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FRENCHMAN' S BAY
Frenchman's Bay, and the Grande Baie of the early explorers, which included the great sweep of bay from Port
Union to Moore Point, was the scene of bustling activity during the Victorian era. In 1843, a channel was opened to
the inner Bay by means of a horse -dram dredge.
In 1845, the Pickering Harbour Company built piers and later an elevator and light house. Mr. William
Dunbar was active in estaLlishing the early port. Here many thousands of cords of lumber were shipped, as well as
square timbers, masts and pine logs. Teams lined up the Liverpool Road for many hours waiting their turn, and this
business continued for a period of about forty years.
The Railway and Toronto Harbour eventually took ayay all business, just as the great business enterprises
of Toronto and Oshawa supplanted the local mills, barrel factories, etc. Ref: W. Dunbar.
The following boats are listed as being built at Frenchman's Bay & Rouge, - Schooner, Duke of York, Steamer,
- Canada, sailing vessel, - Charlotte of Pickering.
During the period 1865 - 1875, the Harbour traffic declined to such an extent that it ceased operation for
several years. However, in 1876 a petition to Township Council, provided for the issuing of debentures to re-establish
the harbour under a new organization headed by Dr. W. McGill and J. H. McLellan. They received a bonus of t6,000.00
in return for prw ising to keep the channel dredged, erect and equip a light house on one of the piers, to pro-
vide a pile wharf cith elevator. This cost the Company 60,000.
During the period 1878 - 1900, barley was the chief export. Since the foreFt,hna. been destroyed by the
early 1880's, the lumber trade had fallen off. However, coal was imported. All traces of the old wharves and
elevator disappeared some forty years ago. Ref: W. R. Wood & Oshawa Times.
PrO K-t — W. t>u K to a.ti^
Ladies on Frenchman's Bay
Circa 1900
P-)tif - Ont. County Wisf arical Aftas
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From earliest times there were Methodists in the Township. The Circuit of Duffin's Creek was organized in 1816 with the
Rev. James Jackson superintendent of the Mission. Our local "brethern" were affiliated with the Genesee Conference of New York
State until they became a part of the Wesleyan Methodist movement of England after Ryerson's trips to England during the 1830s.
During this period there was no Methodist Church ediface in Pickering and the faithful worshipped in the larger and cleaner
barns available and occasionally in Squire Ley's tavern one half mile east of the four corners of the present village and the
Kingston road. Most famous of all, of course, was Egerton Ryerson who rode his horse the long circuit from York to Miarkham and
then down the Brock Road to Pickering and ?1hitby. The Methodists w ere strong in Pickering and many pledged support for the new
Victoria University at Belleville during the 1830s. As early as 1816 the church records that it had two hundred and one members.
Egerton Ryerson
Pickering Preacher
18?4 - 25
. The primitive Methodist church service would seem velar informal to us, but it, was among the more formal sects of the times.
The Christian Church of Brougham , organized in 1824, shows us how far from any recognized church docma the pioneers had gone.
From Wood's"Past Years in Pickering" we quote:
"A record of the Chh of Crist in Pickering U p Canada. Be it remembered that on the 25 day of July in the yeair of our Lord
1824 A few Brethren seven in No met in fellowship meting at the hous of James S herard in the town of Pickering. Elder Asa
Morison Present.
The bretheim agreed to orginize them selves in a chh. Agring to renounce all diseplins Creeds and invetions of men and to
take the script of the old and new testaments for their only rule of faith and pract and to receive in to fellowship all that
give an evidence of thair adoption in Crist."
These seen gathered about themselves a group of fifty-four within a ,year and although the congregation faltered during the 1840s
and 1850s it became quite strong during the 1860s and subsequently built a large brick church at Brougham. James Sharrard (Sherard)
was a United Empire Loyalist who lived with his refugee farnily in the Eastern Townships below Montreal then in Hastings County. He
came to Pickering to take up land circa 1812 and settled on Lot 21, Concession 6. He became a preacher as well as a fl,irmer., and
was the founder and chief pillar of the Christian Church.
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son
and he remained in Pickering, farming, for the reinainder of his life. Hisi'Layfayette Matthews and
grandson David continued to operate the south half of Lot 19, Con. 6 during their lifetime. David
also operated a large hotel in Brougham and his widow finally sold t��lis property to the Township
Council for township offices shortly after the close of vrorld dar 11.
pric��na( P��ofio Mcirl Maif'hQvvs
Peter Matthews, from his monument in Niagara Falls, Ontario.
Orij rla.l Photos - Wm- Newma{i
Several. Views of the beautiful Jti' .tthe s rm, no.v owned by the Nevvir:an family.
The barn, built by Thomas, Peter and Davi=
Matthews still r ema ins .
John Miller, circa 1880
John Miller, who arrived in Upper Canada in 1834,'
brought his father, mother and family from Annandale,
Scotland to Lot 18, Concession 7, Pickering in 1838. The
family cleared the forest and John devoted his life from
this time until his death in 1905 to the inporting and
breeding of purebred Clydesdales, Shorthorns, Shropshires
and Leicesters to become internationally famous. The fam-
ily still treasures the 'Innumerable ribbons !-on by his ani-
mals at the shows held in Canada West, later Ontario.
