 1803 was about 140 souls comprising 30 families. The colonists forged ahead in spite of their isolation. From 1809 to 1818 the population augmented through immigration from Scotland and the United States.- (2)

In 1810, the territory which today includes the town of Montebello, Papineauville, St. Andre Avellin, Plaisance and Fassetf were known as La Petite Nation. One missionary priest, Reverend J.E.Roupe, administered this whole district right up Hull, from the year 1815 to 1829. This gives us an idea how the district was sparsely populated.

However, we do know that the region was very much visited by hunters and trappers who, upon returning to their homes in Montreal, would describe to listeners the richness of the forests and streams which were to be found in the vicinity. This resulted in convincing an inn-keeper by the name of Justus Smith, that a great opportunity had come his way. He moved to Buckingham in 1823, and became the first settler, a fact which will make his name immortal to the citizens of this town. With this introduction Il begins our history of the development of the town from the small settlement of Mr. Justus Smith, to the prosperous industrial Town of the present-day.

(1) Brault, Lucien, Ottawa Old and New, Ottawa 1946, 54-55.

(2) Le Nord de l'Outouais, Ottawa, 1938
 

CHAPTER Il

The HISTORY of INDUSTRY

Buckingham is a very suitable location for the type of industries which have established here. It is the gateway to a vast region of virgin forests which is drained by the Lievre river. The Lievre river takes two rapid descents at Buckingham, which are only a few hundred yards apart. The first settlers realized that if this power were harnessed, it would prove adequate for their needs. They were not long in doing this, and soon the different saw mills were using this power which was given to them by nature. This power was later increased artificially when the height of the dams increased.

The region around Buckingham was rich in feldspar, graphite and phosphate minerals. This gave rise to the mining industries. Due to these reasons, a great number of industrial Companies have been established here. They have produced a variety of productsà, but lumberinq and pulp were the leadinq industries, and along with graphite and phosphate mining provided most of the employment for the Buckingham residents. Some of these Companies had a long and important history, others were of short duration and of minor importance. This chapter shali treat of the different industries and give their individual history up to the year 1900.

THE LUMBER INDUSTRY
The lumber industry was by far the most important industry
in Buckingham prior to the year 1900. The histary of its growth
10 is the history of the town itself. It dates back to the first
settier who built the first saw Mill and brought the first sett
lers to Buckingham. This saw mill was constructed by Captain
Justus Smith who came to Buckingham in 1823 and selected the
locality where he was to build his mill. Mr. Smith then return
Ob ed to Montreal to hire men to construct the mill.
'When he came back to Buckingham, he brought his employees
with him. The group was made up as follows: Mr. Matthews, who
came as a clerk; Clement Eaton, as mill-wright; Daniel Dale and
Samuel Lough as carpenters; Baxter Bowman, Patrick McFaul and
10 Mr. Hall as labourers. 14ork began immediately and the construct
ion of the mill was completed In 1824.
It appears that Mr. Smith did not retain possession of the
mill for any length of time, for he sold out to Mr. Bowman du
ring the same year, and then the mill became known as the Bowman
Mill.
It was not long before the employees of the Bowman Mill
began to move their families to the new settlement. The region which Mr. Smith saw as a wilderness in 1823 was fast becoming an industrial and agricultural settlement by 1826, Shanties, log cabins and houses began to dot the forest. Mr. Levi Bigelow came in 1824 and built a shanty in Lot 10, in the 3rd. range. Mr. Bigelow's motive was farming and he brought two men with him to help clear the land. Mr. Justus Smith's family moved from Montreai on May 13th. 1825 and occupied Mr. Bigelow's shanty. The following year they moved into their own home which was constructed where the late James MacLaren's residence stood. Mr. Amos Donnelly and his family came to Buckingham at this time and settled on Lot 12, in Range 5. After Mr. Justus Smith's family moved to their own home, Mr. Bigelow's shanty became once again a temporary residence for two families. They were the families of Mr. Isaac Kendall and Major Corning. The following year these families moved into their own homes on Lots 14 and 15, in Range 7.

Another family of Smiths moved to Buckingham in 1826. It consisted of James Smith and his sons James, William, Rodney and John, and they settled on Lots 13, 14 and 15, in range 6. Mr. Robert Donnelly, his wife, two daughters and grandson Robert Ackert settled next to Amos Donnelly. Among other early residents were John Mar, Lot 13, range 5; James Stewart, Lot 20,, range 5; John Cameron, Lot 16, range 5: Mr. John Price, Lot 2G range 5; Mr. Page, Lots 22 and 23, range 5; Solomon Cole, Lots 16 and 17, range 7; and Elishn Newton, Lot 13, range 8.

Buckingham was becoming quite populated and the need for a store was acutely felt. Mr. Bigelow supplied the much needed store and also opened a shoe repair shop, hiring Mr. Adam Devenny as shoemaker.

Mr. Bigelow and Captain Smith appear to have been the most active of the early settlers. The different documents which tell of this period of early settlement mention them as being the organizers and leaders of the community.

There are still many families in Buckingham who can trace their origin back to these first settlers. Many Buckingham citizens of the present day bear these same family names. 'Whether they are direct descendants of the original families or not'. is difficult to ascertain.

In 18261, Mr. Levi Bigelow constructed a saw mill on the opposite (east) side of the river which was the second in Buckingham. The two mills resulted in bringing many labourers and their families to dwell near the saw mills. Thus the settlement began to grow and it was due to this industrilization that Buckingham was elevated canonically to a Parish by the Catholic Archbishop in 1840. The Parish had about ninety families and these families along with the residents of other
faiths shows the fast growth of the settlement during this early period.

The Bowman and Bigelow saw mills seem to be the only industries which existed in Buckingham during the period 1826 to about 1860. They each have a history of their own and will therefore be treated separately.

The saw mili owned by Levi Bigelow was on the East side of the river. After Mr. Bigelow's death, his son, Lawrence G. Bigelow carried on the operations of the mill, but failed in business on January 5, 1850. He then retired to Burlington, Vermont,, transferring the Buckingham property to David Davidson, Trustee, for the benefit of his creditors. The mili was not sold for three years. In 1853, David Davidson, Trustee, deeded the property to Hamilton Brothers of Hawkesbury, and John Thompson of Quebec, who traded under the name of Thomson and Company. This Company operated the mill for a period of sixteen years.

In 1869, Thomson and Company, sold to Lemoine, Gibb and Co., which firm consisted of Thomas Gibb Ross, James MacLaren and James Gibb, Jr. James Gibb Jr. later sold his interest to MacPherson Lemoine. This Company operated the mill for a period of four years. In 1873, Lemoine, Gibb and Company, sold to John and Frank Ross of Quebec, trading under the name of Ross Brothers. In 1901, Frank Ross et al. sold out to the "James MacLaren Company Limited."

The saw mill on the 'West side of the river did not change hands as frequently as the above mentioned mill. The mill, as was mentioned before was purchased by Baxter Bowman in 1824, the same year as it was constructed by Captain Smith. The Bowman mill went into liquidation and was put into a trusteeship. In 1864, the surviving Trustees of the Estate of the late Baxter Bowman, George 'Washington Eaton, of the Township of Nepean, County of Carleton, and Charles Bishoff, of London, England, sold the property to James MacLaren. James MacLaren bought the Bcrvîman property in 1864. A partnership was formed January 6, 1865' making it James MacLaren and Company. Three partners contin1lued past the expiration of the partnership period until 1872, when James and John ~acLaren (the other two partners) bought out these three. On John's death in 1874, the Executors asked James to buy out John's interest in ail their joint enterprises, which was done under deed in April 1875p then it became James MacLaren again until his death in 1892.

The estate of the late James MacLaren carried on until 1900,, when they sold to five sons of the late James, who had become a corporate Company "THE JAMES MACLAREN COMPANY LIMITED".
 
 

These saw mills were located at Dufferin Falls in Buckingham, which had a drop of some 60 feet over masses of rock. These falis were officially named by the Marquis of Dufferin, when he made a visit to Buckingham in June 1876, during his tenure as GovernorGeneral of Canada. The account of this event is given in Lady Dufferin's diary and reads as follows:

"'Wednesday, 7th. D. and 1, Nelly, the Smyths, and Littletons, left by a steamer at seven o'clock in the morning, and landed at Buckingham at eight. There we saw a lovely waterfall. The river Le Lievre, a large tributary of the Ottawa, rushes at this place ~hrough a very narrow passage, and after failing a few feet the incline becomes more graduai, but the water tumbles over rocks and stones, and looks like a very deep rapid, unlike anything 1 have ever seen before, and very beautiful. This sight was only en passant. Nelly was delighted, and kept up a fire of joyfui exclamations, which helped us like getting up so early.

After driving through the Village of Buckingham, which was gayly decorated with flags and arches, we got out at a wharf, and found a smail steam-launch ready to take us up the river. We had twenty-five miles to go, and were to be four hours doing it. There were some swift rapids in the riverff and when we came to the worst ones we were told that the steamer was too heavily laden, and that some of us must get out. We had a good deal of trouble landing the gentlemen, D. only remaining with us.

The small engine puffed away, but we made no progress, and we got very frightened. The bellrope which the pilot used for giving his orders had been burned through, a lace curtain having caught fire early in the day, and when he called out his orders the stoker did not always seem to hear. D. tried to reassure us, but when we looked out and found that we remained exactly in the same place - off a great rock- we ladies were in agony of terror. Then the boat began to turn round, and the gentlemen on shore were frightened too when they saw this manoeuvre. They were powerless to help us, and they feared that if we were to touch a rock or a branch of a tree which we had this powerfui stream broadside on, we should be toppied over. By this, time, Nelly and 1 were both in tears, and it makes me laugh now to think of Nelly's face, the tears pouring down, as she exclaimed, "OH, it wili be horrid to be drowned." However, we tùrned safely, and did get to the shore again, and there we landed,
,,,so that the steamer was light enough
to get up the rapids, while we walked, and
Ob got into her above them. We had lost our
appetites through fright- and they had been
good for we breakfasted at six, and it was
three o'clock before we landed, stili trem
bling, and had lunch on the shore. After that
we had to walk a mile and a half to see the
le Fali, the object of our expedition.

The walk was rough, and we had some
climbing and some steep places to go down,
and there were a great many mosquitoes on
the road, so that after our adventure we
felt that the waterfali must really be fine
to compensate us. when we arrived our first
impression was that we could not see the
waterfali for the foam, but it really was a
spiendid sight, and perfectly unlike any
fall 1 ever saw or imagined. We stood on a
rock about halfway down the Fali, and could
neither see the breadth nor the height of it,
but only the thickness of it. A river with a
rapid stream passes through a very narrow
passage here, and issues like a wali of water
from between the rocks. 1 felt as if a puff
0 of wind might topple it down over me. We went
lower afterwards, and saw more of it; it is
very high and very broad.
About six we returned to our boat, and
when we asked for something to drink we found
that everything had disappeared from our basket.
Luck for us t~at drinks had been preferred to
silver spoons. Nelly and 1 rather dreaded the
descent of our friend the rapid, but we got
down safely in three hours.
We found a large bonfire burning at
Buckingham, and a crowd of people. There we
got into the carriages, and prospered till
we came to a steep hili with a precipice on
one side, in the middle of which our horses
jibbed, and when they got us weil to the edge
of the precipice, Nelly and 1 escaped through
the window (a large one).The horses were led
down the hill, and D. reproached us for leav,
ing him alone in his peril.
It was rather cold ail day on the water,
but warm when we landed. 'We got back about
eleven, very tired; but, in spite of ail our
troubles, we were glad to have seen those
splendid fails.

