Kemptville, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Kemptville is a community located in the Municipality of North Grenville in Southern
(Eastern)
Ontario
, Canada
in the northernmost part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. It is located approximately 55 km south of Ottawa
and 2.5 to 3 km south of the Rideau River
.
The community can be accessed by way of the former Highway 16 and Leeds and Grenville Road 43, the former Highway 43, which links Perth
and former Highway 38
. It is now accessed by the Veterans Memorial Highway, Highway 416
, which was completed in 1999, with an interchange in the east on the old road to Alexandria.
Kemptville is the largest community in North Grenville, holding about 27% of North Grenville's population. Four elementary schools are located in the two - Oxford-on-Rideau Public School, Holy Cross Catholic School, Kemptville Public School and South Branch Elementary School -, two high schools - North Grenville District High School and St. Michael Catholic High School -, three parks, and two hotels. The residential area is generally located in the south and east parts of the community. The main streets are Rideau, Prescott, Clothier and Van Buren streets. A creek named Kemptville Creek
divides Kemptville in the southeast, where the least part of Kemptville is found. The creek begins southwest of Kemptville and empties 4 km NE into the Rideau River
. Much of Kemptville is forested, especially east and north of the community. Farmland covers the rest of the area, especially the west and the southern part of the community, with some exceptions. There are some homes lying next to the farmland.
1804-05 - Lyman Clothier moves into Oxford-On-Rideau
1814 - Lyman Clothier buys 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in Kemptville
1815 - Clothier family open sawmill, blacksmiths shop, and carding machine for weaving
1819 - First hotel opened
1821 - First Mill is opened. First store and "post office" follow shortly thereafter
1826 - St. James Anglican church parish is formed
1829 - "Kemptville" is formally acknowledged as the town's name; Holy Cross Parish is established
1832 - Methodist Church is erected and another hotel opens
1838 - Another carding machine and saw mill open
1843 - First Steamboat is built in Kemptville by Lyman Clothier Jr.; the Amanda named after his daughter/girlfriend on the side...
1844 - The First Grammar School is built on Clothier Street
1847 - Baptist Church is built on the North Main Street
1848 - Another mill is built which also acted as a distillery for a time
1851-52 - Population of Upper Canada: 952,004
1851 - The first Presbyterian Church is built; First stamp the 3 penny Beaver is released in Canada
1854 - The Railroad comes to Kemptville allowing for easier access to goods and trade
1855 - Kemptville Fire Department is formed; Kemptville's first paper "The Progressionist" hits the streets
1857 - Kemptville becomes incorporated
1861 - Population of Kemptville is 1059
1865 - Clothier Mills is built
1869 - Sellecks Mill is built as an egg factory; the New Methodist Church is built
1870 - First library is formed
1872 - The first Great Fire which destroys most of downtown Kemptville
1874 - The Kemptville Academy is built as the central school; the town hall is built; a hose tower is built to help combat fire in town
1879 - Memorial Church of Kemptville is built
1881 - First Steam Engine is purchased for the Fire Department
1888 - Holy Cross Church designed by Joseph Connolly
is built; the district High School is built; the Salvation Army comes to Kemptville; Electricity comes to Kemptville via a mill which lights the Oddfellows hall for a fair
1895 - Bank of Ottawa opens (later becoming the Bank of Nova Scotia)
1899 - The Horticultural Society is formed in Kemptville
1845-1900 - The rise of the Service clubs
1910 - The worst fire of the century occurred, wiping out many of the buildings along Prescott Street
, bought 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land from a John Byce, for the price of a yoke of oxen, and a fusee
(i.e. here, a flintlock
rifle). Mr. Clothier had lived in the general area since 1804 or 1805, and in 1812 he made the afore-mentioned transaction with Mr. Byce, to establish a lumber mill. Mr. Clothier began construction of a saw mill with the assistance of his 4 sons, and they built two dwellings in what is now present-day Kemptville. This mill was extremely important for the settling of the community, as in order to construct a crude dwelling, lumber was required - and so, the mill began to facilitate the construction of dwellings for settlers all over Oxford Township.
