Historical Plaques of
Ottawa-Carleton

Arbour House was built as a summer home for E. Stone Wiggins, a teacher and amateur meteorologist and his wife, writer Susie Anna Wiggins. The house's exceptional corner tower, shingled gables and irregular plan are typical of the Queen Anne Revival style.

Early records show this cemetery was started in 1836 on farm land purchased for 20 pounds currency from Wm. Dale and his wife Mary Lough Dale who were buried here in 1895 and 1855 respectively.

A peaceful place of quiet rest,
with birds sweetly singing,
from where the souls of all the blest,
Heavenward are winging.

In 1884 the British Government decided to send a military expedition up the Nile River to relieve Major-General Charles Gordon, who was besieged in Khartoum by Mahdist tribesmen. Appointed to command the relieving force, Viscount Wolseley, who had led the expedition to the Red River in 1870, requested the recruitment of experienced Canadian voyageurs. Almost 400 volunteered, including many superb rivermen, and the largest group came from the Ottawa valley area. Commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Frederick C. Denison, they were largely responsible for the successful navigation of the Nile's difficult cataracts, although sixteen voyageurs died on service. The contingent returned to Canada in 1885.

Engineer and an ardent imperialist, Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. In 1845 he came to Canada, where he became survey and construction engineer for the Intercontinental Railway (1863 -76) and Canadian Pacific (1871-80). He foresaw the day when the technologies of steam and electricity would make Canada a great nation within the Empire, and to this end advocated the laying of the Pacific cable as a link in the globe-circling imperial network. A man of wide interests, Fleming designed the first Canadian postage stamp, in 1851, and was an early champion of the idea of standard time. He died in Halifax.

Born in England, W. F. King was a superb mathematician who promoted the systematic study of astronomy, geodesy and geophysics in this country. Through his initiative, the Dominion observatory in Ottawa, the Geodetic Survey of Canada and the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory in Victoria were founded. He extended geodetic surveys to western and northern Canada and helped to delineate the Canada-United States boundary. The world longitude network across the Pacific Ocean was completed under his direction. He was President of the Royal Society of Canada in 1911. He died in Ottawa.

Who as Member of Parliament, Cabinet Minister and Senator of Canada, has served faithfully the people of Ottawa-Carleton and helped make the Capital Region worthy of all Canadians.

July 1, 1972

Beginning in 1869, British charitable societies removed children from slums and orphanages in congested industrial cities and brought them to Canada to serve as cheap farm and domestic labour. "Homes" were set up across the country to house the girls and boys until they were placed in service. Monitoring of the children after placement was superficial, leaving them susceptible to mistreatment. Child emigration was discontinued in the 1930's when the Great Depression created a labour surplus in Canada. By then up to 100,000 children had been transported. This building, formerly known as St. George's Home, was one of the many distribution centres in Canada.

This structure, the oldest existing stone building in Ottawa, was used as a storehouse, office and treasury during the construction of the Rideau Canal (1826-32) under the direction of Lieutenant-Colonel John By, R.E. Its superb masonry and solid construction are typical of the stonework done by Scottish masons along the Rideau Canal and, at a later date, on private homes in eastern Ontario. In 1854, the building was turned over to the Canadian government and, until 1951, was used successively by various departments concerned with the maintenance of the canal.

Erected as a school in 1904-05, this building became a centre for minority rights agitation in Ontario early in the twentieth century. In 1912 when the provincial government issued a directive restricting French-language education to the primary grades, heated controversy resulted. Opposition to this directive, commonly called Regulation 17, was widespread and particularly intense in Ottawa. Funds were withheld from the city's separate school board and in 1915, after it had closed the schools under its jurisdiction, the board was replaced by a government-appointed commission. Openly defiant, the disenfranchised board fought back and successfully regained control of l'École Guigues in 1916. In the face of mounting protests, the provincial government reinstated the board and, moderating its policy, finally recognized bilingual schools in 1927.

An outstanding example of mill architecture in Ontario, this grist-mill was constructed by Thomas Langrell, an Ottawa contractor, for Moss K. Dickinson (1822-97) and Joseph M. Currier (1820-84), the owners of a nearby sawmill. The Long Island Mill began operation in 1860 with four sets of mill-stones driven by water-powered turbines manufactured in Ottawa. By the autumn of 1862 a woollen-mill had been added to this industrial complex, around which the community of Manotick developed. Dickinson acquired full interest in the mills in 1863 and the family retained ownership of the Long Island Mill until 1929. In 1972 this mill, the adjacent Dickinson House, and the original carriage-shed were purchased and restored by the Rideau Valley Conservation Authority.