We undertook the expedition
(invited by the owner of the steamer) we
Ob did not think it would take so long, and,
in facti knew little about it. The steamer
has only been on the run for a few weeks,
and scarcely anyone has seen this Fall;
but 1 think it is a most magnificent sight.
A reporter was present, and it depends upon
what he thought of the rapids whether other
people are encouraged to go or not. As he,
was not in the boat, and had no friend to be
alarmed about on board, his view wili proba
bly be cheerful." (1)
For many years the remnants of the platform erected
on the East side, where the officiai party stood, were to
be seen.
These two mills produced only lumber for a long time.
The Ross Brothers began to make shingles and laths during
their last years and after the James MacLaren Company Limited
purchased the mill, they began to make shingles on a large
scale.
Each saw mili had a sluice from Buckingham to Masson.
The lumber was sent to Masson in this sluice and the Companies
piled it in their lumber yards until such time as it was dry.
They then loaded it on barges at the "Rafting Basin". This
Rafting Basin was just below where the Masson Power House now
is, the bend in the river Lievre forming almost a bay. Ross
Brothers loaded at the South side, and MacLaren at the North
side.
Both the James MacLaren Company Limited and the Ross
Brothers had timber limits on the Lievre river. Logs were
cut as far away as one hundred and fifty miles and sent down
the river to the mills. Most of the logs were white pine and
logs 46 to 50 inches in diameter were very common. The Com
panies had to pay a certain "stumpage " fee, which was quite
small. The saw mills were run by water power at Dufferin Falls.
The mill owned by the James MacLaren Company Limited on the
West side had much more power than did the Ross Brothers on the
East side, because the natural current of the river brings the
water to the 'West bank. Ross Brothers constructed a water gate
(which is directly behind the present location of J.N.Landry's
store.) The logs went through this gate into a pond which was
7 or 8 feet deep. They were then taken out of the pond at the
Mill, made into lumber and shipped via the sluice to the lumber
yard.
James MacLaren and later the Company, stored their surplus
logs in the "Big Eddy", a natural storage just below Upper Falls,
where with heavy booms at the entrance to hold them in, it was
possible to store up to 500,000,logs, and often times it did,
logs being piled about 20 feet deep in this Eddy.
1 Marchioness of-"Dùfferin and Ava, My Canadian Journal
1872-1878, New York, 1891; 245, 246j 247.
 
 
 

The storage was good only during the summer, to be emptied before closing the sawmill. If left over until springtime,, the logs ran the terrible chance of being pushed out by the swirling currents of the freshets raging down the river.

The mills operated only during the summer and fali months. Theyclosed down for the winter, when ail lumber operations were focussed on the timber limits. The Companies had lumber camps and depots along the Lievre river. Ross Brothers who employed approximately 150 men during sawing operations, employed over twice that number in their camps. Ross Brothers usually had four or five camps each with 60-80 men.

Headquarters were at Buckingham and ail provisions were sent to the camps by sleigh. The first depot was at the Ox Bow farm about 35 miles up the river. The second depot was at the Wabbassee Farm approximately 80 miles up the river. The Tappannee was about 120 miles from Buckingham. There are still men living in Buckingham who took provisions to these camps. The weather would be extremely cold, being both damp and windy. Only very rugged men could make the trip, and in spite of the fact of ail the hardships which were involved, they were poorly paid. A driver , called a carter, using his own teamf was paid 20 cents a hundred weight to bring provisions from Buckingham to the Ox Bow farm. A sléfgh load would average about 3,800 pounds of provisions. Two days were spent taking the load up the river and one day for the return trip. The Companies had even cheaper transportation from this depot on. When the provisions arrived at the Ox Bow farm, they would be taken from there by "habitants" up to the other depots. These habitants would cultivate their land during the summer months and work in the camps during the winter. A habitant with his team, would receive about 80-90 cents a day and board. An ordinary wood cutter would receive sixteen dollars a month and board. When the railroad was built from Montreal to Mont Laurier, the provisions were then sent in by that means. The Headquarters, offices and stores of Ross Brothers were in the building which is now owned by Anatole Gauthier, and which is situated on the corner of Main and Church Streets. This building is said to be one hundred and eight years old. The cedar beams in the cellar are still as sound as the day they were put there. When Mr. Gauthier bought this large house, he found a heavy log stamp in the basement with the letters "'L.G.B.~" This stamp belonged to the firm of Lawrence G. Bigelow which failed in business in 1850. This log stamp is a prized possession of Mr. Gauthier and may be seen at his store at any time.

The James MacLaren & Company, adopted much the same proceedings. MacLarens had their old office up near where the present Public High School is situated, with office, store, storehouses, etc., near the side gate on Bridge Street. When the Company was in operation in 1900, they put up an office
manque opposite the present Bryant house, which remain
ed until about 1934, when it was torn down.
le Besides the two mills which operated at Dufferin Falls,
there were two more which operated about a mile up the river,
above the Upper Falls. Two gentlemen by the name of Grondin
and Racicot built a saw mill at Priest's Creek on the West
side of the Lievre river. This point is about eighteen miles
north of Buckingham. These gentlemen operated the saw mill for
a number of years, and then went insolvent with the Bank of
Ville Marie. The Bank did not wish to lose the money which it
had invested in this saw mill, so they began to operate it,
with Mr. W.H.Kelly as managera

The mill was not in a suitable place, so they decided to move the mill to the East side of the river. During the wintertime, while the river was frozen, they moved the mill by the means of sieighs to a site on the McGurn farm.

This involved the spending of a considerable amount!-,4f money, which was forwarded by the Bank. Thus the Bank of Ville Marie was involving itseif to a greater degree in this venture. The mill operated for a part of a summer only and burned down. The Bank once more put up sufficient funds to rebuild the mill. A Mr. Cunningham took over the mill as manager and operated it for a time. The mill was then purchased by Messrs. Shearer-Brown and Mills and operated for a few years. The mill was then sold and moved away piecemeal. Mr. McGurn purchased the mill site which he had sold approximately twenty years before. The steam power for the operation of this mill was obtained from three large boilers.

Further down the Lievre and closer to the Upper Falls another saw mill was constructed during the 1890's. This saw mill was started by the combined efforts of Mr. Charles Kuschick, who came from the Blanche, distant some 15 miles west of the Villagem and Mr. Gillies from Buckingham. ivir. Kuschick was superintendent of the mill, and Mr. Gillies was mill-wright. The Kuschick mill was just north of the present Morrison place near where the present Earl Gillies mill is today. The mill brought down logs by the river from below High Falls, on smail rafts, to keep them seperate from the many thousands of the big firms, as well as having farmers bring them in by wagon&. A saw mill is stili operating near the original site and recently was returned into the hands of the Gillies family, after having been in other hands for a long period of time.

The lumber industry thus played a most important part in the history of this town. But other industries, whilst not playing such a great part, were very important to the development of the town, and of these, the graphite and phosphate mines where the most important..
V
The Match Industry
The first mention of a match factory in Buckingham is given in the Ottawa Citizen.

"There is a peculiar looking building going up on the other side of the river. One paper calls it a match factory, another calls it a foundation for one; but in a few days the the column will be in possession of the real facts regarding this mysterious building, and will give its full histoy". (1) Three weeks later the following article appeared in the same paper:
"The MacLaren Brothers have firged anew their Buckingham fetters, for it has leaked out and the column is justified in given publicity to the welcome news, that the new building on the other side of the river is a match factory shortly to be operated by "The MacLaren Match Company Limited." Mr. Charles 0. Chitty of Ottawa, has been engaged for a term of years as Manager. Mr. Mansion of Ottawa, who is part proprietor of the patent process by which the matches will be manufactured, was in town with Mr. Chitty on Monday, and both these gentlemen will shortly come to Buckingham to live. (2)

Matches were then produced in Buckingham for about two or three years. The matches were of a poor quality, and this was probably the main factor in closing down the factory. One individual says that if a person were to light a MacLaren match in a room, everyone would have to leave because of the phosphorus fumes. It is easily seen that matches of this sort would have a short history and the matches of the local match factory were no exception.
The Hudson Bay Company
The Hudson Bay Company established a tradind post in Buckingham for a number of years. At first this trading post was at Lac du Sable and was managed by Thomas Taylor. Sir George Simpson used to visit this trading post during the winter time. He would make the trip in his sleigh drawn by dogs and attended by lndian guides. Mr. Taylor abandoned the post at Lac du Sable and moved to Buckingham. He then established the Trading Post on the site now occupied by the J.N. Landry store. Shortly afterwards, Mr. Taylor left Buckingham and his position was filled by Mr. Archibald McNaughton who managed the Post till it was abandoned.

(1) Ottawa Citizen, December 1, 1894
(2) Ottawa Citizen, December 26, 1894

Before the Hudson Bay Company established in Buckingham, they sent provisions to the Indians and the trappers by means of the Lumber Company. The Bigelow saw mill and later Ross Brothers provided this service for them. Thus the Hudson Bay Company arrived in Buckingham in 1830. A representative would come to Buckingham to purchase the fur pelts and would make arrangements for provisions to be sent to the trappers.

 The Broom Handle and Other Minor Industries

The James MacLaren Company started to make broom handles, shovel handlesi axe handles, etc.j about 1885. The necessary machinery was installed, but the Company produced handles for only" two years. The abandoned making handles because they found it more profitable to make pine pickets 1-t" square, which were used for the manufacture of curtain rollers. They also made furrings for house trimming.

Before the MacLaren Company had electric lights, they lighted their mill with gas lamps. The late James MacLaren built a gas plant which was to produce gas for his private residence as well as for the mill. The J.S.MacLaren house was piped for the use of gas. The gas was produced from coal and the plant was operated by the late John Haley.

The James MacLaren Company also kept a farm and raised most of their own foodstuff, including ail diary products and their own meat. This farm was quite large and provided food for the winter camps, their boarding houses, as weil as for the MacLaren family.

Buckingham aiso had a grist mili at an early date. The Mill was owned by Ross Brothers and was just below their saw mill on the Lievre river. The grist mili used the same water as the saw mili for its power. Mr. Dufresne was the miller, and ail the farmers in Buckingham would bring their oats and wheat to the mill to be ground.

There was an attempt on the part of the Buckingham Council to attract Tourists and thus establish a Tourist Industry The district surrounding Buckingham fully justified this attempt. However, the industry did not achieve great success before 1900, but since that time it has grown to great proportions, However, the locality was well publicised by our local correspondent to the Citizen.

"This year has brought more than the usual number of strange faces to Buckingham for the summer holidays. Perhaps those who have passed a pleasant vacation here have spoken a good word for the town, às if desirous of seeing other people happy where they had once been themselves.
 

"There is no gainsaying the fact that outside of seabathing and curative springs Buckingham affords greater health-giving inducements and pleasures to the summer visitor than any other town within hundreds of miles.
Easily accessible by both railway and steamer- so situated that it gets the first waft of the mountain breeze with a cool river rolling between its principal streets, and a mighty cataract at either end- with scenery unsurpassed save in the more renown localities- with board and room at minimum rates- with all these considerations if life in and around Buckingham could not be made enjoyable by the tourist or summer visitor, where could its distinct advantage be improved upon? Then again a visit can be paid any day to that wonder of the district , High Falls, per steamer "AGNES,"' for something like a dollar and a quarter." (1) The same thing holds true for Buckingham today except for the steamer "Agnes" which has been abandoned a long time ago.

It may also be mentioned here that at one time the Singer Manufacturing Company very nearly established in Buckingham about 1885. The Company wished to buy the power site at Rheaume Falls about two miles south of Buckingham. Mr. MacLaren, the owner of the site, refused to seil it and the Singer Company then established in St. John's instead. It is said that if Mr. MacLaren had sold this power to the Singer Company, Buckingham would today be a large city.
The Brick Industry
This industry was founded in Buckingham during the early 1880's. It was discovered that suitable clay for the making of bricks existed in great quantities on the McGurn farm near Buckingham. A Mr. L.I.Shirley tested the clay and decided to open a brick yard. He bought a few acres of land from Mr. McGurn and built his brick factory. This mill ran into financial difficulties, sustaining losses. The mill had been under the management of Mr. Powell.
Mr. Shirley decided to secure a new manager in the hope that this would also result in the profitable operating of the mill. Mr. Johnson Rae took over as manager, and although the the mill was showing some improvement, it still was not mak4ng the desired profit. Once more it was decided to get a new manager. This time the services of Mr. Willford was obtained. Mr. Willford came from England and had been manager of a brickyard in that country. Soon the Buckingham mill was operatin.g at a profit and continued to do so for about three years. However, Mr. 'Willford spent a lot of money and apparently part of it belonged to the brick company. He also borrowed money from people in the town and opened accounts with the local stores. He left the town without paying his debts.

