HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Huron Expositor, 1967-09-21, Page 134
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'After more immigrants, later in 1834, established
• homes in the settlement, their next" thought was to have
a stated minister, a church and a school in their midst.
Up to this time there had been only an occasional ser-
vice held' by a minister of the• Methodist sect. ,Around
October, 1834, ameeting of the Rettlers was held and
Robert Scott was one of the two chosen to present the
petitien to Toronto Presbytery in Galt later that year,
requesting the services of a Presbyterian minister in
their midst. -
From this brief sketch, one can get but a glimpse
of the -calibre of the founders of the Roxburgh Settle-
ment.
' For a few years after these 1833 settlers arrived the
• only reliable mill where they Gould- get their wheat
• ground into flour was in God.erigh. Many made the trip
on foot, others by ox team. Robert Scott, Sr, used to
A tell that to coax these slow-moving beasts to make the
ascent up Stapleton's steep hill, near Clinton, one would
hold; as a bait in front of them, a sheaf of grain. The
flour and grist mill, built in the '1840's and operated one
year by James Scott and John Dickson ' brought the
first business to the. Roxboro hamlet. When `the dam
went out the first spring, 'John Dickson. also dropped
out of the partnership. This mill was located near the •
bridge, on the river bank on the northeast -corner at
the intersection. The .front door of the mill was near
where the cairn in memory ef the Roxboro founders.
stands today. Water at. the aam, when in sufficient
quantity;;provided the power, but in a dry season, it
was sometimes necessary to shut down. To overcome
this, in later years, steam power was used. Much work
was entailed to keep the mill running and repairs were
cestly. James Scott, in a letter to a friend in Scotland
in 'the . early 1850's, mentioned also' the high, cost of
labor. The price he was paying the mill repair men at
that time was $1.50 a day.
During one -very dry. summer, .this mill had to 'b
closed for a long period, because of a water shortage
Before it opened again there was a flour famine. Thi
made it necessary for the people to live principally o
potatoes and- cow cabbage, which grew wild in th
«
woods. During the early fall there came a severe thun
dersto'm, followed by a cloudburst. Sufficient rain 'fell
toturn, the' wheels of the Old mill again Nexi morning
1
-a History 'by Isabelle Campbell,
his farm let and to be rid of the hotel. Robert, son of
John and Ann Jamieson, was the owner , of the well
known "Golden Lion" general store In Seaforth, from
1874 till he passed away in' 1894. - •
The other hotel was= owned and run by Hugh Lat.:imer. It was east of the "mill" house. A sad incident
h'appened here. While the land was being cleared, one,
of the early Grieve settlers left his wife and baby -in -the
vehicle while he went into this hotel on an errand. He
was still hithe building when something startled the
horses. They dashed down the road and crossed into a
nearby stump -filled field. Here the occupants were
thrown from the vehicle among the stumps, Mrs. Grieve
was instantly killed and. baby Tom received a spine in-
jury which left him with a handicap for the remainder
of his life.
9 9.
` There were also two stores here, blacksmith hop,.
cabinet shop, pump factory and a score of dwellings.
Severity-five•'years ' later nothing of these was left to
show :any evidence that Roxboro once existed.
si The two general stores were run by William N.
Watson and Robert Dickson. For many years Robert
Habkirk had a cabinet shop east of the mill. William
It. Wilson's' blacksmith shop, where he. also made
ploughs, was east of "Robbie" Habkirk's cabinet shop.
Still farther 'east was Sam Hannah's pump factory. In
Walter Rankin's home he had a loom and did weaving
there.
Johnnie Walker, who lived beside the blacksmith
shop, was a noted character. He wore a chin whisker
and had a very broad Scottish accent. In Scotland he.
had been a "gairdner." and, here in his adopted country,
he beautified his homesurroundings with a, well kept
vegetable 'garden, beautiful flower beds. and well trim-
med fruit trees, etc. He wa-s also a taxidermist. During
the winter, he traveled through the country pruning
e, apple trees. This was work he understood -and did well.
Not far from Johnnie, but on 'the opposite side of
s the road, in a frame•house,lived William•Kyle. William
n awas`a man of short stature, only four feet six inches tall.
e 'It was he who wove the housewives balls of "carpet
- rags" into attractively designed rag carpet: • Soon after
his death, around 1908, his home met the same fate
that the homes and -place ofbusiness of the boom per-
- iod had met earlier. They were moved away or demol-
e ished, one -by one.
•
James Scott rose at the break -of dawn to set the ma
chinery in motion, and was much surprised to find th
mill door surrounded by twenty or more settlers., Thes
had traveled during the night from five to twenty miles
each one carrying, an his back a small sack of wheat
WWnen- he threw open the door, they all crowded' in, and
poured their wheat into the hopper, without regard to
weight or measure. All they wanted was a "wee bittie'
flour to tak' hame=for the wife to. make bread for the
bairnies.
