HomeMy WebLinkAbout336"Dunbarton
Article taken from the Pickering News, April 3, 1896.
Dunbarton
The village of Dunbarton derived its name as well as its origin from its first proprietor and
projector, the late William Dunbar, Esq. Half a century ago he, with his household,
settled on the lot of land he had bought, and on which he lived till the day of his death, in 1809.
Then, the now well cleared and cultured farms were but large woods and little clearings.
The roads, too, were then in keeping with the character of the country, and even on the
Kingston Road, though long opened and largely traveled, being the leading thoroughfare of the
country. Broken wagons and crippled stages, were at certain seasons, neither few or far
between, while the Rouge Hill was ever a terror to travelers, both far and near.
Of the first settlers, that is, those who were the men and women of the day,
along the front road from the Rouge to Duffin’s Creek, not more than one solitary individual that
we know of now remains, and while in not a few cases their descendants still retain the properties,
yet many of the farms have changed hands, and several of them oftener than once,
the purchasers, almost without exception, being old country people. From the Rouge to Duffin’s
Creek, only five of the first houses now remain, and these are occupied by Messrs. McConochie,
Grant, Morrison, Bush, and the occupant of the old Woodruff house. Of the first owners of the land
that range, only two, Messrs, Alison and Haney, remain, the former only, however,
being a resident.
Somewhere about thirty years ago, the villages and the adjoining harbour both had their
inception, and in both Mr. Dunbar ever took an active interest, being in the latter not only a large
shareholder but superintendent of the work. But its history deserves another paper.
The village plots when laid out, was rapidly bought up and built upon, and from that day to this
both the houses and the householders have maintained a high degree of respectability.
To the credit alike of its originator, and its inhabitants, intoxicating liquors were never
manufactured, and only for a little time sold within its bounds and those who did so,
soon had to shut up shop. Three stores now, and for a long time past, have readily and
reasonably supplied the wants of the community. In one of them is the Post Office,
with its mails twice each day. On the establishment of the Post Office the inhabitants agreed to
call it Dunbarton, in honour of its originator, the name first got and ever retained.
Prominent as it ever ought to be, stands the church, a commodious and substantial brick building,
belonging to the Presbyterians, while the outskirts is the goodly brick school house.
Thus the spiritual and the intellectual are wisely cared for. For a considerable time a tannery did
good service in the village, but the removal of the railway station did much to injure the village
and incommode the surrounding community. A daily stage, however, in part supplies the lack
and lessens the inconvenience. The situation is pleasant, having the beautiful bay with its harbour,
in front, and the wide stretching lake beyond. The locality is while its inhabitants alike in
enterprise and intelligence will favourably compare with those of any other community.
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