(1) Ottawa Citizen, August 13, 1894
 
 

His creditors sought legal advice to apprehend him and organized for this purpose. However, it only involved them to a greater extent because they had to pay the lawyers and they never found Mr. Wiliford. Mr. Menard then came and operated the brickyard on his own responiibility. He operated the yard for about two years and then it was closed down. The market for bricks was glutted and brick: was being sold for eight dollars a thousand.

Previous to the arrival of Mr. Willford, the machinery was operated by horses. The horses would walk around in circles to stir the clay mixture in a large vat which was more like a large churn. The bricks would come out underneath in moulds and would then require hand pressing. This was a very hard job and required a strèng man to do it. Mr. Bill Goodwin operated the press and for his hard work day of ten hours, he would recelve the magnificent sum of one dollar and a half. After the bricks were removed from the moulds, the moulds would have to be "sanded" before being replaced. Mr. Hugh McGurn of Buckingham, had this job of "sanding" the moulds. This job was awarded by a salary of eighty cents for a 10 hour day.
After Mr. Willford arrived, he replaced the horses by steam power. The bricks were also pressed by steam power and made the work very much lighter and was a great improvement in every respect. This brickyard was on the east side of the river.

The only other brickyard was on the west side of the river. It was about 100 feet north of the present Stanyard house just before you turn to go to the Electric Reduction Company.

"The following gentlemen have formed a co-partnership under the name of the Pressed Brick Company of Buckingham: Messrs. S.P.Franchot, W.A.Williams, Albert MacLaren and M.A. Menard. The firm is formed for the purpose of manufacturing pressed brick of a superior grade, which the superior quality of clay in the neighbourhood fully warrants. They will be prepared to furnish over a million bricks annually and propose to equip themselves with all modern machinery. The Company consists of some of the solid business men of the commùnity and there is no doubt their intention to make brick of good quality and finish will be fully realized". (1) The Company was not long in getting production underwayy for less than a month later the Ottawa Citizen carried the following news:
"The Pressed Brick Company are hard at work taking out and preparing clay for a big kiln. They will furnish the brick for C.W.Pearson's new business block". (2)

(1) Ottawa Citiie-n, March 16, 1894 (2) Ottawa Citizen, April 10, 1894
 
 
 

The next July the following appeared in the Ottawa

Citize; "The Pressed Brick Company continues operations with
as much push as ever". (1)
This Brick Company stayed in operation for soma time.
The brick used in the building of St. Lawrence Academy for
girls were made by this Company. However, when brick fell in
price this Company aiso was forced out of operation. It was
hoped for a time that operations of the brickyard on the east
side of the river would be resumed. "It is rumored that a syn
dicate of Buckingham people intend taking over the brick and
tile business lately operated by Mr. M.A.Menard. This Company
must not be confounded with the old Brick and Tile Company,
fb whose manager and his charming lady skipped away to pastures
new soma years ago, with everything they could borrow, beg or
steal. leaving their trusting landlord with two trunks of
valuable relics in the aged newspaper line." (2) This hope was
not realized and thus the brick industry faded out of the
picture as far as Buckingham was concerned.
The Phosphate Industry

Phosphate rock was first found near Buckingham in the early 1870's. It was discovered that the Lievre valley was extremely rich in phosphate deposits. There arose a spiendid opportunity for new industries which could use this new raw material to manufacture fertilizers, phosphoric acid and many other phosphorus compiunds.

'Aith this in mind, the village council sent samples to the World Fair at Paris in 1878. After testing these samples, it was found that they contained over ninety par cent of material which could be used as fertilizer. The opportunity for profit making was apparent to those attending the Fair. As a result in 1881, a Company was formed in France with a capital of W0,000.00. They sent a Mr. Labouglie to Canada as manager of the Company.One of the first acts of the Company was to purchase all the mining rights of the Buckingham district for a sum of $60,000.00. They then purchased a steamer which they named "1"Assomption"' and barges at considerable cost. Expansive machinery was aiso purchased before the mine could begin producing.

The phosphate mine which they opened was known to the local people as the "French Company Mine". It was on the east side of the Lievre River, about one mile below La Salette. The mine employed about one hundred men. It appears that this mine sold mining rights to other Companies, because other mining companies began to operate in the district.

Ottawa Citiz July 28, 1894
(2) Ottawa Citizen, February 22, 1894
 
 

One of the jarger mines which began to produce was the
High Rock Mine on the west side of the Lievre River and about
ib two miles above La Salette. This was an English Company and
was operated by Wilson & Green. The manager was Mr. Mcintosh.
It turned out to be a big success. It was soon employing more
than two hundred men. The mine then purchased its own steamer
and scows. The steamer was known as the "High Rock Boat".
The mine operated for a period of approximately ten years, and
was far from being exhausted when the cheaper Florida Rock
forced it out of business. The first grade ore was shipped to
England and the poorer grades were sold to American and
Canadian manufacturers. This mine is still producing a small
amount of phosphate ore which is sold to the Electric Reduct
ion Company of Buckingham.

The Union Mine was next to the High Rock Mine. This mine al so turned out to be a large mine employing approximately one hundred men. It also shipped its ore to Buckingham via steamer and barges.

The North Star Phosphate Mine operated on the east side of the river. It took its ore to Buckingham and before the advent of the C.P.R., Railroad branch to Buckingham, it loaded the ore on wagons and drew it to the"Basin du Lievre". From there it was reloaded on barges or shipped by rail to its destinayion. ln the wintertime, the ore was transported by sleigh from the mines to the Basin and loaded on railway cars. Bill Smith was the manager and paymaster of this mine.

Another large mine was the Emerald Mine at Glen Almond. This mine employed approximately seventy-five men under the management of Mr. Franchot. There were also numerous other mines of lesser importance in the district. These smaller mines employed between twenty-five to fifty men and taken together they offered employment to over a thousand men.

The phosphate mines were all situated some distance from Buckingham but they offered much employment to the citizens of the Village and used the Village as their shipping center. There was also a great number of "outside" men working at these mines. Many of these came from Perth and the saying "He is a Perth man" was to be heard on everyone's lips.

The wages paid at the mines were from eighteen dollars a month and board and upwards. These were good wages at that time. The mines in the vicinity of Buckingham are said to have employed more than two thousand men at its height of production. This spelled prosperity for the village. However, the prospeéity was shortlived. The discovery of Florida Rock in Florida tolied the death knell of the Phosphate mines at Buckingham. This Florida Rock could be mined much cheaper and the competition proved to be too great for the Buckingham mines. One after another the mines began to close down.
 
 
 

A quotation from the Ottawa Citizen of July 25, 1894, gives us an adequate picture of the phosphate mines at that time.

"Mr. Louis I.Matts, has bought the store stock of the British Phosphate Company at Glen Almond at .400 on the dollar. With the closing down of this mine flees Buckingham hopes of a speedy revival of the phosphate industry. As long as the Glen Almond mine kept running people with confidence in Mr. Smith's foresight business ability and good management had hopes that the era of depression was but temporary, and that a morning would dawn when the cheerful noise of ringing hammers would come down from the mountain to rouse from enforced inactivity the slumbering miners. But it is not to be. Either Mr. Smith has got tired or his company has got tired, at any rate somebody has got tired of waiting for the emerald ore to rise in price and feel it incumbent upon them to rise and "git".

The rise in price never materialized. The phosphate mines as a major industry had left Buckingham and has never returned. Some mining on a small scale is still in progress but is not very important. Thus phosphate mining played an important part in the history of Buckingham for a period of eighteen years.
The Pulp Industry

The pulp industry was not a very important industry in Buckingham before 1900. Since 1900, it has become a leading industry of Buckinghamp supplying the new material for the James MacLaren Company paper mill which is situated three miles south of Buckingham.

However, pulp was produced at a very early date in Buckingham. The first pulp must have been produced during 1886.
"Ground wood pulp must have been made at Buckingham, P.Q., prior to 1887, for a notice in the May 21st. issue of the"Pulp Trade Journal" of that year, stating that the Du Lievre Pulp and Paper Company of Buckingham is about to increase its capacity of the mill. 14hether this was the same concern as the Buckingham Pulp Company, started by James MacLaren and others, it is difficult to say.

The first mention of the latter we can find is an item dated June i5th, 1889, which says that the Buckingham Pulp Company had contracted for three New England grinders, The mill was located beside the Upper Falls of the Lievre River,
on the site of the present Electric Reduction Company. In April, 1891, it was sold for $34,000.00, there being a mortgage of $28,000.00 on the property, and about three years later it burned down. Apparently it was never rebuilt. lnstead, Mr. MaclLaren started the Dufferin Falls Pulp Company, further downstream, and engaged Charles H. Vogel of Appleton, Wisconsin,, in 1901, to come and build the mill there. When it was completed the following year, W.T.Mills, the inventor of the Milis grinder, left the Sault groundwood mill, of which he was superintendent, and took charge of the Buckingham plant. "It contained twelve grinders, making 75 tons a day." (1)

James MacLaren sold a tract of land and water power rights on June 26, 1886, to the Buckingham Pulp Company Limited. Apparently they must have begun production immediately. The Buckingham Pulp Company had been incorporated by letters patent issued underthe provisions of the Company Act(Canada) bearing date 13th. april, 1885. The head office was in Montreal. In 1890, this Company went into liquidation and the property changed hands in qùick succession. On June 17, 1891, the Liquidator sold the property to Robert Cowans, who on August 10 1891 sold to John MacDougall and others. They in turn on August 9, 1891, sold to John Dyer and Alexander Cooper, Trustees for the Buckingham Manufacturing Company Limited. They sold the property on October 12, 1891, to the said Buckingham Manufacturing Company Limited. The Buckingham Manufacturing Company Limited was incorporated by letters patent issued under the provisions of the Company Act(Canada) bearing date 20th. August, 1891, with head office in Montreai. On July 14, 18964, the Buckingham Manufacturing Company Limited, sold to 'Walter A. Williams, who on November 23, 1902, sold to the Electric Reduction Company with head office in England.

This is a history of industry near Upper Falls. Pulp was
not produced after the property was a,quired by Mr. '.1illiams in
1896. Mr. Ailliams started experimenting with chemicals which
finally resulted in the production of phosphorussin Buckingham
after 1900. Mr. William Barrow operated the pulp mill. The
ground pulp was made into sheets and drawn by wagon from the
mill to the railroad. It was loaded on the train at a siding
where Mr. Angus Cameron now lives. It was then shipped to
paper mills in Canada and the United States. The pulp mill
usually had more pulp wood than it could conveniently process

into pulp. "The Buckingham Manufacturing Company, having more spruce logs than they can conveniently put into pulp this season, are having some sawed into deals and boards by Messrs. Racicot & Grondin at their saw mill above the locks."(2)

"Brother Scott is sending away ton upon ton of Pulp, manufactured in the mill here."(3)

_P) CarÎ;--uthersi-George- Paper in the Making- 611
(2) Ottawa Citizen, November 9, 1894
(3) Ottawa Citizen, April 10, 1894
 
 

There was a world demand for puip and paper during the 1890's and the people of Buckingham wanted the puip to be manufactured into paper at Buckingham. The Council invited outside business men to come to Buckingham and look the situation over, and give an answer as to the feasibility of establishing a paper mill here. The late Mr. A.H.Parker, Buckingham correspondent for the Ottawa Citizen, gave an accurate account at the time,

"The paper mill men have come, have seen and are satisfied. The question now to be settied is the size of the bonus, if any, the town is willing to give. This is a time when our councillors should go slowly, should consider weil what return the people are going to get by bonusing an industry of this kind. Goodnessknows, anything that will increase Buckingham's wageearning capacity should not lightly be let go to any part of the country. The progressive citizens of Buckingham will leave to its nine councillors and mayor to see to it that no reasonable request the company makes, in exchange for a promise ""in writing" to expend a certain sum of money in building and equipping a modern paper mill giving emplotment to say three hundred hands the year around, is ignored. It is the duty of the councillors to study the situation in ail its phases and having arrived at a conclusion satisfactory to themselves, to lose no time in submitting to the ratepayers at a public meeting called for that purpose, ail data in their possession in connevtion therewith."(I)

A week later Mr. Parker writes:

"From one who ought to know, it is learned that the paper mill question is not so near solution as it might be. One of the capitalists, the principal one, has conceived an un-accountable dislike for Buckingham as a location, and his friends would now like to know how big a bonus the town would gige to assist them in overcoming the great man's aversion. In the desire to get too much people may lose ail." (2)

(1) Ottawa Citizen, Augu t 13, 1894
(2) Ottawa Citizen, August 20, 1894
 
 

Apparently the bonus was never given. From an earlier statement of the same writer, it is known that the bonus asked was
r the sum of twenty-five thousand dollars. It is known today that Buckingham lost a great opportunity for expansion by refusing the bonus. But the councillors and major may be excused due to a previous occurence in which they had given a bonus to a company. The company in question had given promise of increased prosperity. The town forwarded the bonus and ail they received was broken promises. Therefore in this case after weighing ail the factors involved, they decided against the bonus. The paper mill operators had asked a sum which involved too great a risk for the citizens of that day. When the paper mill was finally built in 1929, it was a distance of three miles south of Buckingham in Masson village.