This handsome stone church, in the style of the early Gothic Revival, was built by A. Thomas Christie on land donated by John Cavanagh, one of Huntley township's earliest landholders. Aided by a substantial contribution from Colonel Arthur Lloyd, a veteran of the Napoleonic Wars who had settled in neighbouring March township, the building was completed in 1838. The earliest Anglican settlers were served by missionaries posted in Hull and subsequently in March. The union of the Huntley and March parishes continued until the appointment of the Reverend James Godfrey as Rector of Huntley in 1853. Although the interior has been extensively altered, the building stands as a memorial to the original Anglican settlers.

A merchant and ship-owner in his native England, Pinhey came to Upper Canada in 1820. For his services as King's messenger during the Napoleonic Wars, he received a 1,000-acre land grant on the Ottawa River. Within a decade he had built up an estate which he named Horaceville after his elder son. In addition to a manor house and barns, it included mills, a store and a church. Pinhey took a leading part in township and district affairs. He was appointed to the Legislative Council in 1847, served as Warden of the Dalhousie District, and as the first Warden of Carleton County. Horaceville remained in family hands until 1959 when it was purchased by the National Capital Commission.

A noted authority on Ontario's history, Cruikshank was born in Bertie Township, Welland County, and educated at Upper Canada College. An ensign in the militia in 1877, he retired as a brigadier-general in 1921. Because of his interest in history he was seconded to the Public Archives of Canada in 1908, became Director of the Historical Section, General Staff, in 1918, and in 1919 was chosen first Chairman of the Historic Sites and Mouments Board of Canada. He was a member of the Royal Society of Canada and a President of the Ontario Historical Society. Among his many writings were: "The Story of Butler's Rangers", "James Kirby, His Life in Letters", and the edited volumes of "The Simcoe Papers".

Born in Scotland, McKay emigrated to Canada about 1817 and worked as a mason in Montreal until 1826, when he began building the entrance locks of the Rideau Canal and the first bridge across the Ottawa River joining present-day Ottawa and Hull. In 1829 McKay acquired land where the Rideau River met the Ottawa. Here he laid out the village of New Edinburgh, and established an industrial complex which by 1848 included two-sawmills, a grist-mill, woollen factory and distillery. In 1838 McKay built his residence, Rideau Hall, a two storey stone structure used after 1865 to house Canada's governors-general. Active in municipal and provincial politics, McKay sat on Bytown's first council (1828) represented Russell in the Legislative Assembly (1834-41), and served on the Legislative Council (1841-55).

Born in Montreal, Ross graduated in 1878 from McGill University and served on newspapers in Montreal and Toronto before becoming, in 1886, managing director and part-owner of the OTTAWA JOURNAL. Within five years he had acquired sole ownership of this newspaper. He was a founder of the Canadian Press and was elected president of the Canadian Daily Newspapers Association in 1920. An outstanding all-round athlete, Ross twice stroked four-oared crews to Dominion championships. A founder of the Ontario Hockey Association, he persuaded Lord Stanley to offer the Stanley Cup for competition. Ross served on the Ottawa City Council (1902-03), as chairman of the Ottawa-Electric Commission (1944-49) and the Ontario Royal Commission on Public Welfare (1930).

Named for William Osgoode, the first Chief Justice of Upper Canada, Osgoode Township was established on lands the British acquired from the Mississaugas in the 1780s. Land for farming and a plentiful supply of white pine and white oak attracted the first non-native settlers, the families of Archibald and Catherine McDonell and William and Ann York, who arrived in 1827. They founded the new communty's first industries and institutions, and they built the first two roads in the Township, converging here at what was Baker's Corners. These roads, the Rideau Canal and railway lines between Osgoode and Bytown (now Ottawa) encouraged further settlement, and the Township was incorporated in 1850. On January 1, 2001, Osgoode Township became part of the City of Ottawa.

Built in 1839 for Thomas McKay, Rideau Hall was originally an elegant stone villa set in a picturesque landscaped park. In 1865 it was leased as a temporary residence for the Governor General until a suitable house could be erected elsewhere. The planned new residence was never constructed. Instead the old building was expanded and eventually almost engulfed by a series of additions between 1865 and 1914. Today Rideau Hall is the official Government House. As the residence of the Crown's representative in Canada it has been a focus of political and social life in the capital.

Érigé en 1838 pour Thomas McKay, Rideau Hall était une élégante villa de pierre, sise dans un parc pittiresque. En 1865, le gouvernement loua la villa pour y loger le Gouverneuer général jusqu'à la construction d'une résidence permanente. Comme le projet ne vit jamais le jour, on agrandit l'ancienne maison, y ajoutant des annexes entre 1865 et 1914. Rideau Hall est maintenant la résidence officielle de Gouverneur général. En tant que domicile du représentant de la Coutonne au Canada, Rideau Hall est un foyer de vie politique et sociale dans la capitale.

