The Toll Gate at Merivale Road

Warren Foster shares an article about Merivale when it was a toll road from “Hopper’s Corners,” to Carling and Parkdale, and seems to have been in existence from 1872 into the 1920s.

Writes Warren: “The newspaper article that talks about the toll booth on Merivale road, that my great great great grandfather ran for most of his life. My great great grandfather was Alex Dynes, who had a large Yorkshire pig farm on what is now Dynes road.”

The Merivale areas was once known as “Hopper’s Settlement,” I read on the internet, but exactly where the corners were I don’t know.

Lost Ottawa

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Your Morning Commute to downtown Ottawa circa 1925 — on the Merivale Road.

Original record doesn’t say exactly where, but middle of nowhere seems about right!

The note at the bottom says “asphalt macadam.” That makes me think that this picture was taken for the Ottawa Suburban Road Commission which was responsible for maintaining road to the city through the townships in those days.

(City of Ottawa Archives CA019368)

Lost Ottawa

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Your Morning Commute from Bell’s Corners to Ottawa on the Bytown and Nepean Macadamized Road, circa 1920.

You are going to need 20 cents for this one day pass, one-way pass.

The road in question was Richmond Road and I think the toll got you as far as Westboro. Previously I found out that that toll lasted until 1920, when the road was expropriated by Carleton County.

(LAC e003895338)

Sunday Driver! We’re all about Merivale Road today and here we are on the “outskirts” of Ottawa in 1926 as a gent clears snow with a road grader below Shillington Hill in 1926.

Shillington is just a few blocks south of Carling (and the photo Dave Allston shared earlier).

The gent is operating a WEHR One-Man Power Grader. Look at those cool tracks on the back! And his three steering wheels! One for the actual wheels. The others for the blades, I’m guessing.

(City of Ottawa CA018513)

Cheryl Lacasse

Old Ottawa’s past – forgotten and fond memories

Richmond Rd Toll House – History

(Kitchissippi Times – Dave Allston)

 

In 1893, Robert Cowley created a new subdivision “Ottawa West” on his family’s farm, years before most development had begun west of Parkdale. Ottawa West was a small plan situated between Richmond and Scott, bordered by Western and Rockhurst.

One of the first structures to be built in the subdivision was actually a toll house. Richmond Road from 1853 until 1920 was a toll road operated by the Bytown and Nepean Road Company, and those travelling west from the city limits of Ottawa into Nepean Township were required to pay in order to use it. Up until 1895, the eastern toll house was situated within Hintonburg (the western toll house was in Bells Corners).

The Company purchased a lot at the western edge of Cowley’s subdivision (there was no intersection at the time; Island Park Drive was still 28 years away), and constructed a modest house for the tollgate keeper, who operated the gate at all times. A small office was constructed in front of the house, extending onto the roadway, and a large bar stretched across Richmond Road to ensure travellers would stop and pay the required toll, which would vary depending on the time of year, the number of horses, and whether the driver was on horseback or in a carriage.

Richmond Road toll house, circa 1911-1912.

Pictured is toll master Richard Bassett and likely his wife.

The Toll Gates of Lanark County on Roads that Were Not Fit for Corpses

Floating Bridges, Toll Gates and Typhoons– Clippings of Billings Bridge

Mary ( Minnie) Elizabeth Jones Born at the Toll Gate

For Whom the Toll Gates Tolled– Revised

Running the Toll Gate on Scotch Line– Mary Scott Reynolds — The Buchanan Scrapbook

Armstrong’s Corners: Cross Roads of History

Rolling Down Highway 15

In Memory of David Scharf — Almonte United Church Tragedy

Brian Scharf was looking and still looking for photos of  the Almonte United Church steeple placement after the church fire , Steeple was placed by Hurdman Brothers crane. My grandfather was killed at the church after the steeple placement,crushed by crane being dismantled. This is what I found– if anyone has clearer photos please email me.

Charlene Scharf-Lafleur added that it was an accidental death. Thank you.

Mark as done

12:24 PM

David R Scharf accidental death

sav_77@yahoo.com

Clipped from

1. The Ottawa Journal,
2. 19 Jun 1956, Tue,
3. Page 19

 

Gail Grabe I remember that day vividly, Brian. I was a young student at Church Street school just a few blocks away. Not sure of the year but it was a horrible tragedy, every time I am in Almonte and drive by the site I think of it.

