Zurich Citizens News, 1976-05-12, Page 2Page 2 -Citizens News, May 12/76
'►Oof
o' the World and mb Kippe '°
When the first Scottish
immilr'ants ventured into Huron
County north of London in
Canada West. no doubt the area
was at dense forest, thickly
wooded and uninviting to settlers
with an agricultural background.
One of the first chores of the
ambitious Scots. after providing
a humble dwelling for the family,
was to fell the trees and start
clearing the land in order to
produce food and keep his family
alive during, the coaling winter.
During this period, after the
timber had been felled but before
the stumps had been removed,
it is very likely that the village
oI' Kippcn received its name.
The nanlc Kippen also proudly
held by a village in St irlin ;shire,
Scotland is derived from the
Gaelic word "CIOPAN" which
Means the stumps or roots of
trees.
These and other, facts about
Kippen. Ontario and Kippen
Scotland have corse to light
recently after a visit to Scotland
by Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Mac-
Gregor and fancily of Tuckcrsnlith
Tow nship just east of Kippcn.
Travelling through Scotland
last summer, the MacGregor
fancily avoided hotels and other
tourist accorninodations by
staying in private homes.
One of the homes they visited
was that of Mr. and Mrs. .1.
Paterson of Pow black and they
were in turn acquainted with
Postmaster Muirhead of the
Kippen Post Office. Mr. Muir-
head not only serves his village
well in the postal service but
periodically displays exhibitions
of local interest at the post office.
The MacGregors helped Mr.
Muincead assemble material
on Kippcn, Ontario. (nailing it
to slim on their return. The dis-
play comparing Kipper„ Ontario
and Kippcn. Stirlingshirc, was
popular at the post office and
attracted much local interest.
The newspaper serving the
arca. The Sterling Observer,
also made note of the event in
.z
71 � Mjl'r� 411. r i 1111
�.
4*, From 'Clow'►Kippen,; y l,�l�ul�►►{q ,t
Scottish village lends Huron hamletils Warne !
the days news budget from
Kippen.
Comparing the two villages
on display at the Kippen Post
Office, the newspaper noted,
"Hanging in the Post Office
Gallery this month are snap-
shots and pictures of Kippen.
Not • Kippen, Stirlingshire,
however, but. Kippcn, Ontario,
Canada,
Kippcn, Canada while smaller
than the Scottish villatge,has
many similar characteristics.
Bilth are typical rural villages
which over the past century
have lost their blacksmith's
Shop. saw mill and one of their
churches.
But while Scotland's Kippen
has become 0 "commuting,,
village, the Canadian counterpart
00 the shores of Lake Huron
has now only a retired farming
population of under 100.
This exhibition comes about
through a chance visit last
summer to the home of Mr. and
Mrs. J. Paterson. Powhlack, of
!vlr. and Mrs. R. R. MacGregor,
their two sons and daughter of
Kippen, Ontario.
Mr. Muir•head also had a call
last month from a Canadian
couple, a Mr. and Mrs. Kippen.
They told him that their forbears
came from Sl. Andrews. Fil'e.and
that it Das their family 0 110
named Kippcn, Ontario in 1830,
and that the first church built
there, they had called St. And-
rews Chlirell, to (001fllc'morate
the Scottish connection. It is
the subject of one of the photo-
graphs 00 show .
The tinting of the exhibition
has co-incidcd with the illus-
trated lecture "Oot o' the World
and into Kippcn" (from the poem
of the same name) given in the
Church House on "Tuesday
evening by Mr. William More,
Mauls of Boquhan, at the invita-
tion of the Woman's Guild.
A large audience of all ages
was told or Kippcn life and chara-
etcrs over the last 100 years,
and saw some slides taken from
old photos and paintings dated
from around 1820, when thatched
roots and a very muddy Main
Street was the norm.
The gradual change to the
village of today was followed with
great interest and comment, but
it was the pictures of the old
school classes, choir and Sunday
school picnics (of both the Free
and Parish kirks) the opening
of the bowling green, village hail
the present church and Second
World War Hone Guard which
created most interest.
The ceremony of crowning
"'I'hc King of Kippcn" is also
recorded. He was William
Chrystal, author of the history
book "The Kingdon of Kippen"
w hose relatives, the Simpson
family still live in the village.."
In January the MacGregors
received a letter from Mrs.
Blanche Carmichael, .1.P.,
i)istriC't Councillor. extending
them and any other people from
the Kippcn arca an invitation
lo visit o hen travelling in the
British Isles.
"Bztsically this Kippen is
Still the centre of a farming
community, though with in-
creasing population, the elec-
torate is nearing 600, many
people work in Stirling or Glas-
gow . Hoo cyst• the parish is still
very hues a COrnniuility and
has not allowed its identity to
be submerged.
In recent years, the number of
local tradesmen has declined
but o c still have a firm of haulage
contractors. a Pima of builders,
a plumber, a joiner, a tailor with
a drapery shop attached, a
stationer, three grocers. a
butcher and also a mink farm.
The post office is more than
dust a local office because the
enterprising postmaster stages
exhibitions of local interest,
the current one bring Kippcn,
Ontario.
Our blacksmith is now in his
eighties and has retired but he
is the last of the line of Rennies
w ho "Dave been blacksmiths in
Kipper; for well over 200 years."
United Church at Kippen, Ontario
Presbyterian Church in Scotland
The MacGregors - Mildred, Paul, Nancy, Ron and Bill,
Missing was Scott
Kippen, Sterlingshire