History of Blackburn Hamlet - by Evelyn Budd Graphics
In the course of its pioneer existence the area acquired three names – Green’s Creek, “Daggville” and Blackburn (later divided into Blackburn Corners and Blackburn Station).
In 1784– it was a densely forested expanse used by the Indians as a hunting ground. Had no name nor had it been surveyed. The governor of the country lived in Quebec and from that thriving town he issued an Order in 1783 that affected Gloucester to be.
A great on-rush of Untied Empire Loyalists coming from the south was heading for British protection on the north shore of the St. Lawrence between what is now Cornwall and Kingston. But the triangle formed by the Rideau, Ottawa and St. Lawrence rivers – belonged to the Mississauga Indians. Accordingly then the triangle was “purchase “ from them (1783) in the name of the King and an order was issued for new townships to be surveyed. Gloucester was completed likely by 1820.
Early in nineteenth century, this district was bought from the government by a Mr. Erskine for a timber limit. It extended several miles along the Ottawa river and as far south as the Mer Blue. When the timer was exhausted the land was bought from the government in lots of 200 hundred acres for farms (50 cents an acre)
The first settlers would be Armstrong, John Kemp, the Daggs (Richard, John and Thomas,) William Purdy, William Bradley, William and Thomas Wilson, John Farmer, Andrew Daly, John Hall, Richard Dowler, John Holden, R. McArdel, Andrew Daley, Robert Hurs, John McGrath, John Coughlan, William Price, Robert Perrault and a family named the Coombs.
The epic feat of the middle Victorian years was the building a new road or short route to Bytown. Green’s Creek – Mud Creek and miles of the worst sort of country that anyone could think of consisted of deep muck, blue clay, swamp, dense bush, etc. The farmers east of the two creeks, as far east as Navan, gave their service free and worked for months in mud. Others unable to work paid into a fund of which laborers were hired. It took two years and it was once this was opened that Blackburn became a ‘Corners’. Blackburn Corners consisted of a post office, blacksmith shop, farmers and gardeners.
The area derives its name from Robert Blackburn, M.P. for Russell, who in the 1880’s went to the Post Office Department to request the establishment of a post office for the settlement.
The “1834” inscribed on the three Blackburn entrance signs refers to the year that an official census documented that families were living in the Blackburn area.
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