 

Clipped from

1. The Ottawa Citizen,
2. 19 Jun 1956, Tue,
3. Page 16

Clipped from

1. The Ottawa Journal,
2. 27 Jun 1956, Wed,
3. Page 14

 

Almonte Gazette June 21 1956

MAN ON CHURCH JOB
DIES WHEN CRUSHED
BY BOOM ON CRANE
An inquest has been ordered into
the tragic death of David
Seharf, 47 years old of North
Gower, an employee of Hurdman
Bridge & Construction Co., Ottawa,
who was crushed under a
I huge crane which was being tak-
| en apart after lifting the bell and
| steeple onto the Almonte United
I Church tower, Monday afternoon^
CMr. Scharf, lying under a joint
in the crane boom, had just removed
two pins holding two sections
together when he was crushed.
Hard To Understand
Walter Hurdman, of Hurdman
Brothers Contractors, owners of
the crane, said Mr. Scharf, an experienced
rigger, apparently pulled
the pins before his fellow
worker, Albert Lacelle loosened
the cable which keeps the boom
in the air. Normal procedure is to
loosen the cable, then Jake out
of the pins.
Mr. Lacelle could not understand
why the dead man had not
waited. “We take the crane apart
two or three times a day,” he
said.
The accident happened in front
of the church and was a great
shock to spectators who had been
watching the operation of the
giant crane.
The district coroner, Dr. A. A.
Metcalfe considered the circumstances
and decided that there
was no need of an inquest. The
man had been pronounced dead
by Dr. O. H. Schulte” Constables
Keith Crockt’ord and John A.
Ellis investigated the mishap. .
Dr. Metcalfe advised the County
Crown Attorney Mr. J. A. B. Dulmage,
Q.C. of Smiths Falls that in
his opinion there were no factors
that would call for an inquest.
Mr. Dulmage assented. But next
day Mr. W. J. Munro of Ottawa,
provincial inspector for the Ont.
Dept, of Labor, conferred with
Dr. Metcalfe and told him he
thought it might be a good idea
to hold an inquest. It is, presumed
that he was considering the mechanical
circumstances and the possibilities
of future accidents of a
like nature as there was no apparent
evidence of anything else.
When Dr. Metcalfe acquainted
Mr. Dulmage with this request
from the Labor Dept, inspector,
the Crown Attorney agreed that
an inquiry should go forward. The
date was set for Tuesday evening,
June 26, in the town hall, Almonte.
The accident victim, Mr. Scharf,
was born in Cyrville but lived in
Ottawa the greater part of his
life. He moved to North Gower
four years ago. He is survived by
his wife, a son, two daughters and
a number of brothers and sisters.
He attended the Anglican Church.
The body was conveyed to the
funeral parlors of Hulse & Playfair
in, Ottawa and the funeral
was conducted this Thursday afternoon
by Archdeacon C. G. Hepburn.
NOT ON COMMITTEE
Owing to an error in the report
of last week’s council meeting it
was made to appear that the special
committee appointed some
time ago to deal with the Hartley
mill situation was ’composed of
Councillors P. W. Strickland,
Archie Levitan and Reeve A. W.
Smith. As a matter of fact Mr.
Levitan did not serve on the committee
and Councillor A. H. Whitten
should have been given the
credit. Mr. Strickland was chairman.
This mistake was not
brought to the attention of the
Gazette by Mr. Whitten but was
noticed in going over the clerk’s
minutes. The committee worked
hard to get a buyer for the good
building which seemed to have become
a sort of industrial orphan
through a series of back-firing
deals.

where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun and theSherbrooke Record and and Screamin’ Mamas (USACome and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place. Tales of Almonte and Arnprior Then and Now.

 

The Almonte Fire 1955– Almonte United Church

The Craig Family 1930s Goulburn North Gower and Lanark County

 

 

More Facts About the Craig Family Mr. W. R. Gillanders Supplements the evidence re the Craig Name Supplied in Mr. Beverley Craig’s History of the Craigs of North Gower and Goulbourn,.

 

I was very Interested in reading about the name of Craig. Without disparaging the author’s contention that the original Craigs came from the south of Scotland, there Is no evidence that there were not Craigs among the Dalriad Scots when they came from Ireland. The name was not a family one originally, and the Craigs in every Gaelic speaking country were distinctive men who earned the distinctive name. Perhaps the south ot Scotland was the most likely place to rear a family In those days, but when it comes to authentic history, the distinguished Craigs certainly came from the north. It is traditional In Aberdeenshire that there were Craigs there long before the advent of William the Conqueror in England. These Craigs fought at Bannockburn (1314) and at Harlaw (1411). It was from Aberdeenshire that Craig of Craig Pintray (in Aberdeenshire) Journeyed with his retainers to find death on Plodden Field (1513); his son John, the great Scot-is!), reformer, was born at Craig Fin-tray, as was Sir Thomas Craig, who after sojourning in France, settled in 1873 in Edinburgh where he be came perhaps the greatest man In Scotland at that time and founded a family which throughout the following centuries produced many eminent lawyers. In the eleventh, twelfth and thirteenth centuries it was the polite habit to Insist on a southern origin,. Just as In England today all families with pretence declare their forefathers came over with the Conqueror; and as in the United States everybody came over In the Mayflower.

