SOUTH DUNDAS
The county of South Dundas was named in 1792 to honour Henry Dundas, who was Lord Advocate for Scotland and Colonial Secretary at the time. Matilda and Williamsburgh were two of Upper Canada's original eight Royal Townships. The northern portions of Matilda and Williamsburg townships were separated in
1798 to form the new townships of Mountain and Winchester within Dundas County.
James Pliny Whitney, Ontario's sixth premier, is buried in the cemetery of Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Riverside Heights, just east of Morrisburg and north of County Road 2 (formerly Highway 2). Whitney was born in Williamsburg in 1843, represented Dundas County in the Legislature from 1888 to 1914 and served as Premier from 1905 to 1914.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/South_Dundas%2C_Ontario
THE FAMOUS FOOT DOCTOR OF WILLIAMSBURG, ONTARIO
Dr. Mahlon W. Locke was a Canadian physician who attracted international attention in the 1930s with an unusual therapy.Through a process of foot manipulation, popularly known as "toe-twisting," Locke seemed able to relieve many intractable cases of arthritis as well as a variety of related
afflictions such as rheumatism, sciatica and neuritis. Sufferers flocked
to his clinic in Williamsburg and, at the height of his fame, he was tending up to 1,000 patients a day! Locke's treatments, consisting solely of manipulation of the feet, lasted about 20 seconds each
and cost $1 a visit to those who could afford it. Locke placed a swivel
chair in a small side yard outside his office where patients lined up waiting their turn to sit in front of him. Locke would twist their feet, crack the joints, collects $1 and call "Next!"
Threatening to build his own hotel if they raised their rates, hotels in & near Williamsburg charged only $1 a day for a room. Needless to say, the hotels were always packed full of cripples hobbling about, testifying that they were bed ridden until Healer Locke treated their feet.
REFERENCES:
http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,744034,00.html
http://www.antiqbook.com/boox/olda/93638.shtml
www.cbmh.ca/archive/00000231/01/cbmhbchm_v9n1clow.pdf
MORRISBURG HISTORY
The village of Morrisburg is the only Canadian community on the St. Lawrence River between Cardinal and Cornwall not completely relocated by the construction of the Seaway in the late 1950's. The entire original main street and business district was leveled and a new shopping centre, one of the first in Canada, was opened in 1957. The former east end of the village which included the downtown was transformed into a waterfront park, but many of the village's original homes and the churches survived in their original settings.
This picturesque village along the shores of the St. Lawrence river started in it's early history as West Williamsburg, Canada West. In 1838 a commission was established to look into improving navigation on the St. Lawrence River. Sir James Morris, as a commissioner, was instrumental in promoting and financing the construction of the Williamsburg Canals on the St. Lawrence River. The canals were built between 1844-1856 on the north side of the St.Lawrence River to form part of the Great Lakes Navigation System. The construction of the Williamsburg canals along the front of Dundas County set into place all the necessary elements to encourage the development of West Williamsburg. As a result, a town did begin to literally grow out of farmers fields which stretched back from the newly completed canal.
Benjamin Chaffey was the first to see the advantages of the canal construction and erected a gris mill along what was to become Morrisburg's waterfront. The little village continued to grow over the boom years of the 1850's adding a carding mill erected by Austin Doran, a fanning mill factory established by McKenzie and two wharfs owned by Captain Farlinger and I.N. Rose respectively.
In 1851 the town had adopted the name of "Morrisburgh". This name was chosen to honour Sir James Morris, who was instrumental in promoting and financing the construction of the Williamsburg Canals on the St. Lawrence River. Sir James was also the first Post Master General of Canada. The expansion of the village was helped along by the arrival of the Grand Trunk Rail Road in 1855. Morrisburg was incorporated as a village in 1860.
The 1870's brought exceptional growth and many of the large fine homes that can be seen today throughout the village were built during this time. It was at this time that Morrisburg was designated the "Village of Pretty and Stately Homes" (J. Smyth Carter “The Story of Dundas”, 1904). The main street saw the addition of the Farlinger Block, the Meikle Block, the Music Hall and many other fine buildings. The town developed an excellent merchant and market atmosphere which attracted two banks, The Molson's Bank (1872) and the Bank of Ottawa. So renowned were the markets of Morrisburg that farmers from as far away as Finch brought their wagons of grain and butter to be auctioned to the highest bidder.
The arrival of the 20th century saw the installation of the hydro electric plant in 1901 at a cost of $35,000. The depression years were cushioned by the Dr. Locke phenomenon in Williamsburg. During this period, Morrisburg played host to thousands of visitors and patients of Dr. Locke. This led to the establishment of several tourist homes such as "The Falcon", "The Ship's Mate", "The George Frederick", "The Cardinal" and the "Rosedale" just to name a few. These tourist homes continued to operated up until the time of the Seaway Project, with the exception of the Rosedale all of these building are still standing today.
THE NAMING OF MORRISBURG
In 1850 postal affairs were transferred from London, England to the United Province of Canada. The Province of Canada passed the “Post Office Act” the same year. Sir James Morris was named the first Postmaster-General of Canada on February 22, 1851. Under his direction postal rates were reduced from 16 cents to 5 cents and postal services were greatly expanded and many towns received official post offices. In 1851 when West Williamsburg was granted a post office under the new Act the residents and officials renamed the settlement “Morrisburgh” in honour of Sir James Morris. This compliment to the Honourable gentleman was in recognition of all of his efforts (the construction of the canals) which allowed the village to become established and to grow. Morrisburg’s first Postmaster under the new “Post Office Act” was H.G. Stearns.
Morrisburg was incorporated as a village in 1860. In 1864, Sir James Morris gifted the sum of $100.00 to the village in appreciation of the honour paid to him. The gift was to be used to procure a town clock or a bell. A bell was purchased and placed above the public school which also served as the meeting place for council. This bell remained above the public school until the Seaway Project at which time it was removed and placed into storage. The bell was then presented to Morrisburg Public School by the Women’s Institute and was displayed at the school’s entrance until 1992. In 1992, the village of Morrisburg erected a clock tower in the shopping plaza. The bell was relocated from Morrisburg Public School into the clock tower at that time. This final move completed a process that had begun 128 years earlier.
Reference: http://www.glen-net.ca/morrisburghistoricalsociety/
JUST A FEW ATTRACTIONS
Several buildings from the Lost Villages were moved to a site near Morrisburg to create Upper Canada Village, a living museum which depicts 19th century life in Upper Canada. Touring Upper Canada Village is a magical experience, transporting you back in time to the 1860s. A key part of the experience is the authentic buildings that make up the village, the activities that each housed, and of course, the people who lived there.
Reference: http://www.uppercanadavillage.com/tourvil.htm
Now in its 24th year of operation, PREHOSTORIC WORLD is a tourist attraction in which full-size reproductions of prehistoric animals are displayed in a realistic natural setting.
Prehistoric World features over 50 exhibits and owner/builders Paul and Serge Dupuis are adding more on a continuing basis. With an emphasis on the scientific accuracy of the touchable concrete sculptures, Prehistoric World is as educational as it is awesome!
Reference: http://www.c360.ca/morrisburg/pw/
