HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Lucknow Sentinel, 1986-07-16, Page 50NAPPY BIRTHDAY COLBORNE!
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OWNSHIP OF ASS#FIFL
An early barn raising in Colborne Township
unlop set up Gairbraid
north of the Maitland
Gairbraid
In 1832 settlers were arriving at a rapid.
pace. "Tiger" Dunlop, Warden of the
Forests vacated the Castle and took up a
block of land bordering the de Tuyle Rid g
property and -established Gairbraid -- the
name copied his mother's old home in
Dumbartonshire.
Gairbraid,wasbuilt of solid oak logs, the
house formed the letter H. It contained
eight or nine roomy, apartments compris-
ing of a series of house, lean-to, porches
and passages. The view,up the valley•of
the Minnesetung, has. not often been
equalled.
Best!i
too rmanyg
• in Coib »'rne
•'.l`e et' Durst Farm Centre .
are Oroud tto play a rola
in forming the agricultural
history of Colborne Township.
OUR SERVICES INCLUDE:
"Complete Line o1"Purina Chows
—Baps & Sully
•Purina Health Products
*Purina Pet Chows
•Hyland Seeds
'Gallagher High Power Fencing
'Farm Hardware,;:
•
*Feed Analysis
•Livesto.ck Record Keeping Systems
+Garden' Supplies • •
PURINA
CHOWS
ryan
Len
Tony
FAR
Highway No. 8 West Clinton.
-- 482.7706
STORE HOURS: NMonday.to Friday 8 am to y per`
Saturday8iam•12 noort .. 41
•
The two rooms most characteristic of
the times and of the occupants were the
dining. room and. kitchen. Gairbraid was
the centre of Colborne life, a home, a
meeting place, and a refuge for all comers
--- "Have you had your dinnerh?" was the
Doctor's unfailing greeting to all
passersby. And "Will you tak' a drink — no
man must go from my house either hungry
or dry."
As described by the Lizar sisters, in the
Days of the Canada Company, a huge ,
liquors -stand made of mahogany, brass
bound, with large brass handles stood in
the centre hollow • of the sideboard. It
measured seventeen and one-half inches
high by thirty-three in length and twenty-
three in width. It was simply a monster
"traveller" on wheels, built to hold twelve
gallons of liquid,containing a dozen large
bottles from .a converted military chest,•
each carrying a new label and measuring
a good sixteen inches by nine, with a half -
pound stopper,in itself a handful. These
were termed by the irreverent Doctor the
"Twelve Apostles"; the brandy bottle was
Paul, and Peter held the whisky, and they
went the rounds of the room in pilgrimages
' suitable to the disposition of the company.
It was ,not only a homestead which the
Doctolr and -the Captain Wished to found.
There was also to be a village of Gairbraid,
The crown and Anchor was the village inn.
It was at this inn that the . first meeting,
January 4, 1836, was held to elect the first
local ; governing body of Colborne
Township in the form of commissioners.
The first schooling of Colborne children
took place at Gairbraid. The first Christian
church services were held at Gairbraid.
Gairbraid was also the site of the first • .
Marriage in Colborne Township, The story
goes thus: Between 1833 and 1834, Louisa
McColl, a dairy woman was sent out from
the Dumbartonshire Gairbraid to manage
the Canadian household.
She cared for, the Captain and the Doctor
community Was, simple as *ere the ways
of that primitive society, Mrs. Grundy had
arrived and it was demanded that the
Highland lassie should be let go. The Doc-
tor gravely told his brother that there was .
but oneway out of the difficulty, viz, for
one of them to marry r; he was willig to
decide which of themuld be, by three
tosses- of a. penny —lie provided the coin.
Three tosses were solemnly given with a
double -headed penny, and the unsuspec-
ting Captain became a candidate for
matrimony. -
Gairbraid remained a papular meeting
pplaee,but never fulfilled thedream of
becoming a town Site. Today, the historical
Dunlop Tomb is the only, reminder of .Col- •
borne's first settlement, .
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