Hotels of Early Carleton Place

**A closer look at the Queen’s Hotel and the King’s Cafe.. In front of the Queen’s Hotel with the King’s Cafe- Photo- Tom Edwards 1920s**

In the mid 1860’s you probably would grab a drink in Carleton Place:

The Beckwith House owned by William Faust

The British Hotel- William Kelly

The Carleton

The Metcalfe

Willima Moore’s Hotel

Then there was the Carleton, which was built by the Bells as a hotel in the 1830s, then bought and reopened as The Carleton by Napoleon Lavalee in 1846. Peter Salter renamed it The Leland Hotel in 1900 and then it was operated by the Doyles from 1904 on until converted in 1955.

Also well known was The British Hotel which was owned by William Kelly and then became Vic Bennett’s Garage which was at the corner of Bridge and High Street. There was also the Ottawa Hotel, the Ontario Hotel and Lee’s Hotel which was the South East corner of Moore Street railway crossing. Absolam also had a small tavern on the north side of Bell Street from 1863-1870. There were six livery stables which furnished horses and all kinds of first-class rigs for business or pleasure.

In 1904 Carleton Place’s eight hotels were:

James Lee’s The Leland

Walter McIlquham’s The Mississippi Hotel

Albert Salter’s Queens Hotel

The Revere House- formerly The British Hotel

J. E. Rathwell’s Royal Hotel, formerly the Wilson House

D. B. Snedden’s

P. J. O’Briens

Victoria House

P. Salter’s Queen’s Royal at Lake Park

With files from Howard Morton Brown