Thus although Buckingham never actually had a paper Mill, the fact that it came so near to having one nearly changed its history and its size. If the council had voted the bonus, the result would no doubt have been of great advantage to the town.

The James MacLaren Company'built their pulp Mill on the west side of the river near Dufferin Falls in 1901 and 1902.
0 The Graphite-Industry
Buckingham, during a short period of its history , became famous for its graphite mines. The mines were not situated within the town itseif, but were located from three to twenty miles from the town. However, the mines gave much employment to the residents of the town, and brought so much weaith, that they are part of the town's history.

Graphite also known as Plumbago was first discovered in Buckingham during the early 1860's. The first mention of a company which Incorporated was the Canada Plumbago Company Limited. This company was incorporated by letters patent issued under the provision of the Companies Act (Canada) bearing date 12th. December, 1866 with head Office in Montreai. During the next forty years many companies of varying sizes began operation. Some of these companies were successful, but most of them went into bankruptcy. The reason for the great number of bankruptcies was the fact that the company engineers were unable to separate the graphite from the ore in which it was found. Many techniques were adopted without apparent successe

The following quotation gives a full account of the Graphite Industry as it was found to exist during these times.
"Graphite, or, as it is sometimes called, plumbago or blackhead, occurs very widely disseminated in the rocks of the Laurentian syatem of the Province of Quebec, and more especially in that part of the Laurentian country underlain by the Grenville series, characterized by the presence of great bodies of crystalline limestone and having its chief development along the southern border of the Laurentian Plateau. Here, more especially in the district about Grenville, Buckingham, and to the north of the City of Ottawa, graphitr is frequently seen, occurring in some places in large deposits. Some of these have the form of veins, ~ut usually the mineral occurs in flakes disseminated through the crystalline limestones or the associated gneisses. When found in the last-mentioned manner, it can only be won by a process of grinding and concentration.

These graphite deposits attracted attention early in the development of the country. In 1862, a deposit was being worked in the township of Grenville, while prospecting was being carried on extensively in the townships of Buckingham and Lochaber. In 1867, a small mill was erected in the township of Buckingham by the Canadian (afterwards) the Montreal Plumbago Company on what was known as the "Castle" property. The mill was operated until 1873, in which year it was destroyed by a forest fire. The graphite produced by it was used largely for the manufacture of stove polish. In 1875-76, the Dominion of Canada Plumbago Mining Company erected a large mill in the same township, and this was in operation for several years, the property subsequently passing into the hands of the Walker Mining Company, which continued operations intermittently until 1895. In 1905, operations at this plant resumed by the Buckingham Graphite Company which owns 1388 acres of graphite lands, with a mill having a capacity of two tons of refined graphite per day.

Other important workings are the Bell mines, three and a half miles from Buckingha, the Peerless Graphite Company and the Dominion Graphite Co., each with its own mill. The last-mentioned Company possesses the largest plant, the mill having a capacity for treating two hundred tons of rock per day.

The problems facing the managers of the Canadian graphite mills have been difficuit of solution and many attempts have been met with failure. The principal cause of such failures is the difficulty of concentrating the graphite, disseminated as it is through rocks of varied character. These difficulties, however, seem now to have been overcome, and the graphite industry is to all appearances on a satisfactory basis. The amount of graphite shipped in the year 1911 was 753,405 lbs, which is more than double the output of the preceding year and by far the highest production that has been recorded up to the present time."

The "Castle" property was situated about five miles west of Buckingham near Donaldson Lake. A Mr. Pierce was manager of this mine and after the mili was burned down, the mine ceased to operate. This site is at present owned by Mr. Girard. Another large mine was the North American. This mine was situated about six miles west of Buckingham, immediately behind the Tom Cosgrove farm.

The Walker Mining Co., was the largest producer and the ruins of this mine can be seen from the highway when one is travalling between Buckingham and Donaldson Lake. There are still hugh stockpiles, of ore at this mine which contain some graphite. But the graphite cannot be separated from the "Grit" and until this can be done, there is still a chance that any operations will be resumed. This Company had the best system of recovering the graphite. The ore was melted in a hugh furnace and the molten nass was poured down the side of a cliff into a trough of running water. The graphite would then take the shape of small round pebbles which were easily recovered. However, the amount recovered was not sufficient to meet costs, and the mill was sold, taken down and shipped away.

Graphite mines were also operated about three miles east of Buckingham. These mines were on the Edgar McNamara and Joseph Gleason farms. Large buildings were constructed and the mines employed about sixty men. However, they soon became insolvent and were forced to stop operations. Among the Managers of these mines were a Mr. Brummel, a Mr. Dickson and a Mr. Kendall, the last mentioned having come from England.

It would be almost impossible to give the individual history of each graphite and plumbago Company which came to Buckingham. Many of the companies were organized by mining promoters, who, it is said, never began mining in earnest. However, they brought weaith to the Village and the people of Buckingham and hoping stili that some new process may be discovered whereby the mines may be profitably operated.

(1) Canada and 1 Provinces, Volume XVI, Toronto
1914-1917,, Pages 592-593

An article from the Ottawa Citizen on November 3, 1894
reveais the amount of graphite around Buckingham.
"Buckingham, November 3, 1894 - Buckingham has
apparently made quite a stir at the 'Aorid's Fair
with its graphite. A sample from the Walker Mine at
Graphite City, near here, was such a specimen that
one of the visitors at the Fair- a gentleman inter
ested in that minerai came on from Chicago at once
to see the mine, and having seen it goes away con
quered. He expressed himself as simply astonished
with the extent and richness of the Walker show,
and of the location of the property, mills , etc.,
generally and we should not be altogether surprised
if his visit lead to better things for Buckingham,
so far as graphite mining Is concerned. To use his
own language "There's enough graphite around that
mine to furnish the whole world for an indefinite
period." Then why does not Graphite City, as of
9b yore, resound with the hum of machinery and the
bustle of active life? Quien Sabe?"
 

CHAPTER 1 1 1
PROGRESS IN EDUCATION
The Early Schools
Ob The earliest date from which the author was able to acquire
some information regarding Buckingham's educational facilities
is 1857. The Canadian Directory of that year lists the follow
ing persons as teachecs in Buckingham:Patrick P. Finnigan, John
Fitzgerald and Miss Jackson. The Canadian census which was ta
ken three years later listed in addition to the above mentioned,
the following names as teachers: Joseph Cyr and Margaret Hewson.
In the very early days of Buckingham, it appears that there
was only one , and at the most, two schools in the Village. This
system served the citizens from 1824 to 1850. In the 18501s,
there were a number of private schools opened in addition to the
two schools operated by the School Commission.
In 1862, Mr. Rouleau, who was at the time the Inspector of
Catholic Schools, submitted a report which throws much light on
the educational facilities of that day. Among other things, the
Report said that there were seven schools in operation, inclu
ding an Academy. Two elementary schools had been amigamated with
with the Academy, which was under the direction of Mr. Fitzeraid.
Two years later in 1864, Mr. Rouleau had the following remarks in
his report:
"The elementary schools give satisfactory resuits, par
ticularly Mr. McCormick's, which is certainly the best
elementary school in any district; though this teacher
deserves much praise for the manner in which he con
ducts his schools, and the rapid progress of the child
ren under his care, he should, nevertheless, refrain
from disparaging as he does, the Academy, which after
all is superior still to his own school. This instit
ution under the able direction of the Reverand Mr.
Brady, a retired Cure, assisted by Mr. Lonergan , can
not fail to give very satisfactory resuits. The Rev.
Mr. Brady has undertaken to teach mathematics, and Mr.
Lonergan teaches Latin, French and English to the 46
pupils who attend the school". (1)
The census of 1871, listed the following names as teachers
in Buckingham: Mary Merriman, Julian Merriman, John Starrs, the
Reverand Sisters St. Augustin, St. Charles, St. Colomba, St.
Louis, and Miss Laurrel Beaudon, music teacher. In 1873 there were
three dissident schools. One of these was operated by Miss Martha
Hall, who was said to, be one of the oldest and most capable teach
ers in the Province. Another was a Normal School under the
direction of Miss Hutchison.

(1) Educationai Report7-7rôvince of Quebec, 1864
 

In 1878, Bolton MacGrath named the school conducted by Mr. Cooke as worthy of mention on account of the creditable manner in which it was conducted. He pointed out that a commercial and financial depression in the Ottawa Valley had its effects on the schools, but in spite of this some progress had been made. Mr. Augustus Gay, the Catholic School Inspector, pointed out in the same year that teachers were not paid regularly. Not only were taxes not collected, but government grants which were meant for the purpose of paying the teachers, were used for other purposes. He said that the givernment should put a stop to granting a diploma to everyone who applied for one. He also memtioned that the distribution of prizes for attendance have an excellent effect for punctual attendance.

In the report of 1882, Mr. MacGrath asked for better const~-.j-, ructed and more spacious schools. He aiso urged the teachers to remain in the same school for longer periods of time and to abandon the practice of changing schools every year. It appears that Mr. MacGrath's appeal for better schools was answered. ln the report of 1886, he said that there was a greater appreciation of schools in Buckingham. People were more willing to pay for better schools. There was a demand for a superior class of teachers and for better school accomodation. The dilapidated schools were to be replaced by modern ones as soon as possible. This summary of various Reports is given in order to convey some idea of the state of educational facilities in Buckingham during the last century. A history of the location of the SChOOIS follows.

The first dissident school was erected on the present hubert Seller's property. Miss Susan Bowman, the late Mrs, James 'Wilson were both teachers at this school. The second school was built near the present bridge on the west side of the river. The property was donated by James MacLaren and was to be used for educational or church purposes. The building still stands and is used as a church hall. Known teachers in this school were the Reverend Jeremy Babin, H.B.Small, Mr. Murphy, Mr. Rothwell, Miss Hutchisonf Professor Cooke, Mr. McQuarrie, Miss Matthewson and Mr. M.R.'Weaver. Mr. Weaver came to Buckingham in 1889, when the third school was being built. He taught in the old school until Christmas and then went to the new school which was situated on Church Street. His assistant was Miss Edith Higginson who taught 35 years in the school before she retired in 1925. Miss Higgison acts as Supervisor for the Quebec Departmentai Examinations to this date, thus having one of the longest records of service in the Province. Other principals before 1900 were Mr. L.D. Van lffland, Mr. Hipp, Mr. Townsend and A.E.Vaughan. The school was used up until two years ago, when it was abandoned in favour of one of the most modern High Schools in the Province.

Mr. Cooke, known better under the name of Professor Cooke,
Ob left the public school and started a private school in the
house formerly occupied by Judge J.C.Langlois. Other private
schools were those of Miss Hall and Gerald Lonergan. Miss Hall
had her school on the Main Street near the present Curling Rink.
Gerald Lonergan operated a private school for boys in the build
ing which is now occupied by the Leger Studio.

