Kinmount Gazette KINMOUNT GAZETTE COM MITTEE THE KINMOUNT COMMITTEE FOR PLANNING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT June 2012 Volume 4: Issue 8 Summer is Here! Inside this issue: FRIENDS & NEIGHBOURS 2 MYTHBUSTERS 4 HERITAGE FAIR 6 KID’S CORNER 9 THE HOT STOVE 11 HIGH FIVE 15 WAR OF 1812 16 DIAMOND JUBILEE 17 EDITORIAL 19 Visit us at kinmount.ca All issues available online CANADA DAY PARTY 5 pm Sunday, July 1 Activities, Entertainment, BBQ Kinmount Fairgrounds FIREWORKS AT DUSK HERITAGE IN THE VILLAGE July 12 Music in the Park & BBQ with Downeyville Fiddlers & Friends 6:30 pm July 13 Ghost Tour 8:30 pm Railway Station July 13/14 Christmas in July Clockwise from top left: a volunteer greets Craft Sale visitors to the Model Railway; Megan tidies the July 14 Moonlight Mania gardens in the Cenotaph; a local yard sale; Family Fun comfy seats in the Tourist Information; the Arti- Main Street sans Marketplace welcomes shoppers; the 4:00 pm - 9:00 pm Highlands Cinemas is open for another season. FREE VENDOR SPACE! BRING A YARD SALE! The Legend of Silver Slipper Call 705-488-2961 to book continues next month... Kinmount Gazette essary functions in pioneer Canada. Friends and Neighbours: Ennismore They also brought diseases with The settlement of Ennismore Upper Canada, lots purchased lies were large and names them including cholera and small- Township was part of the for re-sale by the Canada Com- seemed to be in short supply. In pox which established settlers Peter Robinson migration in pany and lots granted to Abra- the 1861 census, there were 70 wished to avoid. the 1820s (see previous May ham Nelles, a surveyor , in lieu Sullivans listed with the follow- The earliest settlers loved their 2012 Gazette). Ennismore of cash payment for surveying ing first names: ―strong liquors‖, and the township Township was originally the county. (Nelles actually John – 8 soon supported 7 taverns. In the called the ―Gore of Emily‖. In received 12,000 acres for his Cornelius – 8 1890s, a dry priest was appointed to old English a ―gore‖ was a survey duties: a substantial Mary – 7 Ennismore parish. He identified piece of land attached to a sum for his services!). This set Patrick -6 alcohol as a leading social blight on larger piece but separate; like up meant vacant farm land was Bridget – 4 the township, so he quickly set a peninsula. Ennismore was a available in Ennismore for Eugene – 3 about banishing the taverns. Under large peninsula surrounded by several decades. Johnanna – 3 his influence, the township council Pigeon Lake to the west, The earliest settlers decided Margaret – 3 voted to raise the tavern licence fee Buckhorn Lake to the north & the title Gore of Emily was a Hannah – 3 to $600, effectively pushing the east and Chemong Lake to the clumsy title for the Township, Catherine – 3 taverns out of business. Now some south. The only land access so a new name was necessary. Bartholemew – 3 disgruntled bar owners were tempt- was in the southwest from Since they were almost exclu- Timothy – 2 ed to ignore the licence and operate Emily Township. When Vic- sively Irish, several Irish Michael – 2 under the table. So the priest placed toria & Peterborough Coun- names were suggested includ- The census also contained 35 a curse on those who sold alcohol: ties were separated in the ing ―Dinglehole‖ and Shanahans, 24 Collins‘ plus lots their establishments would burn to 1850s, Emily went to Victoria ―Gallivanville‖; but in the end of Curtains, Hickson, Scollard, the ground if they tried to ignore while Ennismore was placed the more appropriate name Galvin, Flood, Hickey, Galvin, the law. After the first two trans- in Peterborough County. Ennismore was selected. In Conway, O‘Connor, Young and gressors did in fact have their busi- Ennismore is the second Gaelic, Ennismore means many others. Needless to say, nesses destroyed by fire, the curse smallest township in Peterbor- ―large meadow-island‖. Sever- there were lots of nicknames was taken seriously! A century lat- ough County and was truly al of the Irish settlers had been used . Second generations of er, another lodge attempted to oper- limited in size due to geogra- tenant farmers of Viscount these families became settlers in ate a bar room; it also burned phy. Ennismore residents Ennismore back in southern the Kinmount area. down! Was the curse still in effect? gravitated to Peterborough Ireland. Over the next few dec- In 1846, the Great Potato Fam- In true Irish tradition, there was City via Bridgenorth. Origi- ades, a smattering of new set- ine hit Ireland leading to mil- never a proper village or town in nally this required a danger- tlers arrived to