The village location chosen by Mr. Clothier was a location that became a point on the Ottawa
- Prescott
road. As a result, and as a direct consequence of the many travellers passing through the settlement, one of Mr. Clothier's sons, Asa, made a habit of opening his home to these travellers as a resting place and as a meeting place. Thus, the "Clothier's Hotel" was born. The next major industry
to be established was that of a grist mill in 1821, when the Clothiers placed some grinding stones in the lower part of their saw mill. As a result of this, rather than taking their grain to a site on the St. Lawrence River, which would be a daunting hike in the best of conditions, or grinding the grain in an extremely ineffective and crude fashion, the settlers could now take it to this grist mill. After this was established, a blacksmith
's shop was established, run also by the Clothiers. A schoolhouse
was established in 1823, which served the surrounding communities for many years. The first physician
arrived in the community the year after the school was established.
The small village was fast expanding - and the residents of the region were beginning to think about officially giving a dignified name to the location in which they lived. Initially, the community was known as "The Branch", and later, for obvious reasons, "Clothier's Mill". So, during a public meeting at this time, the name "Kemptville" was suggested, to honour Sir James Kempt
, the Governor General of Upper Canada
in 1828 who was said to have camped on the banks of the Rideau River near the settlement. The name was adopted in the late 1820s and the first map with the name "Kemptville" was produced in 1830. http://www.recorder.ca/grenvillecap/kemptvil/kvhist.htm
A weekly newspaper is published in Kemptville, called the Kemptville Advance, and has been published since 1855. The Kemptville Advance celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005.
Southern Ontario
Southern Ontario is a region of the province of Ontario, Canada that lies south of the French River and Algonquin Park. Depending on the inclusion of the Parry Sound and Muskoka districts, its surface area would cover between 14 to 15% of the province. It is the southernmost region of...
(Eastern)
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in the northernmost part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. It is located approximately 55 km south of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
and 2.5 to 3 km south of the Rideau River
Rideau River
thumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
.
The community can be accessed by way of the former Highway 16 and Leeds and Grenville Road 43, the former Highway 43, which links Perth
Perth, Ontario
Perth is a town in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario, Canada . It is located on the Tay River, 83 km southwest of Ottawa, and is the seat of Lanark County.-History:...
and former Highway 38
Highway 38 (Ontario)
King's Highway 38, commonly referred to as Highway 38, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The road connects Highway 401 in Kingston with Highway 7 west of Perth....
. It is now accessed by the Veterans Memorial Highway, Highway 416
Highway 416 (Ontario)
King's Highway 416, commonly referred to as Highway 416 and as the Veterans Memorial Highway, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which connects Highway 417 in Ottawa with Highway 401 between Brockville and Cornwall...
, which was completed in 1999, with an interchange in the east on the old road to Alexandria.
Kemptville is the largest community in North Grenville, holding about 27% of North Grenville's population. Four elementary schools are located in the two - Oxford-on-Rideau Public School, Holy Cross Catholic School, Kemptville Public School and South Branch Elementary School -, two high schools - North Grenville District High School and St. Michael Catholic High School -, three parks, and two hotels. The residential area is generally located in the south and east parts of the community. The main streets are Rideau, Prescott, Clothier and Van Buren streets. A creek named Kemptville Creek
Kemptville Creek
The Kemptville Creek is a tributary of the Rideau River, located in North Grenville township in Leeds and Grenville County within Eastern Ontario, Canada. The Kemptville Creek is in length and flows through several communities, including Kemptville, Ontario, Oxford Mills, Ontario and Bishop's...
divides Kemptville in the southeast, where the least part of Kemptville is found. The creek begins southwest of Kemptville and empties 4 km NE into the Rideau River
Rideau River
thumb|Rapids on the Rideau River opposite [[Carleton University]].The Rideau River is a Southern Ontario river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. Its length is 146 km...
. Much of Kemptville is forested, especially east and north of the community. Farmland covers the rest of the area, especially the west and the southern part of the community, with some exceptions. There are some homes lying next to the farmland.
Timeline
1791 - Oxford-On-Rideau surveyed1804-05 - Lyman Clothier moves into Oxford-On-Rideau
1814 - Lyman Clothier buys 100 acre (0.404686 km²) in Kemptville
1815 - Clothier family open sawmill, blacksmiths shop, and carding machine for weaving
1819 - First hotel opened
1821 - First Mill is opened. First store and "post office" follow shortly thereafter
1826 - St. James Anglican church parish is formed
1829 - "Kemptville" is formally acknowledged as the town's name; Holy Cross Parish is established
1832 - Methodist Church is erected and another hotel opens
1838 - Another carding machine and saw mill open
1843 - First Steamboat is built in Kemptville by Lyman Clothier Jr.; the Amanda named after his daughter/girlfriend on the side...
