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[The name of the village is
derived from the name given to the river flowing through it. But who named
the stream, or when named, or why so called, the author has not been able
authentically to find out, but it is said to have been given by one of the
surveyors of the township who was born near the river Tees, in England.]
The present flourishing
village of Teeswater commenced to take form in 1856, when the owners of
farm lots Nos. 15 and 16, on each of the concessions 6 and 7, in the
township of Culross, had a survey made of portions of their farm lots
dividing them into village lots. The names of the owners of these farm
lots so subdivided were Messrs. P, B. Brown, Alex. Gibson, Ira Fulford and
Matthew Hadwin. In the preceding chapter it will be noted that two of
these lots were first taken up in 1854 by Alexander and Archibald
McIntyre, but who surrendered their squatter's claim, owing to the promise
Mr. Brown gave of erecting a grist mill at that point. The first mill dam
was erected by Mr. Brown in the summer of 1855, and in the fall of that
year he had a sawmill started. In the course of a couple of years a grist
mill also was built and running. The presence of these mills at this early
date, with ample water-power, together with the establishing of a
post-office, [The post-office was established September 1st, 1856. Mathew
Hadwin being the first postmaster.] give assurance that a village would
develop at this point. In addition to the advantages just mentioned, the
site of the village being almost in the centre of the township, made it
the "hub" of the municipality, as well as an excellent distributing point.
Like other villages in the backwoods with only a local trade, its growth
for years was very slow. In 1861 all it contained, besides private
dwellings, were two stores, two taverns and a grist and sawmill, with a
weekly mail service. By 1866 the following industries had been added to
the village: A foundry, founded by David Fairbairn, Jr., a tannery and a
pearl ash factory.
The prospect of a railway
coming to Teeswater gave an impetus to the growth of the village. In the
strenuous contest throughout the county, in 1869, as to which railway was
to receive the promised county bonus, Teeswater and the township of
Culross at large fought hard for the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Railway, and,
as may be imagined, the inhabitants were by no means satisfied when the
Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway Company obtained the majority of the
votes cast throughout the county. Determined to have a railway, the
question of granting the bonus to the Toronto, Grey and Bruce Company from
the township and village was suggested and carried. The township as a
whole, including at that time the village of Teeswater, gave a bonus of
$38,000. In addition to this, that part of the township which afterwards
became incorporated into the village of Teeswater gave a sectional bonus
of $5,000, making a total of $43,000 received by the railway company.
There is no doubt that the
railway has proved the making of the village of Teeswater, a fact which
has justified the granting of such a large bonus. The initial step in the
construction of the railway, which has had Teeswater as its western
terminus for so many years, was the turning of the first sod at Weston, in
October, 1869, by H.R.H. Prince Arthur. The payment of the bonus to this
railway promised by the Government seemed to have been delayed somewhat,
which prolonged the time of construction, so that it was November 16th,
1874, before the first passenger train reached Teeswater. This train
brought up a large number of those who were interested in the road, who
were warmly greeted on their arrival, and to whom a banquet was given that
evening. The number of arrivals was so much in excess of the accommodation
which could be furnished by the hotels in the village of Teeswater at that
date, that although many of the citizens hospitably threw open their homes
to the visitors, yet many of them slept that night on benches in the town
hall.
Teeswater as a separate
municipal corporation commenced its existence on the 1st January, 1875,
the by-law authorizing this having been passed by the County Council on
June 5th, 1874. The first Council consisted of the following members:
Alexander Gibson, reeve; J. Fraser, T. Stephens, J. Ballagh and M. Hadwin,
councillors. Wellington McVety was appointed village clerk, and Thomas
McKague, village treasurer. In a footnote are to be found the names of
those who have filled the office of reeve from 1875 to 1906.
[The names of the reeves of
the village of Teeswater: A. Gibson 1875 '76; Jas. Fraser, 1877, '79; T.