James Scott did' a flourishing business here,- day
and night, for many years. He was especially busy dur
ing. :the winter months. When he sold in /860 to Alfred
Brewer, the mill .was filled with wheat., Shortly after
this the Civil 'War broke out and wheat quickly soared
✓ to $3.00 a bushel. Much always wants more, Brewer
purchased another mill, with the result that when the
• slump came he lost all. After Brewer the mill was run
by William and. Adam Mulholland, "Ikie" Shantz awl'Mr. Rock. The last owner did business here only a short
time when he closed its 'idbors and moved the building
to Bornhohn. This'was in 1880. Not 'long after he had a
new deisel engine installed in it; -°the mill- was burned.
Brewer built the brick "mill" house across the
• road before he lost all the excessive profit he made on
his wheat deal. After Brewer several occupied the house:
One' was William G. Duff, who was a Roxboro school
teacher. He was also an auctioneer: The present occb
Sam -
pant is Scott, :grandson of James Scott, the first
mill owner.
Attached to the south of the house from the early
days was a frame building, and the sign "mill office"
was still easily read when Jim Hinchley, an owner from
1907, ' applied a coat of paint in the fall of that year.
John McMillan wrecked the building around 1920 -and
used much ofthe material for a verandah. Nothing was
then left, except a pile of rubble in the river, •to mark
where Roxboro's first and greatest industry once had
fl.
Wesleyan Methodist Church
Om August 14, 1854, Christopher Sparling appear-
ed before the session of Harpurhey Presbyterian
Church requesting the use of their church for the Wes-
leyan Methodists. He was informed that it was not
within the jurisdiction of the session to give or with-
holdthe use of the 'church. It may have.beeri that he
- did not approach the higher church court as there is
no record . of Methodist services being held in this
church. However, it is known that by 1856 services were
being held fn an unfinished upper room in the home of
James Sparling on Concession 5, McKillop. It was here,
Rev. George H. Cornish preached the ,first sermon to
the little group of believers 'of the Wesleyan Methodist
denomination.. But from 1854, James, who was a local
preacher, conducted services himself with any settler
who wished to worship with him.
After a time land for a church and graveyard was
donated by Christopher .Sparring on his farm lot, the
third east of Roxboro. The church was built herein
1859. At that time it was connected with the Clinton
circuit, but became an independent charge in 1864. This
church was used till 1865 when 'a new one was erected.
in Seaforth. Later this one on Concession 2 was moved
away and most of the bodies from the Well -cared for
little graveyard were reinterred in Maitlandbank Ceme-
tery. When the few remaining graves, in later years,
were ploughed over 'there were many disturbedand hos-
tile people.
The first Roxboro school was situated on the hill
a Iittle north of the Cresswell vault, in th esent day
Maitlandbank Cemetery. Land was bou ht re from
Thomas E. Hays for the cemetery, in December, 1874.
This farm was first occupied by Francis Runci
.r
ourished. - man,
and later owned .bw T,hoimas E. Hays' father, Robert
Just as important as the stream was to the mill, Hays, Justice of the Peace. Robert Hays' home lot was
so was the bridge, to the west of it, to those who brought west of this one.
their grain to be ground at the mill. Roxboro had a At an "early date, the Hallett Orange Lodge No.
dou-ble bridge at this point from 1872. The piers of 932 was holding its meetings at Roxburgh, Lot 27, Con -
these early bridges were timber cribs bolted together_ cession 3, on the Tuesday on or before full moon. The
and filled with stone. The stringers were then placed membership, at this time, was twenty.
from one pier to another. Three-inch plank floored the On the Meyer farm, Lot 33, Concession 2, later
bridges. In 1907 the small section of unpainted timbers,,owned by Robert Scott, Adolphus Meyer built and op -
was removed, a cement abutment was built and Wing erated a brewery from an early date till around the
Riley drew fill from Joe Scott's farm to build up the early 1860's. A mound of earth along the river bank
vacant gap. The large wooden section- had been remov- .still marks the site. Every winter high banks of snow
ed earlier, and was replaced by one factory made with gathered around this mound: When the snow' disappear -
cut timbers, heavy 'plank girders, steel rods and Capt ed at this particular spot, some farmers used to take
iron sockets, ete r this as , their 'que to start preparing the land for the
On,each end of this old bridge was a board with spring crop. In later years this was a favorite swim-
• words to this effect: Notice! Any one driving over' this ming hole for the young lads .
