ROSEBANK now Blakeney

Received from Helen Theimer - [email protected]

Rosebank on the Mississippi River, half way between Almonte and Pakenham, consisted of flour mills, a sawmill, a grist mill, tannery, brewery, cobbler shop and store. Later a hotel was built.

The Rosebank flour mill was built by four brothers, Alex., David, Jimmy and Willie Snedden. A Mr. Henderson was the first miller. John Usher purchased the mill, from the Snedden brothers, and after his death, John Merrilees, who come from Fallbrook, bought the mill from Mrs. Usher. This was in 1888.

The Rosebank Woollen Mill belonged to Mr. Peter McDougall. It was a large stone building, the ruins of which are still partially standing, and was powered by a large water wheel.

Three Water Powers

The Mississippi River turned below the bridge and divided into three parts before resuming its course downstream toward Pakenham. Three dams were built across the three channels to the two Islands formed by the division. One dam served the sawmill, one served the flour mill and one the woollen mill.

The sawmill was built by William Snedden on the north side of the river. The lumber companies, MacLaren and Caldwell, floated squared timber from the upper Mississippi and the Clyde Rivers down through Rosebank, so a “slide" was built below the Peter McDougall property, which ran the logs into what is known as the Bay, a quiet pool of water below the woollen mill.

The Old Log Slide

There has also a log slide In Almonte which began where the power house now stands and continued down to the Bay there. An old tale said Mr. Bryson and another bet they could go down the slide in a canoe. They made the trip but the canoe split in two and they had to swim for shore.

Lumber from the sawmill was piled beside the railway siding north-east of the river and Snedden Station was built nearby. This small flag station Is still standing and causes some confusion because its name is different from that of the village nearby.

The village brewery a frame building, was north-west of the woollen mill. The early brew master was Mr. Gomersall. Later the brewery was turned into a home for Mr. Peter McDougall, owner of the woollen mill, and his family who lived there until Mr. McDougall built a brick house at the foot of "Granny" Campbell's hill. The McDougall house is still standing.

Village Had Tannery

The tannery, also a frame building, was south of the woollen factory. William Reilly was the tanner. His two sons, William and Wellington Herman became doctors and practised in Montreal as partners.

At the north-west end of the bridge, John Fenton kept a hotel. Next door James Coxford had a cobbler shop.

On the other side of the river, at tile top of "Granny" Campbell's hill, a store and a post office were built on the north side of the street. Mr. Jas. McDonald (s/b McDougall) was the Postmaster. When the post office was installed, it was discovered that there was another post office of the same name. The Liberal party was in power at that time and the Liberal leader was, Sir Edward Blake, a derivative was used - Blakeney. And the village name was changed.

First School House

The first schoolhouse for the vicinity was built of logs on a knoll in Syme's field opposite Young's gate, on the 10th line of Ramsay. This was about three quarters of a mile south-east of the village. Inside the schoolhouse, were seats of logs with flat sides. There were no desks. In 1873, a brick school was built on a hill near the 10th, line. Seats and desks were made of beautiful white pine lumber. Desk lids were wide boards which were later nailed down because of the noise they made in closing them.

Mr. George Berlaquet (Old Burr) an "excellent teacher," was the first teacher in Breenbush (s/b Greenbush) school, S.S. 15, and retired in mid-summer, 1881. He was succeeded by, Jim Young who gave up at Easter, 1882, because of ill health. Dr. James Naismith the Inventor of basketball, finished out the term.

Early church services were conducted by the Rev. Robt. Knowles in the brick school until the present white frame church was built in 1877. Mr. Wm. Young was the Sunday School superintendent.

On the south-west corner of the street, next the little gulley on the 10th line, was a blacksmith shop. Harry Jones, the blacksmith, lived with his family next door. Across the road on the south-east corner, was a store kept by a man named York. East of this on the side road to the railway station was, the Orange Lodge (No. 748), an upper storey of a residence with an outside staircase.

Granny Campbell, who lived at the top of the Iong, winding hill which led into the village proper, wove homespun for customers who brought, her rolls of wool. Across the Mississippi River and upstream from her home, about a quarter of a mile, lived the Young family, who ran a carding mill where the rolls were made. This was at the junction of the Indian and Mississippi Rivers.

Most of these villages have long since passed into oblivion although the church is still standing and in good condition and holds regular services. Next to the church is the old manse used now as a summer residence by its Ottawa owners. Likewise, next door, the brick house built by Mrs. Usher in 1884 is a summer residence.

The present grocery and general store stands on the same spot as the original store. Peter McDougall's brick home belongs to Ottawans who come for the summer. The mills have vanished and the Ontario Hydro Electric Power Commission owns most of the former mill property.

Posted: 24 April, 2005.