Before the Brothers of Christian Instruc~ion arrived in Buckingham, a school for boys was operated by Mr. John Fitzerald. This school was situated directly in front of St. Gregory's Church. During recent excavation work on this site, many old ink wells were found. It appears that before the Grey Nuns arrived in Buckingham in 1869, the Catholic girls were taught in the present Joseph McAndrew house, which also served the Nuns for a number of years. An individual history of St. Michael's College and St. Lawrence Academy follows.

St. Michael's College

St. Michael's College was founded in the present Croisetiere house on Denis and Main Streets. It was at the request of Father Michelà, that the Brothers of the Christian Instruction came to Buckingham to take charge of the new school for boys. On August 40 1892, Brother Jean-Baptiste came as director and shortly afterwards was followed by Brothers William, Benjamin and Fulbert. For a few days they boarded and lodged at the priest's house, but on the following Thursday, they entered their permanent abode in the former presbytery on Main Street. Soon afterwards the old Church and the adjoining sacristy were partitioned into classrooms. The English class was the first to open under the charge of Brother William; it began on a Friday, August 31, 1892. Sy the middle of September, 150 boys were in attendance at the school.

Three years later, work was begun on the actual St. Michael's College to which the classes of the old church were transferred in the course of the year 1896. The new school was much larger and included a residence for the Brothers. It was built on land adjoining St. Gregory's Parish and on land which belonged, at that time, to the Parish. -.Vhen the Brothers of Christian Instruction came to Buckingham , they were faced with many difficulties. The school had no playgrounds, the heating system was in a bad condition# and they had to organize the new school. But in time all these difficulties were overcome.The old presbytery was meant to be a temporary school only , and from the beginning, the idea of the new school was in the minds of the founders. In 1897# the Brothers were teaching up to the seventh grade and had started a complete Commercial Course for both English and French speaking boys. The Brothers had made great progress in a short period of eight years (1892-1900(. Since 1900, the College has steadily grown and now has approximately twenty-two resident
Brothers teaching about five hundred pupils.
 

 St. Lawrence Academy

St. Lawrence Academy for girls was founded in 1869. During thatyear, Father Jouvent bought the site and a house in order to establish a Convent in Buckingham. He then applied to the Grey Nuns of the Cross for teachers. The Grey Nuns responded to the appeal and arrived in Buckingham in September 1869, with Sister Saint Augustin as Superior, Sister Saint Charles, Sister Nativity and a lay Sister, Sister Saint Timothy. Sisters St. Charles and Nativity taught for some years in what is now Mr. Joseph McAndrew's residence at the corner of Joseph and East Streets; the former taught the French class, the latter the English class. Some years later, the increasing population and consequent increase of pupils necessitated larger space, sa a vast wing was added which more than doubled the former building. The bricks used for the purpose were made in local brickyards. The convent has continued to grow and at present there are about three hundred and fifty girls attending classes.
 

CHAPTER IV

HISTORY OF RELiGION

St. Gregory's Parish
The first Roman Catholic chapel of Buckingham was erected in 1835 by a missionary of the time, Reverend Father Brunet. This chapel was siyuated on a piece of land given by Mr. John O'Neill. When this mission of Buckingham was canonically erected by His Lordship Bishop Bourget in 1840, Reverend Father John Brady , who had already distingished himself since two years by his apostolic labours in the valley of the Ottawa, wasxappointed residing pastor. The mission at this time counted ninety families. Father Brady was born in the county of Longford, diocese of Ardagh, Ireland, on June 12th. 1798. He came to Canada about the year 1834 and entered the Seminary of Montreai having previously studied at Maynooth. The second year, while continuing his studies of theology, ha taught the higher branches of classics and philosophy, and this ha did for the three remaining years of his theological course. He was ordained on July 31st. 1837, by Bishop Bourget of Montreal. In 1839, ha was appointed, together with Father Bourassa, missionary of ail the cantons north of Montreal; ha took up his residence in La Petite Nation, now called Montebello.

The following extract from one of Father Brady's letters to the Bishop of Montreal shows the missionary zeal of the founder of St. Gregory's parish. It was written from La Petite Nation. (Translation from the French , version of Fr. Alexis, O.M.Cap.,)

La Petite Nation,
Novemver 4. 1839
Your Lordship:

According to your request 1 am sending you an account of my missions along the Ottawa river during the year 1838. During the first three months of the year, as 1 deplored the state of extreme distress in which the faithful above Buckingham Canton found themselves, 1 gave ail my care, together with Father Brunet, to the mission of Buckingham, of La Petite Nation and of Grenville. This was sufficient work since each of these three missions by itsalf is weil able to keep a missionary busy.

At first 1 found it very fatiguing to go up to Buckingham , a distance of ten to twelve leagues(30-36,.miles) from my residence, through completely neglected forest roads. However, 1 saw these poor people so well disposed to
profit by the means of salvation which 1 offered them,
that soon the difficulties which at first seemed in
surmountable, began to appear less great, especially
fb when 1 percieved the faithfuiness of the people to
assemble in their little church, and to advise one
another of my arrivai, when 1 saw poor mothers carry
ing in their arms their littie ones to have them bap
tized, and travelling from distances as great as those
1 travelled myself. In fact, the majority of the peo
ple of Buckingham have their homes from five to ten
miles from the church. In a word, the respect and att
achment of these people for me has so touched my heart
that 1 have bound myself to them for good, and 1 should
consider myself fortunate to be enabled to consecrate
the rest of my days to them, "
The church of Buckingham was already built and plastered
before my arrivai, but, on account of the hard times during
these last years, the people were unable to do the finishing
work. Since Father Brunet's departure, 1 have succeeded in
having glass placed in the windows, and in having an altar
built which, however, is not yet garnished. 1 had the conso
lation of a conversion. In ait this vast territory under my
care, there is not a single catholic school except one in
Buckingham."
On April 8th. 1840, Father Brady writes from Hull to
Bishop Bourget who was to visit the missions during the
following summer:
"The people are busy building houses and preparing
a bell for the reception of Your Lordship this summer.
They have hauledthe wood for the presbytery, but they
are poor . Since 1 have been working in these missions
(along the Ottawa) the people of Buckingham have given
me 15 pounds of sterling (about $60.00). Your Lordship
will follow the following route: from La Petite Nation
to Buckingham by steamboat; there you wili have five
miles to go in a cart before reaching the Village. From
Buckingham to Templeton (Gatineau) 6 leagues(18 miles)
by steamboat, or, if the weather permits, by canoe."
On October the 9th. 1840, Bishop Bourget arrived in
Buckingham. The Act of Canonical erection of the mission reads
as follows:
"We have erected, and do erect by this present
act a new mission which shall be composed of
Buckingham and Lochaber, and also of ait the
territory which is on and in the depths of the
Lievre river. on one side as far as the habit
ations which are to belong to the missions of
St. Cec i 1 i a on the r i ver "jR 1 a Peche" and on
the other side as far as the seineurerie of La Petite Nation, permission being given to the people beyond the missions of Aylmer, of Chelsea, of Gatineau, of the river "A La Pecha", of Buckingham, of La Petite Nation and of Grenville to fulfill their religious duties in any one of the said missions which shall be more convenient for them. The said mission shall be under the title of St. Gregory of Nazianze. 4e have ordained that the presbytery, already begun, be finished as soon as possible and that the church wardens, in proper assembly, be elected.

Given at Buckingham in the course of our visit,

Ignatius Bourget, Bishop of Montreai (1)
Father Brady settled definitely in Buckingham in 1840 and
fb had under his care the extensive territories of this mission.
The site of the church was near the old graveyard at the east
end of what is now Church Street, and the priest's house was
close by. In 1848, the church had aiready become too small for
the growing population which now counted 80 catholic families.
By reason of the immensity of his work, Father Brady's heaith
10 was soon gravely impaired. In 1849, he was already infirm, so
short-sighted as to be nearly blind, and broken down before his
timet he had neither the strength nor the energy to administer
to the need of a parish which spread throughout the whole
valley of the Lievre, and comprised St. Malachy(Mayo), Thurso
(Lochaber), and nearly the whole county of Russel in Upper
Canada. Great abuses had by this time been implanted in the
Village of Buckingham; the young men from the lumber camps
were dissolute, and the venerable pastor who lived far from
the center of the village, could not possibly remedy them. To
crown his misfortunes, his presbytery was destroyed by fire in
1849. Instead of profiting by the occasion to come and live in
the village, Father Brady adopted the unfortunate idea of
building his home on land of his own, about a mile outside the
Village on the old THurso road. The people were discontented
and broke out in murmurs and complaints tô which there was no
end and which filled with grief the last days of Father Brady's
pastorship. So Mgr. Guigues, Bishop of Ottawa since 1847, was
finally abliged to give him on July 15th. 1854 , a curate in
the person of Father Michel, a young priest from France recent
ly ordained; about a year later the Bishop seperated Cumberland
from the Buckingham Mission and sent Father Michel there as
residing pastor.
(1) Alexis de Barbezieux, Rev. P. Histoire de la Province
Ecclisiastique d'Ottawa, 1897.

The necessity of constructing a new church became more and more pressing and Bishop Guigues, agreeing with the people, exacted that it be built in the Village. Mr. Levi Bigelow had already given an acre of land for the purpose, but that was much too small. Fortunately, Mr. Newman, executor of the last wishes of a pious christian woman, Mrs. Burke, gave a much larger piece of land. The digging of the foundation began in 1855. However, the citizens of Buckingham . either through indifference or ill-will, affected much disinterestedness in the enterprise of which the whole weight lay on the weak shoulders of Father Brady. Though little versed in financial matters, yet he succeeded in erecting at his own expense, a vast wooden building which might become suitable when finished. A large sum of money was wasted, not to, say worse, in its construction on account of Father Brady's inexperience. It was a great loss to him and he was never fully repaid.

When in July, 1857, Bishop Guigues came to visit the new edifice, he was so struck by the evils that existed in Buckingham, that he ordered a presbytery to be built near the church under pain of withdrawal of the priest. He was obeyed without enthusiasm. The new building progressed slowly and when it was finished in 1859, the Bishop saw with sorrow that it was an honour neither to the Pastor nor to the faithful. In such distressful circumstances, the dissensions increasing instead of ceasing, Father Brady thought it his duty to retire from active service(March) 1862. He withdrew to his home which he had built on his own farm after the destruction of the first presbytery in 1849. There he lived 18 years,
constantly held in increasing veneration by his former parishioners and died in 1881. His funeral obsequies were the most imposing ever witmessed in this section of the country. Over one thousand persons were in the cortege.

It will not be amiss to quote Mr. F.W.Warwick's beautifui little poem describing Father Brady's funeral. It was printed in the Buckingham Post of February 23rd. 1934.
"Out of the woods comes the tramp of Footsteps Muffled and low o'er the leaf-strewn ground, Steady and slow from the depths of the forest March they with sad thoughts bound. The trees and the birds list silently As the slow moving steps come on, And the aspen trembleth visibly At the sight of the funeral throng. Four bared bushmen in advance Clear the way of bow and branch, Six follow, and betwixt them-bear A coffin with solicitous care; A coffin with corpse partly erectf The aged priest in habit drest;
 
 

Beloved of ail the countryside
And famed much both far and wide.
Tho, ail worldly cares now cease
His reverence seemeth not at peace,
For, as they slowly onward go,
Sways his body to and fro
Thus along thro' the maple woods
Thro' the daisy and clover-decked fields
Where mused he oft the varying moods
The pleasant country yields;
To the rustic weather-worn church
The church that stands near the river
He cometh again-- no gospel to preach,
But to rest from his labor forever.
Buried neath where the altar stands
ln a crypt of calcareous stone,
Where prayers and Masses drift around
With the sound of the organ's drone.