bridge at -faster than a walk will be prosecuted: On the -Jam ,
es McDowell farm' the next lot west,
By 1910 it was necessary to -again repair this bridge there was a quarry:_ It was opened in the 1850's to pro -
.and in more recent years, 1953, the present one of mod- vide stone for the cattle guards at the railway inter-
- ern concrete was erected. Ice . in the spring breakup sections. Tunnels were dug under the rails and stone
played havoc with the dam, the piers and early cement .walls were built•with these four inch slabs of quarried
foundation walls. In the spring.' of 1898 this bridge was 'stone. This left the rails bare and prevented the cattle
damaged. At the same time, Thomas E. Hays had two from stepping over them.
bridges, on his 'nearby farm, swept a*ay, .and James The majority of. the second homes in the Roxboro
Eton`s staIe,s were flooded So -badly that the 'anfinals cutrununi($ were Wit -of stone. These were on the farm
had to be removed to other buildings. of Robert Scott, Sr., Robert Scott, Jr., Archibald Dick -
Besides the mill, this thriving hamlet could boast sbn, James ,Mcfowell and Robert Hays. All were built
of two hotels where the settlers could get their wlstles of field.stone,not stone that came from the McDowell
wet at the height of its popularity. Judging frons• the quarry. These• were erected in the late 1840's and early
old church records, a goodly number indulged more
1850 s. • ,
freely tban.merely wetting their whistles. John Elliott was the stone mason who built' the
The Roxborough House was run by John Jamieson one on the Robert Scott "Maitland Wells" farm. While
it is well over one hundred years old, the walls are still
till his death in 1860, and carried on by his widow till in good condition. It is of an unusual style of arehitec
both plots of land -- the' hotel on Lot 31 and the stable,w
garden and orchard on Lot 30 --were offered for public tare' The front section is a cottage on top of the hill
sale on July 28, 1863, for debts owed" by John, before With a two storey section at the back, just below the
his death, to John' Fleming and William Robinson. The hill' In the upper part are the parlour, dining room and
hotel was situated between ,the present stone house onbedroom's. The- Ztz h`ein• is in the Lower section adjoin-
hotel
Sain Scans firm• and N. 13 School, now vacant. A,t'ing the cellar beneath the cottage. 'Viz`it#�'several daugh-
the Sheriff sale' James Scott was, the highest bidder ters iii this home • in those early days, the extra steps
nec
to serve,a
l
paying for«the properties only two .undre'd and twenty considered. any hardships pori the upper flat were not
in hiiying ' was to get back the land whleh • belonged to
(Continued • ttdret yp'eelCj.
dollars of lawful money of Canada. I=lls chief ohiect
AREA'
WEDDfNG..
RICKAR -- WORD..• N f 'miss Rosanna Wff4onAWorn Mosier
-.seat-vying white Sweetheart
roses and.+. ivy, Retia
Woi:dea$ daughter of Alvin
Warden, ataffa, and the.""'late
Mrs. Worden, was married to
James Garnet Ricka$, San of
M. and Mrs. Garnet B, Rick-
ard, J 4, Bowmanviile.
Rev. A. IL Day arch perform-
ed the ceremony in Staffa Un-
ited Church.
The • church -was decorated
'With yellow gladioli and white
daisies. David Kemp was orgy
ist,. accompanying the soloist;
the bride's aunt, Mrs. Haxe1
Sadler.
The •bride was given; in mar-
riage by her father.
She chose a' white forri,al
gown of organza over peau de
faille with .a mantilla 'lace bo-
dice. A full-length insert of this
lace accented the front of the
A-line 'skirt„A, train fell from.
her shoulders. Her•e1bow length
veil was held in place by three
leaves fashioned frofn the ma-
terials of the gown and she
carried white Sweetheart roses
and •iyy. -
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tesla the bride's kisiter, was
-1414 of ho>cier. 'Mother abter,
Was Jame worde44; stairk
her cousin,. Miss *mate Jeaz1`
Miller, fltatfa, and 311,tff, Cgrf%n;
$urkholder, Hamilton, - were
bridesmaids. .
t'he'y were maize gowns of
organza oyer peau de faille
with lace on the-•errpire w.,aists,;'
matching lace on the full-length.,
-'njiaize crystalline coats. Fluted.`
wedding pillboxes completed
'the ensembles and they carried.
white Shasta daisies and blas'.
cornflowers with blue ribbon.
Best man was - Donald Rick`-
ard, the ,bridegroom's brother,
Guelph, „bridegroom's the ushers were
William Worden, the 'bride's
brother, .„Staffa, Ralph Rickard,
the';bridegrboin's cousin, Tor-
onto and Lyle Vanclief, Belle.
viIIe. •
iter a Wedding dinner in the
church . family- Iife centre, the
couple left on a trip to Ber-
muda. They will live in .Bow-
manville when they return.
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