1844 - The First Grammar School is built on Clothier Street
1847 - Baptist Church is built on the North Main Street
1848 - Another mill is built which also acted as a distillery for a time
1851-52 - Population of Upper Canada: 952,004
1851 - The first Presbyterian Church is built; First stamp the 3 penny Beaver is released in Canada
1854 - The Railroad comes to Kemptville allowing for easier access to goods and trade
1855 - Kemptville Fire Department is formed; Kemptville's first paper "The Progressionist" hits the streets
1857 - Kemptville becomes incorporated
1861 - Population of Kemptville is 1059
1865 - Clothier Mills is built
1869 - Sellecks Mill is built as an egg factory; the New Methodist Church is built
1870 - First library is formed
1872 - The first Great Fire which destroys most of downtown Kemptville
1874 - The Kemptville Academy is built as the central school; the town hall is built; a hose tower is built to help combat fire in town
1879 - Memorial Church of Kemptville is built
1881 - First Steam Engine is purchased for the Fire Department
1888 - Holy Cross Church designed by Joseph Connolly
Joseph Connolly (architect)
Joseph Connolly was an Irish Canadian architect, born in Limerick, Ireland. He trained as an architect under J.J. McCarthy in his native Ireland before coming to North America. Connolly specialized in Gothic Revival design...
is built; the district High School is built; the Salvation Army comes to Kemptville; Electricity comes to Kemptville via a mill which lights the Oddfellows hall for a fair
1895 - Bank of Ottawa opens (later becoming the Bank of Nova Scotia)
1899 - The Horticultural Society is formed in Kemptville
1845-1900 - The rise of the Service clubs
1910 - The worst fire of the century occurred, wiping out many of the buildings along Prescott Street
History of Kemptville
The small town of Kemptville began to emerge from the forest in the township of Oxford when Lyman Clothier, a resident of New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, bought 100 acre (0.404686 km²) of land from a John Byce, for the price of a yoke of oxen, and a fusee
Fusee
Used in antique spring-powered mechanical watches and clocks, a fusee is a cone-shaped pulley with a spiral groove around it, wound with a cord or chain which is attached to the mainspring barrel...
(i.e. here, a flintlock
Flintlock
Flintlock is the general term for any firearm based on the flintlock mechanism. The term may also apply to the mechanism itself. Introduced at the beginning of the 17th century, the flintlock rapidly replaced earlier firearm-ignition technologies, such as the doglock, matchlock and wheellock...
rifle). Mr. Clothier had lived in the general area since 1804 or 1805, and in 1812 he made the afore-mentioned transaction with Mr. Byce, to establish a lumber mill. Mr. Clothier began construction of a saw mill with the assistance of his 4 sons, and they built two dwellings in what is now present-day Kemptville. This mill was extremely important for the settling of the community, as in order to construct a crude dwelling, lumber was required - and so, the mill began to facilitate the construction of dwellings for settlers all over Oxford Township.
The village location chosen by Mr. Clothier was a location that became a point on the Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
- Prescott
Prescott, Ontario
Prescott is a town of approximately 4,180 people on the north shore of the Saint Lawrence River in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada. The Ogdensburg-Prescott International Bridge, 5 km east of Prescott in Johnstown, connects it with Ogdensburg, New York...
road. As a result, and as a direct consequence of the many travellers passing through the settlement, one of Mr. Clothier's sons, Asa, made a habit of opening his home to these travellers as a resting place and as a meeting place. Thus, the "Clothier's Hotel" was born. The next major industry
Industry
Industry refers to the production of an economic good or service within an economy.-Industrial sectors:There are four key industrial economic sectors: the primary sector, largely raw material extraction industries such as mining and farming; the secondary sector, involving refining, construction,...
to be established was that of a grist mill in 1821, when the Clothiers placed some grinding stones in the lower part of their saw mill. As a result of this, rather than taking their grain to a site on the St. Lawrence River, which would be a daunting hike in the best of conditions, or grinding the grain in an extremely ineffective and crude fashion, the settlers could now take it to this grist mill. After this was established, a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
's shop was established, run also by the Clothiers. A schoolhouse
School
A school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
was established in 1823, which served the surrounding communities for many years. The first physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
arrived in the community the year after the school was established.
