History of the St Lawrence Seaway

REPORT OF THE GRAND HISTORIAN To the Most Worshipful the Grand Master, officers and members of the Grand Lodge A. F. & A.M. of Canada in the Province of Ontario I would like to express my gratitude to the Grand Master for honoring me with the office and title of Grand Historian last July. This report is submitted to the Grand Master and to Grand Lodge to fulfill part of the duties of the Grand Historian according to the book of Constitution “to record matters that are connected with the history of Freemasonry in Ontario.” Fifty years ago, on June 25, 1959, Queen Elizabeth and President Dwight David Eisenhower formally opened the St. Lawrence Seaway with a short cruise aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia. Now one Seaway “laker” or ocean carrier would carry the equivalent of 870 trucks or 225 rail cars of mineral ores, other raw materials, agricultural produce, manufactured goods, or other products by water to consumers around the world. The Great Lakes and their waterways were formed about 9,600 years ago and for us the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Seaway System (colloquially known as Highway H2O) stretches an imposing 3,100 kilometres from western prairie lands to the Atlantic Ocean in the east. It offered a rapid and efficient transportation route for the early inhabitants of today’s North America albeit with many obstacles such as falls and rapids. These often became portage points and gave rise to many small hamlets, villages and towns. Until 1959, three impediments prevented the full use of a water route: (1) the Lachine Rapids at Montreal, bypassed by a canal in 1825 which would, by World War II, become a bottleneck, (2) Niagara Falls, which would be bypassed with construction of the Welland Canal in four stages between 1829 and 1932, and (3) the many rapids along the St. Lawrence between Kingston and Montreal, particularly in the Long Sault area. After a decade of planning and construction the St. Lawrence Seaway would see Highway H2O become reality. BUT, the greatest physical impact of the St. Lawrence Seaway which is felt, even today, concerned the construction of the navigable channel through the Long Sault rapids as well as hydroelectric stations upriver from Cornwall and Massena. Lake Saint Lawrence, behind the Moses-Saunders dam, would flood land including that which had been occupied by six villages and four hamlets in Ontario (usually referred to as the “Lost Villages”), the site of first Upper Canada Village and for Canadians, an area which had seen several major battles during the War of 1812. The Lost Villages were located within Cornwall and Osnabruck townships — two of the original eight “Royal Townships” established along the St. Lawrence River in Upper Canada. This area was first settled by members of Sir John Johnson’s King’s Royal Regiment of New York. Surprisingly and often forgotten, parts of Iroquois and Morrisburg themselves would be moved rather than leave them to be inundated. In the case of Friendly Brothers’ Lodge 143 at Iroquois (established March 19, 1861), it would physically relocate as a result of the inundation and is still working. Excelsior Lodge 142 at Morrisburg (established January 4, 1861) would also be moved to higher ground and it worked until February 7, 2006 when it closed. Even in the twenty-first century, the descendants of people who were relocated, often unwillingly, still distinguish between the pre- and post-Seaway environment. Residents of Iroquois today still refer to “old Iroquois” and “new Iroquois” partly to preserve their linkage with the past. Fifty years after wards it is important to recall these villages and hamlets: Aultsville (originally called Charlesville until 1867). Its first store and tavern was opened in 1787 and its citizens played a major role in fighting during the War of 1812. It was a busy port town until 1934 and the opening of the International Bridge at Cornwall. By the 1950's the town had about 400 residents and as part of the agreement with Ontario Hydro many of the town homes were moved to the new village of Ingleside. The original Farran’s Point Lodge, No. 256, instituted at Farran’s Point on June 15, 1871 had relocated to 2 Aultsville in 1901 where shared facilities in the Temperance Hall were superior and membership potential was considered better. The Lodge later worked with other fraternal organizations in the construction of the Aultsville Fraternal Hall , remaining until the “great flood” of 1958 when it would remove into a purpose built Fraternal Hall (for Masons and Oddfellows) at Ingleside. With this move, the Lodge changed its name to “Farran-Ault” in memory of its two lost locations. The Lodge was a relatively strong country one whose membership peaked at 124 