Oh, irony of fate, who couldst foretell As lay there the corpse of lowly priest What time perchance 'twould tell As the fleeting years increase. The church has vanished from the sight Peals not the organ, tolls not the bell That called to prayer ere wane of night Had drawn afar the lea and feil. 'Tis not the home of thoughtful prayer, As was the structure of those bygone days, Nor resteth still the preacher there,-Ah, could he but ken the trend of ways-Tho' doth it weil the need suffice As a general post office.

F.W.W.

Here is another selection from Mr. Warwick's writing's. entitled "The Musings of a Rambler" and describing Father Brady's old home;

"'The Old Parsonage"

'Twas the residence of a worthy man The pioneer priest of Buckingham: Abandoned now full many a year To varying seasons' wear and tear. Far from the public track and route Encircled by the woods about, It forlorn and earie stands, Awaiting time's destructive hands.
 
 

Chimneys fallen, windows out,
Whispers floating ali about,
Ob Doors that weirdly ope and swing
No one passing out or in,
Dead leaves rustling to and fro

As the eddying breezes blow;
Plaster falling here and there,
Scaring chipmunks to their lair,
la Whilst the trees and ether chase
Weird shadows casting 'bout the place
That move in an uncanny way
As if intruders' steps to stay,
Thus the seasons ebb and flow,
The winter most destructively,
They year by year their quota show
On the old cot's mutability.
But'tis when springtime paints the mead
The blossoms many a beauteous weed,
When vine trails o'er the crumbling wali
And throstie unto throstle call,
That sweetly sings the babbling brook
Peering, prying, in each nook,
As't winds the alders in and out
And splashes all the rocks about.
Then faithful to their mission stili
Bloom the old Priest's daffodils;
Fair relics of his strenuous day
When passed he by this rugged way
Fu 1 1 many a year agone.
F.W.W.

Father Brady's precious remains were removed in 1892 to the crypt of the then newly built church and a marble tablet was attached to the wall just about where Saint Patrick's statue now stands. When the church was destroyed in the fire of 1920, the memorial tablet was ruined and has never been replaced.

After Father Brady's resignation in 1862, Fr. Laurent Jouvent was appointed to replace him. Fr. Jouvent was a native of VaIserre (Haute Alpes) France, of the same diocese as Bishop Guigues. He was born March 17th. 1829. He arrived in Canada on December Ilth. 1857, and was ordained priest on June 19th, 1859 by Bishop Guigues. In the following Oc~-ober he was named pastor of St. Phillip's Church in Grenville. Towards the end of 1861, he was removed to Lochaber (Thurso) where he remained only a few months and on March 30th. 1862 he came to take charge of the Mission of Buckingham. On his arrivai, he found the church, which had been built only seven years previously, almost a ruin. He set to
to work to raise the spirit of the parish, and started work on the church; soon the miserable building was transformed into a suitable one sufficiently large to contain the then existing population. He had under his care the Missions of Thurso, St. Malachy (mayo), Ange Gardien(Angers) and the various Missions along the Lievre, so Bishop Guigues, in 1864, sent him as curate Fr. Thomas Duhamel, future bishop of Ottawa, successor of Sishop Guigues.

Fr. Jouvent succeeded in obtaining that the Mission of Buckingham be canonically erected as a Parish on June 7th. 1865. It was civically recognized on May 9th. 1885.

In 1871, it was decided to build a decent presbytery for the house in which the priest lived was unworthy of that name. Near the church, on the property belonging to the parish, there was a dilapidated old school. This was pulied down and in its place a magnificent presbytery was built, Buckingham's fourth one. Fr. took possession of it on June 6th. 1872. The priest's house built in 1859 was hauled away to the field now occupied by the present church. It was a frame building lathed and plastered on the outside. It was never put to any use, but served as a play-house for the pupils of the nearby school until it fell to ruins. The following year, in 1873, Father Jouvent was named pastor of the important parish of Pembroke; in 1874, he was called to Ottawa as vicar- general of H.G. Bishop Duhamel, his former curate in Buckingham, and was given charge of the parish of Saint Anne. In 1881, he returned to France, his native country and never came back to Canada.

He was succeeded in Buckingham by Fr. Francois R.Nlichel who arrived in the-parish on December 21st. 1873. Fr. Michel was a native of St. Eusebe, Hautes-Alpes, France. Born on September 17th. 1828, he spent his boyhood days and received his education in his own country, arriving as a seminarian in Canada on October 18th. 1852. He was ordained by Sishop Guigues on June 23rd. 1854, and almost immediately after was sent to Buckingham as curate to Father Brady. He remained only a year as such for, on August 15th. 1855, he was appointed residing pastor of Cumberland. He had also the care of Angers, Thurso, St. Joseph of Orleans and the Cantons of Cumberland, Clarence Creek, Cambridge and even of Russel. In 1859, September 12th. he received his nomination as pastor of Aylmer where he remained 15 years. Then he was appointed parish priest of Buckingham where he arrived on December 21st. 1873. Much could be said concerning Fr. Michel's pastorship in Buckingham for he did many things during his long stay, nearly 28 years, but space is limited.

Little by little, the various missions of which Buckingham
was the center, received their own pastors and consequently the
work of Fr. Michel was lightened. However, work was not lacking,
he founded severai missions along the Lievre River, and, as he
was a fervent devotee of the Mother of Jesus, he placed
them under her special protectiom by giving to them the varjous
Ob names of the shrines around his own home in France: Notre Dame
du Laus, Notre Dame de la Salette, Notre Dame de Pontmain,etc.
He would have been delighted to place his own church of Bucking
ham under under Mary's patronage, but it had, from the very be
ginning been dedicated to Saint gregory, and the Sishop would
not agree to any change.

Ob Things ran on smoothly and peacefully in the Parish thanks
to Father Michel's constant and paternal watchfulness. the popu
lation increased so much so that by 1887, the church had become
too small. By the time, Fr. Michel had raised a capital of
$12#1000000 by stinting himself and by careful handling of the
finances of the parish, and all this in view of constructing a
new and more spacious church, so he easily obtained the required
permission to build. Work began immediately and the cornerstone
was blessed on Agust 31st. 1887. Unlike the former churches, the
new building was of stone, its dimensions were 142 feet by 60
feet. It was completed and blessed in 1890. The following year
the walls and ceiling were magnificently decorated with costly
paintings and stained-glass ornamented windows. Then Fr. Michel
ordered from France a series of four bells weighing respective
ly 1887, 920, 524 and 224 pounds. They composed the best sound
ing and most harmonious chimes in the diocese of Ottawa. Then,
close to the church, a modest large presbytery was built. Thus
the smail parish of 90 families in 1840, had grown to be a
large and flourishing one by the end of the century.

LIST OF PARISH PRIESTS
1. Father John Brady 1840-1862
2. Father Laurent JouventI862-1873
3. Father Francois MicheII873-1901
List of Curates

1. Fr. Francois Michel 1854-1855
2. Fr. T. Duhamel 1864
3. Fr. Dacier 1881-1882
4. Fr. Clerc 1882-1883
5. Fr. Daumy 1885
6. Fr. Saint-Paul 1885
7. Fr. Cousineau 1886
8. Fr. Montour 1887
9. Fr. Deguire 1888- 1889
10. Fr. Van de Vivers 1889
Il. Fr. Legendre 1889- 1892
12 Fr. Leclerc 1892-1893
13. Fr. Lortie 1893 1896
14 Fr. Routhier 1896- 1897
[5. Fr. Raymond 1897-1901
 
 

St. Stephen's Anglican Church
The history of St. Stephen's Anglican, dates back to the year 1845, according to the earliest date recorded in the parish register. The early settlers of Buckingham were for the most part United Empire Loyalists, or their descendants, and the majority of these.professed the Anglican faith. Religious services for Anglicans were held prior to 1845. This historical sketch is based on the earliest officiai act recorded The first building used for religious purposes was a cookhouse, kindly loaned for the occasion. This cookhouse was aiso used by Catholic priests as well as other Protestant Ministers.

The first Protesteant place of worship was erected in 1837 and used as a union hall by the various denominations. it was located on the grounds of the Presbyterian cemetery, the Ministers being travelling missionaries. The first officiai act recorded is the baptism of Henry Osgood, son of John Osgood Smith and Sarah Ann Smith, his wife, born on the 16th. of July and baptized on August 29th. 1845 by Edward G. Sutton, travelling missionary. In the year 1850, the Rev. Richard L. Stevenson, S.P.G missionary was appointed the first resident clergman. The Rev. R.L.Stevenson was succeeded in office by Rev. William Morris. Rev. Morris died in 1864, his remains resting in St. Stephen's Churchyard, where a large shaft of granite was erected to his memory. The following ciergmen held office in succeeding years:

Rev. Jeremie Babin 1864-1866
Rev. S.S.Strong 1866-1869
Rev. John Rollet 1869-1875
Rev. 'W.G. Clark 1875-1878
Rev. Robert Kerr 1878-1879
Rev. I.W.Cunningham 1879-1883
Rev. Henry Hockenly 1883-1888

The Rev. 'W.D.Evans took charge in 1888, his life, as his work, was of short duration in the Ministry. On Sunday, May 6th. 18890, he preached a sermon from the text "Behold 1 Die". Three days later his bright young life was taken while canoeing above High Falls, a plunge of 115 feet, at that time of the year the Falls rival Niagara. His body was found sixteen days later miles below where the accident had taken place. He was buried in St. Stephen's cemetery where a monument is erected in his memory. Re. H.A.Meek took charge the same year, continuing until 1893. That year he was replaced by Rev. Basil Marricott who remained till 1897. Rev. Y. Overing became ~inister of St. Stephen's in 1897 and remained till 1904. Thus we have the complete list of resident Ministers before 1900.

The Church of England began its pioneer work by mission
aries travelling from Montreal and the Townships on horseback,
making their way through virgin forests and trails blazrd by the
early settlers, a hard, lonely and difficult undertaking, yet
they never failed. They held services
in the aforementioned cookhouse and later on in the Union Church. ,,, The Anglican Church was erected in the year 1852, at the foot of the hill from where the present church stands. This would be at the entrance gate to the Electric Reduction C. The land had been donated by Baxter Bowman. The church was built of wood and was consecrated in 1860. The land for the parsonage and cemetery was donated by George Eaton. The parsonage (new rectory) still stands in good repair, being remodelled from time to time to meet the ever-changing conditions.

The present church was built in 1899, while Rev. Y. Overing was Minister. It is built of rough boulders, many weighing half a ton, the architectural design being "Gothic" with square battlefront tower'. making a very imposing structure& The church stands on a hill with a splendid view of the Laurenian Hills in the distance. The interior is beautifully finIs;--'~-' ed in hardwood and contains the best of furniture. The Anglican mission of the 1830's had grown to be a self-independent parish by the end of the century.

Some wardens before 1900 were: Messrs. G. Steacy, John Higginson, James McFaul, F. Monson, M.H.Palmer, J.O.Smith, F. Viinchurst, E.S.Leathen, R.T.Manley, W.E.Middleton, F.P.Franchot and -I.A.Rice. Organists before 1900 were Misses F.Smith, S. Smith, Hamilton and M. Robb and Mrs H.A.Meek, D. Marriott and Y. Overing.

The Baptist Church

The Baptist Congregation was founded in Buckingham during the summer of 1869. It appears that the Buckingham congregation remained a mission for a number of years. The congregation decided to build a church and to, acquire a resident Minister. The church was built during the summer and fall of 1886. It was a modest brick building and is stili being used. The author regrets that he could not obtain the names of the Ministers who served in Buckingham prior to 19oo. The only name that was discovered was that of Rev.Vining who was a student Minister at the time of the construction of the church, and who was responsible in great part for its successful completion.

The Presbyterian Church
How long an interval came between 1823 and the date of of the first Protestant religious service of worship cannot now be determined. But, when such services were first held, they were carried on in the cookhouse of one of the lumber companies then operating on the River du Lievre. Travelling missionaries visited the settlement as often as their time allowed.

