More than 100 years of banking

1908 McLaughlin Buick

Few things in Marmora have endured longer than the bank - our churches,  some home and buildings,  the Marmora Herald and headstones.  The first bank was owned by A.W. Carscallen at 53 Forsyth St. The turn of the century saw the Sovereign bank,  which became the Dominion Bank in 1908.

Banking in  Marmora has survived through two world wars,  was there through the building of the Town Hall in 1913 and the Memorial Building in 1928.  It witnessed the change from the Canadian Red Ensign to the flag we know today.

As the backbone of the community,  the bank lent councils money,  bailed out the Protestant Cemetery in the '30's,  financed the two arenas and our schools.  When the Dominion Bank opened its doors in 1908,  gold filled spectacles could be purchased through the Sears & Roebuck catalogue for $1.85,  a 9 piece solid oak dining room suite could be had for $62.35,  a Winchester repeating shotgun sold for $13.00 and men's wool and fleece long johns sold for 69 cents a pair.  Marmora  had dirt sidewalks and horse and buggy were the method of transportation.  It wasn't until 1938 with the construction of the rock cut that highway #7 joined Marmora to the rest of Ontario.

That year the Montreal Wanderers beat Toronto Maple Leafs 6-4 for the Stanley Cup.  The first gold sovereign was struck at the Royal Mint.  The McLaughlin-Buick company was formed,  using the McLaughlin body and the Buick engine,  and Anne of Green Gables was published,  promising to be one of the bestselling novels of that year.

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65,536 great grandparents!

We all know that everyone has two parents, four grandparents, and eight great grandparents, but have you ever thought about the fact that, if you go back 15 generations, you have  65,536 g+grand-parents?!...and that only takes you back to the 1600's. That's a lot of people coming together to add up to you.

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Main Street Ruins

The ruins on Main Street above the dam are the footprints of the main buildings of the Pearce Company, whose mills and yards covered this ledge right down to the Crowe River. For over fifty years, logs were driven downstream to feed the water-powered saws of the Pearce Mills. The thriving family business was also based on a woolen mill, retail stores and even Marmora's first hydroelectric plant, powered by the waters of the Crowe River.

The Crowe Lake Steamers - 1893

On May 11, 1893, it was announced that Captain John Devlin was to command the steamer "Helen" to make daily trips to the head of Crowe Lake and the fishing grounds. By 1910, Marmora was named "Venice of the North" with new ship building centre and another steamer, "Christina" was blowing her whistle up the lake (for some, too late at night!).

The Marmora Brickyard - 1880

Marmora's first commercial brickyard (now known as Nayler's Common) was made prosperous by brick-maker John W. Nayler in the early 1880's and 90's.

The clay in the pond area was baked in kilns on this property.The kilns were built by hand and fired by wood continually for at least a week using 40 to 60 cords of soft wood at a firing.About 75,000 bricks would be baked in the kilns at least three times a year.

Many of the red brick homes and business establishments were built with bricks from Nayler's brickyard.Charles Bleecker's residence on Madoc Street (1887),Dr. Parkin's house on Forsyth Street (1888),A.W. Carscallen's thirty room residence on Forsyth (1901),Gladney and McDonnell's Store (1909) and Pringle's Corner Building (1914).

      Bleecker House, Madoc & Victoria

The Carscallen House,  55 Forsyth St., Marmora

By 1911,the clay in the pond area ran out and the brickyard remained abandoned for years.The Village of Marmora purchased 22 acres of the property surrounding the brickyard with the intention that it would be developed for public use.On August 16, 1994,  Nayler's Common,Wetland and Trails were officially opened to the public.

Nayler's Common Grand opening, Bridget Stevens, Guy Follen, Joe Hulsmans, Clarence Logan (sign maker)

The Marmora Town Hall 1913

The Marmora Village Town Hall, built in 1913, has served as Law Courts, Badminton courts, Movie Theatre, and Operating theatre for tonsillectomies. It has swung to the sounds of minstrel music, reverberated with the laughter of vaudeville, and rung to the rally cries of union leaders, recruiting officers and politicians, including Prime Minister Arthur Meighen, and Provincial Premiers, Howard Ferguson and Bob Rae.
Let us know if you know of any other uses of the past.

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Blairton, A Going Concern - 1868

Been to Blairton lately? By 1868, when Blairton was in full swing, the mining company built 40 cottages for its employees. The business section was laid out in an "H", with 3 general stores, two bakeshops, three hotels (Purdy House was one) and two boarding houses. There was a post office, operated by Roger Bates, a school, railway station, numerous liveries and blacksmith shops. By 1882, it was all done, and all assets, including 30,000 acres of land were sold to T.P. Pearce for $30,200.00. Even the old Methodist church was packed up and shipped to a farm in Moose Jaw!

Read more about Blairton.....click here

                                                      Blairton Mine - Manager's House

The Naming of Blairton - 1860's

Blairton was named after Mr. Blair, who was the largest shareholder in the Cobourg, Peterborough & Marmora Railway and Mining Co., that planned to take iron ore from the Blairton Mine to Cobourg. From there, it was shipped to Rochester and finally delivered to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (1860's)

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Poor Humpty Dumpty - 1648

Humpty Dumpty was the name given to a Royalist cannon mounted on St. Mary's Church, Colchester, England, at the time of the 1648 siege of the town during the Civil War?
General Fairfax, commander of the Parliamentary forces brought two "culverins" which brought down the belltower with the cannon. Apparently all the kings horses and all the kings men could not put Humpty together again.

Canadian Swimming Champions - 1938

In 1938 Crowe Lake was host to three Canadian swimming champions who gave a brief exhibition of their talents. They were Miss Thelma Bougnner of the Toronto Dalphinets and Canadian and Michigan Diving champion; Miss Halena Tomska of the Detroit Athletic Club, holder of 6 American records and Canadian champion of 100 yards free style and back stroke; and Gordon Kerr, champion back stroker and holder 10 Canadian records. Mrs. Kerr was the niece of Mrs. Cora Bleecker.

Halena Tomska