 

For the past 2,000 years at least, the Irish word for Craig was Just Craig (Craig); the Scottish Gaelic la Creig, sometimes spelt creag, in order to show Plctlsh disdain for the Erse; in Manx, the third branch of the Goi-delic family, the word was also cralg. All these words, whether written Craig, Crieg or Creag, have the same pronunciation simply Craig. The Welsh is also written Craig, pronounced in the inimitable and beautiful Welsh way. but certainly not craig as we know it. It is doubtful if even a modern Welsh scholar could give the correct value of the old Welsh vowel sounds. In those days spelling was not of so much importance in every day life as pronunciation, The only branch of the Goidelic family which affected the orthography of Scottish Gaelic was the Irish much to the disgust of Scottish scholars, ancient and modernand this was principally through the missionaries, called In by the Dalrlads. By A.D. 600 these missionaries had converted the country between the Humber and the Forth to Christianity, apart from their work among tne picts ana scots. Thus, whether the Craigs as a family arose in the Welsh Strathclyde or in the Anglo-Scottish east, they would get the spelling of their name pat from all sources; and in case of sound there was no differentiation between that of the ranting, roaring Dalriad Scots and the proud, independent Picts. The name of Craig as a distinctive appellation to distinctive persons is older than the south of Scotland, and as these persons were not a clan but individuals distinguished in every district wherever Gaelic was spoken, there is no evidence to controvert the opinion that there were Craigs in Ireland when, as the song says England was a pup; and in Scotland long before the pawky southern Scots began to pawk, With apologies to vour patience W. R. GILLANDERS, Albion Hotel Ottawa,

Clipped from

1. The Ottawa Citizen,
2. 20 Dec 1930, Sat,
3. Page 2

 

1. All about the Craig’s, from Lanarkshire, Scotland to Lanark County, Ontario

   The Craig family crest has three variations, one for England, Ireland and Scotland. The crest above it for the Scottish Craigs and we have a long history there. The family motto “Vive Deo et Vives” translates roughly into “Live with God that you may live for ever”
        The surname means rock, rocky , low hill. The anglicised word is “crag”.  It is often thought to be a descriptive surname but is as likely to be derived from the people who built and lived in the fortresses which were built on the low, rocky hills. Below is a picture of the “ancient” Craig tartan. I guess there is a modern version as well?

   So much for my flip remark, there are about a dozen Craig tartans, for hunting, ancient….. One for every occasion .

   The first family I have information on is John Craig and Jane(Jean). All I have is that they had a son, William, born in 1746.

        William married Jean Russell on January 15th, 1763. Jean , born in 1745, was from Cambusnetham, Scotland, a neighbouring parish.
   They had seven children;
   Lilias 1764-1764,
   John 1767-?,
   Silios/Lilias 1769-?,
   Jean 1771-?,
   William 1773-?
   James 1775-?.
   Read more here from The Ossington Kitchen.. CLICK
   

   where you can buy all Linda Seccaspina’s books-You can also read Linda in The Townships Sun and theSherbrooke Record and and Screamin’ Mamas (USACome and visit the Lanark County Genealogical Society Facebook page– what’s there? Cool old photos–and lots of things interesting to read. Also check out The Tales of Carleton Place. Tales of Almonte and Arnprior Then and Now.

   1. 
      

      James Bowes Mary McKay Middleville Clippings Genealogy

   2. Janet Jeannette Lawson Tripp Genealogy

   3. Middleville Genealogy-McIlraith- Sommerville

      The Oldest Queen’s Graduate D.W. Stewart– Middleville — Lanark Genealogy

   4. The Bond Family– Genealogy

   5. The True Carleton Place Story of Joie Bond- by Jennifer Hamilton

      The Name is Bond—-Joie Bond

   6. So What Happened to Thomas C Spence of Perth? Spence Genealogy

   7. Annie Florence Giles– David Giles– Died at 22 — Genealogy

   8. Marvin Arnold Walker — Another Ron Bos Genealogy Mystery