In 1890, a site on Main Street, at the corner of Main
and Island Island Streets as now known, was purchased. There
go was a deep gully on the north half of this lot originally, but
it has, in the last 15 years been largely filled* in , and in
the coming summer of 1949 there will be a new Manse erected on
this north half. On the South half, a new church was erected in
1890,, of red brick with grey stone facings, and first opened on
December 14th. 1890. ln 1903, a further building program was
carried out, the wall next to Main Street being brought to the
sidewalk line, the extra "wing"' in the church building giving
seating accommodation for another 100 people or more. The Rose
Window which has been in this wesr wall in the original edifice
was used again at the back of this new construction.

At first, the resident Minister for the church lived in a rented house, but in 1875 a plot was bought and a Manse erected, this being the house now owned and occupied by Phil Natte on Main Street, just north of First Avenue. In 1903 a new site across the street was purchased, and a larger Manse was erected there.
 

CHAPTER V

SOCIAL ADVANCEMENT

Buckingham could boast of a Book Club, which owned a considerable Library, as early 1854. This Club would meet once a week in a schoolhouse and discùss topics of current interest and offer criticisms of new books. This Club offered a profitable as well as an enjoyable pastime for some of the citizens of the Village.

The Buckingham Curling Club made its appearance at a very early date . The first Curling Rink was built on Churcb Street at the rear of what is now Anatole Gauthier's store. This building was long and narrow. With the arrival of the Ross Brothers Company, the building ceased to be used for Curling purposes and became a storehouse for the Ross Brothers' boats. The second Curling Rink was constructed at the rear of the present Leger Studio. It was used for a number of years, and then demolished. The third and present Curling Rink was constructed in 1900. Thereforef Curling has been played in Buckingham since approximately seventy years.

Skating rinks were known in Buckingham as early as 1875. The first rinks were built on the river at what is known as the J'f pig pond". Each winter a cover for the rink would be constructed and then would be taken down in the spring to be used again the;nextL.winter. In 1878, 'dLJ.McKenzie made a rink in the river at the fo'ot of the Thomson Mill. This site was then used for a number of years. The first rink on land was behind the Leger Studio. It was a small rink being only about 50 feet long and 30 feet wide. The building was previously used as a shed and there were posts in the center of the rink.

The first hockey team was organized in 1892, and Buckingham has remained a hockey town ever since. In order to satisfy the demand dor a decent covered rink for skating and hockey, the old rink was demolished and a new one built on the same site. This rink was built by Albert MacLaren and it did not lack any~hing which would prevent it from being the most up-to-date rink in the district. The ice sheet was regulation size and it held as many people as our present one. The rink had a banquet hall, a gallery and dressing rooms for two teams. People who remember this rink claim that it was better laid out than our present one. It was torn down because of weak center supports, but it is said that these could have been easily remedied if the desire to do so had been present.

There was also a roller skating rink in Buckingham. This rink was known as the "Crystal" and was on the site of the present Bouladier house.This rink was an immense building and was used for many other purposes.besides roller Skating. Concerts
were held in the building and each year a Stock Com
pany would give performances durinq the week. Glass blowers would
aiso perform and demonstrate ail the wonders of this lost art. In
Ob addition to these activities, the Bachelors would hold an annual
dance which was the event of the season. The "Crystal" was built
about 1880 and was demolished before 1900. The hardwood floor was
flooded during two winters and used as a skating rink without any
damage to the floor.
Tennis was played in Town as far back as 1890. Most
of the tennis courts were private. The first tennis court was at
Pinehurst on the west side of the river. Mr. Gibbs and the Parker
family also owned tennis courts prior to 1900. There were also
Lacrosse teams in Town but there is no record of their activities.
Baseball was played in Town long before 1900. The baseball Club
had numerous followers and found a leader in the person of Mm.
McAndrew,, whose son Joseph still carries on in his footsteps.

Concerts were also given by local groups and these
plays were known as "Penny Readings". Buckingham aiso had a race
0 track which was situated on the outskirts of the Town on the road
leading to Beauchampville. The race track was owned by Mr. Mac
Laren ' who allowed it to be used for the Buckingham Fairs. Prior
to that the Fairs were held on the Main Street. "Fair Day" which
came in October, always kept the local constables very busy. Ail
disputes which might arise between individuals during the year
0 were usually settied on Fair Day. Thus the constables had a great
number. of fights on their hands, but it is said that they were
so numerous that they could not hope to cope with them ail.
The "Hit or Miss Gun Club" was started about 1870, and
was still operating at the end of the century. This Club gave
0 swell dances each year. Their shooting range was on the site of
the present arena.
Thus we see that the people of the Town were not lack
ing in social and sporting activities to take up their leisure
time.

CHAPTER VI

Improvement in Municipal Facilities

Buckingham presented a very different picture in its early days and right up to 1900, to what it is today. If a present citizen of the Town were able to go back and see the village of Buckingham, he would hardly recognize it. The whole make-up was different.

It might be mentioned, first of all, that Buckingham was a series of gulleys, each with a small bridge spanning it from one side to the other. The Lievre River took a different course to the one which it follows today. 'dater was drawn in puncheons and sold to the people at twenty-five cents a puncheon. Each house, even those on Main Street had a large garden plot beside it. The roads were not gravelled. There were no cement sidewalks, In other words, Buckingham was a typical frontier village. This chapter will deal with the efforts by the village to overcome this backwardness.

First of all, the history of the streets will be dealt with. As already mentioned, in the early days of the Town, all the streets were common dirt roads. In the springtime and after heavy rains, they were turned into seas of mud. This situation lasted for a long time. Nothing was done to improve the streets, outside of smail repairs and drainage, until the 1890's. Then the town council decided to gravel the Main St. and some other principal streets. As late as 1894, this much needed work was still un-accomplished.

"Main Street, the great thoroughfare of this town, should have the barnacles scraped off it and a coating of gravel or macadam put on. A glance at the cesspools in front of the post office make a fellow feel like hunting up the pathmaster and enquiring why the statute labour has not been performed yet." (1)

The next year, 1895, the Council purchased sufficient gravel to do the Main St. By the end of the century, The Main St. and a few other important streets were also gravelled. Howeverf the gravel was sparsely put on, and there were still many complaints about the condition of the streets. The sidewalk situation was no better. For a long time, there were simply no sidewalks at all. People used paths along the side of the road. The condition of these paths after a rainfall can very weil be imagined. So in the 1880's, the town finally began to construct wooden sidewalks. The sidewalk on Main St. was forty-four inches wide. On the side streets they were from 32 to 36 inches wide.
M Ottawa Citizen, Augui7t 20th. 1894
 
 
 

After a period of years, the wood would rot and the Town
would wait a long time before they finally got around to make
the necessary repairs. It seems that a further difficulty regard
ob ing the sidewalks was that some of the citizens were in the ha
bit of removing part of the walks under cover of darkness. These
events gave rise to the following statement by the late A,H.
Parker, the local correspondent for the Ottawa Citizen;
"Supposing a good temperance citizen coming
home with an extra load some dark evening fails
into the hole where a plank ought to be and
damages both body and reputation, who is to pay
the piper? There's a hot wave arising in the
South ward over this dilapidated walk, and its
likely to culminate in a cyclone about election
time." M
Later on the same year, Mr. Parker mentions that a car
load of lumber has been purchased by the Town and the hopes of
the residents had gone up accordingly. This was as far the Town
Ob reached as regards sidewalks prior to 1900. The first cement
sidewalk was laid quite a few years later. Buckingham could not
even boast of a Town Hall. The Council met in the office of the
Secretary-Tresurer and ail minor matters pertaining to the
Village were decided upon there. Matters which aroused public
interest would be discussed at some hall or school in order that
the public could attend the meetings. During the 1890's the idea
of constructing a town hall was raised and considerable discuss
ion followed. It was finally decided that the Town needed a hall
and the sum of $8,000.00 was to be spent for its construction.
Construction was completed before 1900.
The greatest undertaking on the part of the Town during
the last century was the construction of the waterworks system.
The waterworks was also undertaking during the 1890's. The per
iod from 1890 to 1900, saw most of the municipal improvements
of the 19th. century. The whole history of this question can
not be discussed here for lack of space. Indeed this would in
volve a history in itself. Suffice it to say that after much
debating , it was decided to raise the sum of $40,000.00 to be
spent upon the installation of the water mains and a pumphouse.
'Work began immediately and was completed within ten years. How
everf the waterworks were not extended to every part of Town,
and another by-law to borrow a further $lo,000.00 was put before
the people. After a great deal of arguing and bickering, the
council was given permission to raise the extra money. The ex
tension had just been completed when a fire in an hotel near the
landing threatened to burn ail the houses in the neighbourhood.
Due to the swift action of the fire brigade and the easy access
to water, this fire was put out without causing too much damage.
The people were of the opinion that it was nothing short of a
miracle that the fire was put out and that if it had not been for
the extension of the waterworks system, everyone would be living
in tents. Thus the new pump and waterworks system paid for itself in a very short time. Prior to the waterworks, water
Ob was drawn in puncheons and sold to the people for twenty-five
cents. After every fire the Council would have to decide upon
the legitimacy of the claims of a number of people who carted
puncheons of water to the fire and who demanded to be paid for
their efforts.

Ottawa Citizen, July--28th. 1894

After the system was completed, the citizens enjoyed this great convenience, were less worried about serious fires, and the Council did not have to bother with bills for water. The Knowles pump which was put in at first broke down, but was soon repaired and satisfactory pressure was obtained throughout the town. Mr. Blais was the first operator of the pump. At first he did not have a helper to replace him and the pump needed constant attention. A great discussion ensued at a Council Meeting as to whether the town should hire a helper for Mr. Blais. It was finally decided to do so and Mr. Blais was very happy that he did not have to work twenty-four hours a day.

Buckingham also installed the Electric Light System in the 1890's.
" The Mayor submitted figures bearing on the revenue and expenditures to be reaped from the waterworks and electric light systems and closed a speech of some length by appealing to the property holders to furnish him with an additional $5,,000.00 to complete both systems, the revenue, from which, he declared, would, in his opinion, perhaps completely do away with ordinary taxation in the Town. He took his seat amid applause."(I)

However, Buckingham did not instal the electric lights immediately. A year later, our local correspondent for the Ottawa Citizen writes:

Electric light is now the burning issue. Are we to have light, or are we not? That is the question, and on the answer the ratepayers have in store to the Council appeals for funds for that purpose hangs the fate of the electric light scheme." (2)

A few days later Mayor Martin was authirized to sign a deed with the executors of the late James MacLaren to transfer the waterpower on the east side of the Upper Falls to the town.

" The Messrs. MacLaren have agreed to this, and now the power is our very own, so long as it is devoted to the uses of waterworks and electric light operated by the Town. The power cannot be let or transferred to private parties or a company, but ls to be operated solely by the Town." (3)

(1) Ottawa Citizen Nov. 13, 1891
(2) ff #0 Aug. 7, 1894
(3) op dre Aug. 13, 1894

Thus the power secured in this deed is to be used solely for municipal benefit. The electric light scheme advanced rapidly and Buckingham had its first electric lights later on in the same year.

There was aiso much talk at one time about building an electric railway which would run from Masson up the Lievre as far as Mont Laurier. The purpose was to connect lknt Laurier with the main C.P.R.,, line at Masson. Mr. -MacLaren received the franchise for the construction of the railway and actually graded the hill near Masson and laid a road bed for the rails. But that is as far as the project got. It was abandoned without any further work being done. The Canadian Pacific Railway constructed a branch from its main line at Masson to Buckingham in 1884. They ran a passenger train to Buckingham, as well as freght, up until and past 1900. The passenger train would wait at Masson while the engine and one coach would come to Buckingham and return, a distance of about seven miles for the complete trip. Freight was taken directly to Buckingham and the branch line proved toi, be of great profit both to the citizens of Buckingham and to the C.P.R., Co. itself.

The Poupore Locks were built about 1885, and proved to be a great asset to the village for a long period of time. The site where the Locks were constructed was known originally as " The Little Rapids". Mr. W.J.Poupore was the chief engineer and it was from him that the Locks received their name.