purchase farms lions of poor, desperate Irish Ennismore. The centre of the town- ous lake crossing, first by lots and fill-in the settlement settlers flooding North America. ship was, and continues to be, a boat and later by floating gaps. Most of these newcomers Oddly enough, the earlier Peter settlement first know as ―The bridge, but that is another were friends & relatives of the Robinson group did not accept Cross‖ and now called simply story! earlier Peter Robinson mi- these newcomers. The originals Ennismore. It started off in true The Peter Robinson settlers grants. It certainly helped were 2 decades removed from Irish style as a Church, to which consisted of 68 families. Each when these first settlers an- Ireland and had become quite were added a school ,Post Office, was given a 100 acre lot. The nounced their township as ―the acclimatized to Canada. Many of blacksmith shop, several stores and rest of the township was di- Holy Land‖ to friends back in the second wave were labourers a tavern; all grouped around a cross vided among 3 groups: lots Ireland! or ―garden Irish‖ who didn‘t roads in the centre of the settle- for sale by the government of Among the early settlers, fami- know how to wield an axe, hitch ment. The church was for several a horse or plow ground: all nec- decades administered first from Peterborough as a mission, then from Downeyville as a branch. The old log church was soon outgrown, and a new church St Martins of Tours built for the large congrega- tion. By 1890, Ennismore received a long overdue designation as an independent parish. Today the ―Cross‖ is known as Ennismore Post Office, and still contains a Church, Community Centre/Arena, Post Office school St. Martin’s Parish Buildings, 1910; St. Martin’s Church, and a store. But the name 1874; St. Martin’s Rectory, 1880; Parish Hall and Ennismore is still applied to the Ennismore Continuation School, 1905 whole Township, and not just the Page 2 Kinmount Gazette Chemong Lake Floating Bridge & Causeway The Kawartha Lakes, for all their 1,000‘ and the rest being the true beauty, can be a dreadful nui- floating bridge. Capacity was only sance to transportation and travel. five tons. Anything heavier would There are only so many cause the floating sections to sink ―narrows‖ that can be easily or submerge in the water. School bridged for north-south move- buses would unload the students to ment by road. The Township of walk across while stock trucks of- Ennismore has such a problem. It ten had to walk their loads across as is virtually surrounded by water well. The bridge was impassable and separated from its main cen- during much of the winter and tre at Bridgenorth by the expanse windy days created havoc! Some- of Chemong Lake. The easiest (ie times a section would break away shortest route) from Ennismore to and had to be retrieved. Ice & water Bridgenorth and hence Peterbor- spray made the deck slippery and ough City was strait across the many was the car that slid through lake. It was a long detour to go the weak wooden railings and end- around Chemong Lake. ed up at the bottom of Chemong The earliest settlers rowed across Lake. the lake by canoe, scow or barge. Legend has it the Catholic Priest Bad weather and winter were who blessed the bridge proclaimed huge deterrents to travel by wa- nobody would ever drown from ter. Drownings were frequent and falling off the bridge. In fact, no- the whole agonizing trip made body ever did drown off the bridge: life difficult. The next solution a miracle indeed! But lots of vehi- was a floating bridge. The first cles did play submarine. They were floating bridge was opened in supposed to be retrieved from their 1870 at the cost of a mere $1,000. underwater graves. One story goes Ice from the spring breakup was a diver was brought in to help re- a problem, and in 1880 a second trieve a sunken car and led to the floating bridge was installed. spot of the demise. He went down, This one was made of lighter resurfaced and asked the owner for wood and was built in sections to the make, model, colour and prefer- allow flexibility. It was anchored ably serial number. Evidently it was to the bottom of Mud Lake (as a busy spot ! Chemong was originally called) The residents of Ennismore were by chains and large rocks. A re- still dissatisfied with the floating movable section was installed to bridge and as early 1932 petitioned allow for the passage of boats for a causeway. But the cost was from lower Chemong Lake into exorbitant and the idea languished the Trent Canal. The second until 1948 when a more determined bridge lasted 20 years until it too petition was made to the new Prem- was beyond repair.