Shannon, 1878; T. Stephens, 1880, '81 '83' '90, '91; T. Fairbairn, 1882,
'86, '87, '88; W. R. Thompson, 1884 '85' '94, '95, '96; L. A. Brink, 1889,
1900, '01; John Campbell, 1892, '93; Dugald Stewart, 1897; W. G. Orr,
1898; D. Donaldson, 1899; S R Brill' 1902; Peter Purves, 1903; D.
Ferguson, 1904, '05; W. J. Hardy 1906.]
The basis of settlement
between the township of Culross and the newly incorporated village of
Teeswater, arrived at at the time of the separation, regarding the
apportionment of assets and liabilities, was based upon the assessment
roll of 1874 in the proportion of 31/34s, for the township, and 3/34s. for
the village. This resulted in the village receiving at that time from the
township $120 of funds for the current year in the hands of the township
treasurer, and $281 of sinking funds raised on account of the sectional
bonus to the railway. On the other hand, the village undertook to pay, by
way of sinking fund and interest on its share of the $38,000 railway bonus
debentures annually, the sum of $103 for sinking fund, and $135 for
interest, until the maturity of the debentures. The village also gave a
debenture to the township for $1,300 for the township's share in the real
estate known as Edmunds Square. Since the time of separation the village
has undertaken extensive local improvements, which called for issues of
debentures as follows: For water works, $9,000; for public park, $1,500;
for granolithic sidewalks, $7,847; for additions and repairs to water
works, $1,550, and Arscott loan, $2,000.
The town hall dates back to
the days when it was the township hall of Culross, it having been erected
before the village and township separated. The present fine school
building is the third the village has possessed. The first was erected
about 1858, and was also the first building of its kind in the township of
Culross; its site was on lot 34, north of Elora Street, but the building
has long ceased to be. It has been described as a square log building with
a cottage roof. A description of the interior said: The teacher's desk
occupied the north end of the school-room. Facing this were two rows of
long desks with an aisle between; there were also aisles between the desks
and the east and west walls. In these aisles were low benches, on which
the smaller scholars sat. Peter Clark was the first teacher, a position he
held for two and a half years. He was succeeded by a Mr. Gordon, who came
from Whitby. The second school building was a fine stone structure that
afforded accommodation for three departments. The cost of this building
was about $2,000. The present school building was erected in 1878 at a
cost of about $6,000. It is built of white brick and is of two stories in
height, with a mansard roof, and has provision for four departments.
Another municipal asset,
and one that shows wise prudence and forethought, is the system of water
works installed for fire protection. It was in 1889 that this public
utility was constructed, costing the town about $9,000. After being in use
for sixteen years it was necessary (in 1905) to spend some $1,550 for
repairs and improvements. The cost to the town has been more than made up
indirectly by the reduced rates of fire insurance premiums, as well as in
prevention of fire loss.
The public park, purchased
by the town in 1896 at a cost of $1,500 is another possession that the
village may contemplate with satisfaction. More and more the necessity of
public grounds of this description is being felt, and future generations
will be pleased to have this space for purposes of relaxation and
amusement.
The first minister that is
said to have held a public religious service at Teeswater was the Rev. A.
Bradshaw, of the Episcopal Methodist Church, who was stationed, in 1855,
at Kincardine. In 1856 the Rev. William Maidens was settled at Teeswater.
He was the first minister of that denomination in the village. His early
successors were the following, in the order named: Rev. J. Davey, Rev. J.
M. Collins, and in 1860 Rev. J. H. Hilts, a man whom the author remembers
with respect and appreciation. Mr. Hilts was a good example of a type of
backwoods preacher of half a century ago. His Christian zeal, sound grasp
of evangelical truth and forceful expression of the same, excused all
defects arising from the lack of a college training.
The Wesleyan Methodists
also entered this field at an early date. Their first settled minister was
the Rev. Thomas Hadwin. He was stationed at Teeswater in 1856-1857, and
was succeeded by the Rev. Ed. Sallows, and he by the Rev. William Sutton.