The Buckingham Fire Brigade was organized during the 1880's. Prior to that fires were fought by means of a bucket brigade. Very soon the Fire Brigade was weil organized and was training the firemen in the science of fighting fires. The Fire Brigade obtained fire fighting equipment with the advent of the waterworks system and has kept their equipment as modern as possible from that date. The first annual Firemen's picnic was held on July 2, 1894 and has taken place annually with great success since that date.

Buckingham became incorporated as a Town on June 14, 1890. The following extracts from the minutes of Council Meetings mark the event.

Minutes of a special session of the Municipal Council of the Corporation of the Town of Buckingham held at the Council Room in the Town of Buckingham on the fourteenth day of June 1890, convened by His Worship The Mayor and Secretary-Tresurer by the following notice
Province of Quebec Municipality of the Town of Buckingham
County of Ottawa

To William J.McKenzie, Richard Rowe, Angus D.Cameron, Charles 'd.Pearson, Isidore Bernadin and James Martin, Municipal Councillors of the former Village of Buckingham now Municipal Councillors of the Corporation of the Town of Buckingham.

Special notice is given you by thr undersigned, George L.Parker, Mayor, and Mr. i'~.H.Pajmer, SecretaryTreasurer of the heretofore Corporation of the Village of Buckingham that you are hereby requested to attend a Special Session of the Council of the present Corporation of the Town of Buckingham, Incorporated by Statute at the last session of the Quebec Legislature, convened by us to be held at the usual place of sittings of the Council on the fourteenth day of June instant at ten 0"clock in the forenoon and that the following subjects will then be taken into consideration.

The consideration of the Statute passed at the last session of the Legisiature of the Province of Quebec, incorporating the Corporation of the Town of Buckingham as a Municipal Corporation, and taken any proceedings upon said Act or in connection therewith as may be deemed necessary and advisable.

Given at the Town of Buckingham this tenth day of June, eighteen hundred and ninety.

G.L.Parker, Mayor
'd.M.Paimer, Secretary
Treasurer
Ob of the heretofore Corporation of the Village of Buckingham
and now the Corporation of the Town of Buckingham. A true
copy of the above Special Notice having been duly served
on each of the above Named Municipal Councilicrs on the
10th. day of June, 1890.
Province of Quebec Municipality of the Town of Buckingham
County of Ottaw
Minutes of Meeting

A special meeting of the Municipal Council of the Corporation of the Town of Buckingham was duky held this 14th. day of June, 1890.
The Secretary-Treasurer laid before the meeting a copy of the Act passed at the last Session of the Quebec Leqkslature, Incorporating into a Municipality, the following territory. The Town of Buckingham shail comprise ail that tract of land known as lots Numbers 9, 10, Il and the east half of twelve in the fourth range, and the south half of lot ten in the fifth range and ait that part of the south half of lot ten in the fifth range and ail that part of the south half of lot eleven in the fifth range lying on the east side of the River du Lievre, ail in the Township of Buckingham and the Province of Quebec, Section three was read as follows: The Mayor and Councillors of Said Village of Buckingham shali remain in office after Said Act having taken place and shall discharge the functions as though they were elected under this Act. Ail munici p al officers of the said Village shail continue in force un til their successors are appointed or chosen under this Act.

Moved by Councillor Angus D.Cameron, Seconded by
Councillor Charles 'A.Pearson
That Public Notice be given to the inhabitants,
proprietors and rate payers of the present Town of
Buckingham of the incorporation of the territory in
such Town and that such Public Notice should be pub
lished in the former Village of Buckingham in the
places where Municipal Notices were formerly published
for that Village and in the former part of the Township
of Buckingham which is not comprised in the Town Of
Buckingham in the places where Municipal Notices were
formerly published in that part, and that Public Notice
should be addressed to those parties; and further that
at a general Meeting of the Councillors of the former
V i 1 1 age of Buck i ngham, the Act 1 ncorporat i ng the Town of
Buckingham had been read and would henceforth be acted
upon and that ail parties interested and within the limits
of the said Town were to govern themselves accordingly
and take due notice thereof. Moved by Councillor James
Martin, Seconded by Councillor Richard Rowe, and resolved
that though by Section 3 of the Act Incorporating the
Town of Buckingham ail Municipal officers of the former
Village of Buckingham are continued in their office until
the successors are chosen and appointed under that Act
0 and that the Council confirms in their appointment and
appoints as far as may be requisite the foilowing Muni
cipal officers for this Corporation. W.H.Palmer, Secretary
Treasurer, Donald Urquhart, James McCormick and Louis
Durocher as Valuators, and Robert H.Gorman and Walter A.
Williams as Auditors and John Rowe, Pound Keeper.
Carried
This notice is therefore given in order that ail parties
interested may not plead ignorance, but are required to
govern themselves accordingly.
A. H. Pa 1 mer G.L.Parker
Secretary-Treasurer Mayor
The next Council Meeting begins with the following
words:
Minutes of the First monthly Session of
the Municipal Council of the Corporation
of the Town of Buckingham held at the
Council Room on Monday the 7th. day of
July , 1890, at which session were present:
 
 

His Worship the Mayor George L.Parker and Councillors

W. J.McKenz i e
James Martin
C.W.Pearson
Isidore Bernadin

This Act was revised and consolidated on 14th. March 1911, Section 4 reads:
The present Corporation succeeds to ail the rights, obligations, claims and actions of the heretofore Village and Town of Buckingham pertaining to it by virtue of its former charter, and amendments as
la repeated as aforesaid:
Therefore this place was known as the "Corporation of the Town of Buckingham" from June 1890 and was incorporated under Said name on April 2, 1890."
A list of Mayors, Aldermen and Secretary-Treasurers of the Village of Buckingham from 1866 to 1900 follows. There is no record of the minutes of Council Meetings prior to 1866, and the names of Mayors and Aldermen prior to that year remains unknown.

List of Mayors and Aldermen

The earliest Minutes of Council Meetings which are in existence date back to 1866. From these records of Minutes, the following list of Mayors and Councillors is obtained:

1866-1867 James Ailson , Mayor
P. Kelly
John Higginson
George W. Steacy
James Maclaren
H.H.Sauve
Robert D.Ackert
William Kennedy
Edmund Murray, Sec.,-Treas.,,
Peter McCoy, Inspector
Jacques D'Aoust, Pound keeper

1868-1869 James Wilson, Mayor
H.H.Sauve M.H.Palmer McP. Lemoine
Patrick Kelly Stephen T. Pearce
James Maclaren
Edmund Murray, Sec.,-Tres.,
Peter McCoy, Inspector
le Jacques D'Aoust Pound Keeper
 

1870-1871 James 4ilson, Mayor
H.H.Sauve, James Maclaren
Patrick Kelly John Higginson
McP. Lemoine Isidore Bernadin
Edmund Murray, Sec.,-tres...
Peter McCoy, Inspectot

1872-1873 James 'dilson, Mayor
James Maclaren, John Higginson
McP. Lemoine John Jellineau
H.H.Sauve Isidore Bernadin
Edmund Murray, Sec.,,-Tres.
Peter McCoy, Inspector
1874-1875 John Cosgrove, Mayor
John Jellineau Charles Campeau
Thomas Ackert James Maclaren
John Higginson
Edmund Murray, Sec.,-Tres.
Peter McCoy, Inspector

1876-1877 John Cosgrove, Mayor
H.H.Sauve James McAndrew
John Jellineau John Higginson
Charles Campeau James 4ilson
Edmund Murray, Sec.,Tres.
Peter McCoy, Inspector

1878-1879 H.H.Sauve, Mayor
John Cosgrove William O'Neill
Michael Moran Palma Lahaie
James McAndrew H.H.Palmer
Edmund Murray, Sec.,-Tres.
Peter McCoy, Inspector

1880-1881 James MacLaren, Mayor
Palma Lahaie G.L.Parker
H.H.Sauve A.D.Cameron
1. Kendall M.H.Palmer
E. Murray, Sec.,-tres.
Inspector's Office abolished

1882-1883 James MacLaren, Mayor
George L.Parker W. McKenzie
John Cosgrove H.H.Sauve
Palma Lahaie 1. Kendall
John Ross
M.H.Paimer, Sec.,-Tres.

1884-1885 H.H.Sauve, Mayor
James MacLaren John Cosgrove
George L.Parker '4m.J.McKenzie
Richard Rowe Palma Lahaie
A.D.Cameron
M.H.Palmer, Sec.,-Tres.
 
 
 

1886-1887 James MacLaren, Mayor
George L.Parker James McAndrew
41> Michael Moran W.J.McKenzie
Palma Lahaie Richard Rowe
Felix Ladoucer-
M.H.Palmer, Sec.,Tres.

1888-1889 George L.Parker, Mayor
la James MacLaren Richard Rowe
Angus D.Cameron Joseph Goulette
Michael Moran W.J.McKenzie
James Martin
4.H.Palmer, Sec.,Tres.

1890-1891 George L.Parker, Mayor
W.J.McKenzie Richard Rowe
Angus D.Cameron James MacLaren
James Martin Isidore Bernadin
C.W.Pearson
W.H.Palmerf Sec.,Tres.

1892-1893 George L.Parker, Mayor
John Cosgrove C.W.Pearson
Alphonse Labelle Alex MacLaren
James Martin W.J.McKenzie
W.H.Palmer, Sec.,-Tres.
1893-1894 James Martin, Mayor
G.L.Parker S.P.Franchot
John Cosgrove Alex MacLaren
Alphonse Labelle C.W.Pearson
M. Fauvelle Theo Ross
John Va 1 1 i 1 lee
Fred Gorman, Sec.,-Tres.

1895-1896 James Martin, Mayor
A. Labelle Theo Ross
M.Fauvelle H. Gauvreau
9b G.L.Parker A.H.Parker
J.E.Vallil lee John Cosgrove
F.M.Gorman, Sec.,Tres.

1896-1897 Alex MacLaren, Mayor
10 A. Labelle H. Gauvreau
A. Malette M. Moran
A.H.Parker J.E.Vallillee
G.Bothwell J. Cosgrove
F.M.Gorman, Sec.,-Tres.

1898-1899 John Cosgrove, Mayor
G. Bothwell A.H.Parker
A.M.Lapierre M. Moran
J.E.Vallillee Gauvreau
A. Labelle Theo Ross
F.M.Gorman, Sec.,-~tres.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Alexis de Barbezieux# Rev.P. Histoire de la Province Ecclesiastique d'Ottawa,(2vol.) Ottawa, Lé cie d'imprimerie d'Ottawa897

Armstrong, George Henry, The Origin and Meaning of Name Places in Canada, Toronto, MacMillan, 1930

Bouchette, Joseph, Topographical Description of Lower Canada, London, England, 'A. Faden, 1815

Brault, Lucien, Ottawa Old and New, Ottawa Historical Information Institution, IUTF

Carruthers, George, Paper in the Making,Toronto Garden City Press Co-operative, 1947

Deschamps, Clement E. Municipalities and Parishes in the Province of Quebec, Quebec, L. Brousseau, 1896

Drapeau, Stanislaus, Colonisation du Bas Canada 1851-61 Quebec L. Brousseau, 1863

Le Nord de l'Outouais, Ottawa, Le Droit 1938

Shortt, Adam (Editor),Canada and its Provinces,Vol. XVI, 23 Vois.,
Toronto, Glasgow, Brook & Co. l9l4-i7. -

The Marchioness of Dufferin and Ava, My Canadian Journal 1872-78, New York,, D.Appleton & Co. 1891

Woodf William C.H. The Storied Province of Quebec, Toronto, Dominion Publishing Co. Ltd. 1931-n

Buckingham Land Grants, Canadian Archives.

Canadian Directory 1857-58, Montreal, John Lovell, 1858

Canadian Census, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, Canadian Archives.

Education Reports,, 1862, 1864, 1871j 1873j 1878# 1882# 1886, 1889.
Quebec, Kinî7-sPrinter.
Ottawa Citizen, 1893, 1894j 1895.

Lovell's Gazeteers, 1873, 1881# 1895, Montreal, John Lovell.

Retyped from the original text
and bound in two copies
October 23, 1993
by
William J. Lawlis
Buckingham, Que.
One copy for the Author
and
One for himself.