The small village was fast expanding - and the residents of the region were beginning to think about officially giving a dignified name to the location in which they lived. Initially, the community was known as "The Branch", and later, for obvious reasons, "Clothier's Mill". So, during a public meeting at this time, the name "Kemptville" was suggested, to honour Sir James Kempt
James Kempt
General Sir James Kempt, GCB was a British Army officer, who served in Holland, Egypt, Italy, the Peninsula, and British North America during the Napoleonic Wars...
, the Governor General of Upper Canada
Governor General of Canada
The Governor General of Canada is the federal viceregal representative of the Canadian monarch, Queen Elizabeth II...
in 1828 who was said to have camped on the banks of the Rideau River near the settlement. The name was adopted in the late 1820s and the first map with the name "Kemptville" was produced in 1830. http://www.recorder.ca/grenvillecap/kemptvil/kvhist.htm
A weekly newspaper is published in Kemptville, called the Kemptville Advance, and has been published since 1855. The Kemptville Advance celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2005.
Lyman Clothier
The following is a section of the Kemptville Weekender, printed for the 150th anniversary of Kemptville. Written by Drew Headrick.Sir James Kempt
The following is a section of the Kemptville Weekender, printed for the 150th anniversary of Kemptville. Written by Drew Headrick.Businesses
The following is a section of the Kemptville Weekender, printed for the 150th anniversary of Kemptville. Written by Drew Headrick.4 tailors
5 carpenters/builders
2 shoemakers
2 saw mills
3 grain mills
4 carriage makers
4 blacksmiths
2 brewers/distillers (at least)
4 hotels
1 painter
3 carding mills
1 private banker
2 tinsmiths/coppersmiths
2 furniture makers
2 saddle/harness makers
3 cabinet makers and furniture dealers
3 doctors (1 specialized in natural remedies)
3 tanners/harness makers/shoemakers
3 barrel makers
7 dry goods merchants
Churches
The following is a section of the Kemptville Weekender, printed for the 150th anniversary of Kemptville. Written by Drew Headrick.The railroad
The following is a section of the Kemptville Weekender, printed for the 150th anniversary of Kemptville.Sports
The Kemptville 73'sKemptville 73's
The Kemptville 73's are a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey team based out of Kemptville, Ontario. They play in the Central Canada Hockey League of the Ottawa District Hockey Association.-History:Founded in 1969. Changed name in 1973...
are a Tier II Junior "A" ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
team and members of the Central Junior A Hockey League
Central Junior A Hockey League
The Central Canada Hockey League is a Canadian Junior "A" ice hockey league operating in eastern Ontario, Canada. The league is sanctioned by the Ottawa District Hockey Association and Hockey Canada and is a member of the Canadian Junior Hockey League...
. The team was founded as the Kemptville Comets of the Rideau-St. Lawrence Junior B Hockey League in 1969, but the league later became the Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League
Eastern Ontario Junior B Hockey League
The Eastern Ontario Junior Hockey League is a Canadian Junior ice hockey league operating in Eastern Ontario. The league is sanctioned by the Ottawa District Hockey Association and Hockey Canada. The 22 member team of the league compete for the D. Arnold Carson Memorial Trophy.-History:The EOJHL...
and the Comets became the 73's in 1973. The 73's were promoted to Junior "A" in the Summer of 2007.
Birthplace of 1930's NHL player Desse (Desmond) Roche.
Nearest settlements
- Beckett's Landing, N of the Rideau River
- Sabourins Crossing, NE
- Actons CornersActons Corners, OntarioActons Corners is a small rural community in eastern Ontario in the municipality of North Grenville in the County of Leeds and Grenville. It is located on County Road 43 between Kemptville and Merrickville at the intersection of Actons Corners Road and County Road 25 .Except for a historic stone...
, W
Geography
- Population: 3,539
- Location:
- Latitude: around 45 (45°) N
- Longitude: around 75 (75°) W
- Postal codes: K0G 1J0
- Elevation: about 80 m
- Dialing code: +1-613Area code 613Area code 613 are area codes for Ottawa and surrounding Eastern Ontario, Canada. 613 is one of the 86 original area codes of North America assigned in October 1947...