An Irish peer and former member of the Palmerston administration, Lord Monck was named Governor General of British North America in 1861. During the American Civil War he laboured to keep hostilities from spreading north to British territory. An early proponent of the desirability of union of the British North American provinces, Monck devoted his energies and the prestige of his office to the cause of Confederation. His appointment was extended to allow him to become the first Governal General of the Dominion of Canada in 1867. He retired to his estates in Ireland the following year.

De noblesse irlandaise, ancien membre du gouvernement britannique, Lord Monck fut noininé Gouverneur général de l'Amérique britannique en 1861. Pendant le guerre de Sécession américaine, il veilla à ce que les hostilités ne débordent pas sur le territoire britannique. Convaincu des lors qu'il y aurait avantage à unir les provinces britanniques de l'Amérique du Nord, il consacra son énergie et le prestige de sa fonction à promouvoir la cause de la Confédération. Son mandat ayant été prolongé à cette fin, 1l devint le premier Gouverneur général du Canada en 1867. L'année suivante, il se retira en Irlande.

Raised in Scotland, 1877 Ishbel Maria Marjoribanks married Lord Aberdeen, who was Governor General of Canada from 1893 to 1898. A formidable and energetic person, she devoted her life to promoting social causes and served for years as president of the International Council of Women. In Canada she founded the National Council of Women, helped establish the Victorian Order of Nurses and headed the Aberdeen Association, which distributed literature to settlers. Lady Aberdeen later organized the Red Cross Society of Scotland and the Women's National Association of Ireland. She died at Aberdeen, Scotland.

Ishbel Maria Marjoribanks épouse, en 1877, Lord Aberdeen, Gouverneur général du Canada de 1893 à 1898 Femme énergique et remarquable, Lady Aberdeen consacre sa vie aux oeuvres sociales et demeure longtemps présidente du Conseil international des femmes Au Canada elle fonde le Conseil national des femmes du Canada, conttibue à établir les Infirnricres de l'Ordre de Victoria et dirige l'Aberdeen Association qui distribuair des livres aux colons. Plus tard elle organise Ia Red Cross Society of Scotland et la Women's National Association of Ireland. Elle meutt à Aberdeen en Ecosse.

New Edinburgh's                             Première école de
First School                                New Edinburgh

This stone building was erected c. 1837,    Dans ce bâtiment de pierre construit
James Fraser taught reanding and            vers 1837, James Fraser enseigna, du
elocution, French, writing, arithmetic,     25 juin 1838 jusque vers 1843, la lecture,
English grammar and geography in            la diction, le français, l'ecriture,
this school from June 25, 1838 until        l'arithmetique, la grammaire anglaise
about 1843 to the children of the little    et la géographie aux enfants de la
industrial community of New Edinburgh.      petite collectivié industrielle de
The building reverted to a working-mans     New Edinburgh. En 1844 le bâtiment servit
double residence in 1844. It was acquired   à nouveau de logement pour les travailleurs.
by the National Capital Commission in       Acheté par la Commission de la Capitale
1959 and subsequently renovated.            nationale en 1959, il a été renové depuis.


National Capital      Commission
Commission            de la Capitale natîonale                         Canada

In August, 1818, some thirty disbanded veterans of the 99th Regiment, led by Captain G.T. Burke, arrived in newly surveyed Goulbourn Township. These formed the advanced party of a military settlement planned and supported by the quartermaster-general's department. Here they laid out a town site named after the governor general, the Duke of Richmond. Storehouses were built, settlers' cabins erected and the colonists provided with farm implements and rations. Under the general supervision of Lieutenant-Colonel Francis Cockburn, about 400 heads of families, including some civilians, were established in the settlement by the end of 1818, thus forming the first large community within the present Carleton County.

On this site stood the first church to be commenced in what is now Carleton County. Among the pioneers who formed the Richmond Military Settlement in 1818 were many Anglicans, and in 1822 the Rev. John Byrne was appointed to minister the members of that communion in Richmond and March. The original St. John's Church, a frame and stone structure was begun in 1823, and the following year Byrne established residence in Richmond, where he served until his death in 1828. He was succeeded in 1828 by the Rev. Robert Short through whose efforts the church was completed by 1830. The present St. John's was built to replace the first church in 1859-60.

This, the oldest known cemetery in Marlborough Township, served the community of Irish Catholics around Dwyer Hill and Richmond until circa 1867. Due to the nature of the graves, it is unique in the township and rare in Ontario. Shallow excavations covered with stones in a low cairn were marked by planks inscribed with paint. The spartan character of the cemetery reflects the hardships of life for early settlers.