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Thistle Hat built by John Miller in 1855 is still the
J residence of the Miller family. It is a beautiful
I stone house 901 x 30' with a wing 40'x 221. The house
has three very large r oms downstairs, fire panelling
and fireplaces and the wing,which.was the ballroom dur-
ing its earlier days, was the most elegant spot for
parties in the Township for the Millers,before the dis-
persal sale in 1905, entertained buyers from all over
the world, incliiding South America and Japan. There
are a large lawns at front and side. The present barns
of frame and stone -ere built in 191.8 (100Ix501) and in
1931 (84x40)• In spite of the fact that labour is so
expensive and difficult to come by these da?s the estate
isstill kept up •ith 190 acres cu.ltived this year (1957)
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Pv"'M -- W. MUrKcar
Third prj7e pen of Shropshires at English Royal which were the initial purchase
and importation to Thistle Hal, of Shropshire sheep in 1872. Later they were
exhibited in Toronto winning first place over a pen imported from England,which
had won first prize at English Royal and subsequently imported by another Cana-
dian breeder.
Vice Consul, prize-winning herdsire of Miller herd of Shorthorns, from a
copper plate copy of an oil portrait, circa 1885. (All photostats made
from pictures lent by Mr. and Mrs. Hugh Miller, Thistle Hat, Pickering.)
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Mills
Grist mills (wheat, Oats & Barley), 6 run of stones - 16, quantiry produced in bbls. 25,500•
Saw mills 24, quantity in 1,00 feet, board measure - 5,230,000.
Fulling and Carding Mills 4,,,quantity in lbs. - 25,862
Distilleries 1, hogsheads 760, gallons 156
Breweries 1.
Tanneries 1, 10,000 sides
DECLINE OF THE MILLS
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The bustling activity around Pickering Harbour, the large grist Mills of Whitevale and with their smaller subsid-
iary, barrel factories, saw mills, etc., all disappeared when a series of fires gutted all the Whitevale mills except the
remaining flour mill. The Spink's Mill at Pickering which was sold to the Maple Leaf Milling Company, went out of busi-
ness and was torn down during the 19201s. Hoover's mill in Pickering was also burnt down but rebuilt and owned by var-
ious millers - Gee, Lockwood, and finally Reinhardt, until it burned down completely in 1950.
Hydro power suprlanted the old water wheel mills and the huge milling companies centered in Winnipeg. Ft.
William and Toronto took over most of the flour -making in Canada. Pickering, unfortunately, was too close to Toronto
to compete with its giant neighbor for factories since it had no water mains or sewers to service factories.
With the destruction of the forests, only a few saw mills remained in the South of the Township. The Ontario
County Historical Atlas shows that in the 18701s, there were saw mills at the following places (south of the 50 Con.)
One near Spinks Mill, one on Palmer's farm, Lot 20, Con. 2, one at Seckers, Lot 23, Con 1, and one at Whitevale. There
was also a saw mill on the Brock Road, near Con. 4.
The large lumbering business established by Jordan Post on the Brock Road, Con. 2, disappeared with his early
death in 1860. His five sons all moved to the United States.
The population, with dwindling industries, destruction of forests, the great fever to move west and above all,
to the United States, dropped from over 8,000 in 1855, to 4,550 in 1910.
Pickering Village end the Village of Dunbarton, became pleasant hamlets with the grocery store, blacksmith
shop, Post. Office, Church and Scholl to draw neighbouring farmers.
Population of Pickering TowTisKip
S ITTYTON GROVE
In the year 1843, Mr. James I. Davidson o`` Aberdeenshire, Scotland, purchased part of Lot 1, Con. 82
in Pickering Township and built a log house for his family. `.Then the land was being cleared, the field stones were
Iput aside to be used in building a lax~er house at a later date. In, 1865, i'�x. Davidson engaged William Pearson of
Ashburn, a stonemason, to build his new house. The only stones used in the construction of the house that were not
found on the property, were the lintels which were quarried somewhere about the 6th concession. The house is 40 feet
I by 30 feet with a kitchen wing which is approximately 30 ft. by 30 f t. The walls are 24 inches thick and the stone-
work was done for 75y a rod. The lime used in the stonework was from limestone found on the land and fired there.
The house has a centre hall and oriinally had a parlour and parlour bedroom on one side and an office
and a dining room on the other side with four bedrooms and a sitting room upstairs in the main house. The stairway
I is enclosed and the woodwork were made by hand by James Nimmo, who agreed to do this work between January lst. and
October 1st, 1866, for the sum of $203.00. The lumber used in the building was brought from Brock Township and
seasoned for 10 years before being used. The brick bake -oven and the s,�;ap and ash bed which were in the cellar and
the two fireplaces have, unfortunately, been removed in the past 10 years. The carriage house and woodshed were
1 added 13 Nears later after the building of the main house and the stonemason was a nephew of Nix. Wm. Pearson, the
original Milder. The stonework in the addition is very well matched to that of tha original house.
sir. DAvidson was the a„ent for Mr. Cruickshs.nk of Sittyton, Aberdeenshire, Scotland, for Shorthorn
1 cattle in North America. Cattle buyers over the years until 1017 will remember cattle sales at Sittyton Grove in
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Pickering Township. The house remained in the Davidson family until 192,7 and the details about this house were
obtained from Mr. Davidson's grand -daughter, Ers. 'falter Kerr of Ashburn.
Yr. & Mrs. J. G. -rag e, the present owner, have cone a gr.-at deal of redecorating and improved
the gardens.
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