in 1934, fell to 99 by 1951 and grew to 107 by the time of the 1958 relocation to Ingleside. Dickinson’s Landing - was first settled during the 1600's by French traders at the end of a portage around the Long Sault Rapids where Barnabas Dickinson would establish the first government contracted boat and stagecoach mail service in 1815. It would boast 1,000 people by the mid-nineteenth century but decline thereafter with the advent of the Cornwall canal and the Grand Trunk Railway. With the Seaway inundation the population and many residences would be moved to Ingleside. The Lighthouse was removed to the new Upper Canada Village. John Ross Robertson wrote that Lodge No. 23 (Upper Canada — Antients) was working at Santa Cruz and Farren’s [sic] Point during 1810. It does not appear after this year in any records. Other than this tenuous reference, there was no resident Masonic Lodge and Freemasons would have travelled to those which were close by in Farran’s Point, Aultsville and Wales. Wales - just north of Dickinson’s landing, was settled about 1790 following the revolutionary war. Homes and a hotel grew up to service the agricultural area. Its original name of Dickinson’s Landing Station was changed in 1860 following a visit by the Prince of Wales. In spite of a disastrous fire (September 21, 1906), Wales provided support for the farms in the area. With the Seaway commissioning some buildings and homes on high ground survived and others were moved. Wales Lodge, No. 458 (instituted in October 1902) had a prosperous existence parallelling that of the town. With the Seaway inundation and move caused in 1958, the Lodge relocated to Long Sault where it occupied the former Moulinette United Church Hall which Ontario Hydro had removed to Long Sault to be used as a new Masonic Hall. Again we have a good strong country Lodge whose membership would grow from 21 in 1902 to 134 by 1930, fall through the depression to 116, and eventually regain its size at 129 in 1958 when it removed to Long Sault. Hopes for strong growth did not materialize and by 1985, membership had fallen to 69. Wales Lodge relocated to the new purpose built Fraternal Hall at Ingleside but the move did not halt the decline and on June 8, 2006 Wales Lodge amalgamated with Farran-Ault Lodge to form the Lost Villages Lodge, No. 256. Farran’s Point - first settled with a land grant given to Loyalist Jacob Farrand, an officer of the King’s Royal Regiment of New York. A small canal and lock was constructed in 1847 to deal with a sharp and rapid three-foot rise in the water affecting up-bound boats. Growth of this small rural town was good until the mid twentieth century with two Churches, schools, Stage Coach Inn, homes and other businesses. Here again homes and other buildings were moved before the inundation. The original Farran’s Point Lodge, No. 256 (instituted on June 15, 1871) figured in the community and the Lodge accompanied M. W. Bro. Richard Thomas Walkem, Grand Master, in laying the cornerstone of a new church in Avonmore in 1889. The Lodge relocated to Aultsville in 1901 where shared facilities were superior and membership potential was increased. Woodlands - settled by Loyalists in the 1790's the area never grew beyond “hamlet” size to service farmers in the area and provide a riverside summer vacation area. There was no resident Masonic Lodge and Freemasons would have travelled to those which were close by in other locales. Maple Grove - first settled by American born British officers receiving land grants after the revolution. In its prime Maple Grove contained the French Mills, a hotel, The Carriage House and Shop, a sports area for fishing and swimming and Lock 20 on the Cornwall Canal. It was here that the main Seaway power dam and generating station was constructed. Maple Grove’s cemetery with 317 graves was moved to an Anglican Cemetery near Cornwall, homes were removed and one was relocated to the new Upper Canada Village. There was no resident Masonic Lodge and Freemasons would have travelled to those which were close by in other locales. 3 Santa Cruz - three miles east of Farran’s Point, this hamlet grew up as a residential area for builders of the Williamsburg Canal and also served the adjacent farming community. By the 1930s and 1940s it had become a summer tourist area but was too small to have its buildings relocated. John Ross Robertson notes that brethren in and around the area of Dickenson’s Landing and Santa Cruz, with the recommendation of members of Athol Lodge No. 3 of Cornwall, applied to William Jarvis for a warrant and were supposed to have received Warrant No. 23 for Union Lodge in 1810.Robertson notes that there are no surviving records of the Lodge which, he says, met for some time in the Denning House at Farren’s [sic] Point.

Load more