The present Methodist Church at Teeswater was erected in 1879 at a cost of
about $5,500.
As early as 1856 the Free
Church Presbytery of London sent the Rev. John Scott to minister to the
spiritual needs of the Presbyterians in the vicinity of Teeswater,
following this up by sending other ministers. As a result a congregation
was organized, which proceeded to erect a place of worship. All this was
before the end of the "fifties." The Rev. Adam McKay was the first
minister. His pastorate lasted from 1862 to 1870. In the last-mentioned
year the congregation divided, part continued to worship in the old
church, which then became known as Zion Church, with the Rev. Peter Currie
as its minister. The seceding part of the original congregation worshipped
for about a year and a half in the town hall, and then erected a church
building that bore the name of Westminster Church.
The Rev. D. Wardrope was
the pastor of this congregation from 1871 to 1886, and the Rev. James
Malcolm from 1888 to 1905. During the ministry of the last-mentioned
clergyman the two congregations became united. They now worship in the old
church building, which at present bears the name of Knox Church. The Rev.
D. Tait is at present the minister over the united congregation. The
author is pleased to be able to insert here an account, which appeared in
the Teeswater News, written by James Reid, that vividly tells of the early
life of the Presbyterian congregation, and of other incidents of pioneer
days, as follows: "Your correspondent came to Culross in September, 1854.
In the summer of 1855 some twelve of us met at the corners of Samuel
Wood's lots on the 8th concession, now owned by Mr. David McDonald, to
consider about purchasing a plot of ground in which to bury our dead, and
on which to erect a church in which to worship God. Those south of the
river overruled those north of the river, and it was agreed to purchase
two acres on the 4th concession from Mr. Thomas Nicholson, for the sum of
$40. This is the site of the present Teeswater cemetery. At the same
meeting some one inquired if there was no one present who knew of any
minister whom they knew who could be written to and asked to give us a
sermon or two, as we were getting hungry, not having heard a sermon for
nine or ten months. Alex. Graham, who lived on the 10th concession, where
the Henderson family now lives, said he would write to Rev. John B. Mowat,
of Niagara, who came in September of the same year, 1855, and preached in
Mr. Gibson's shanty, that being the only place at the time where a meeting
could be held. This was the first sermon preached in Teeswater by a
Presbyterian minister After this Rev. John Ross, of Brucefield, preached a
few times. These two men advised us not to put up the church on the 4th
concession, but to put it where the village was likely to be. In the
spring of 1856 James Reid put up his first house, expecting his mother and
brother from the province of Quebec, but as they did not come he lived on
in his old shanty, and his house was used as a church during the summers
of 1856 and 1857.. The Presbytery of London, of which Rev. John Scott was
moderator, sent up a preacher now and then during these years to keep us
alive until better times came. Among those who visited us then were
"William Clark, who was an elder and catechist; Rev. Donald McLean, who
was for a time stationed at Mount Forest, and Rev. John McMillan, of
Fingal, who was afterwards also many years in Mount Forest. In October,
1857, the Presbytery sent up Rev. Alex. Young and Mr. Sutherland, two
powerful preachers of the Gospel, and these two dispensed the sacrament of
the Lord's Supper for the first time in Culross. Mr. Young preached in
English in the house, and Mr. Sutherland in Gaelic in the barn. This
solemn feast was observed in the good old way—four days preaching—on
Thursday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday, the last being a day for the giving
of thanks. On Thursday it was found necessary to have elders appointed for
the Sabbath services, so the ministers asked Mr. Gibson whom he would
recommend. After some consideration he named John McDonald and Hugh
McDonald, both from the 8th concession, and Hector McKay, the catechist,
who lived on the 11th concession, where Thomas Ross now lives. The
last-named preached in Gaelic to the people living in the region known as
the Alps. In those days there was a much clearer line between the church
and the world than there is at present. Many of us now ask, Where is the
church for which our forefathers died. The Sabbath at present has become a
day of business, pleasure and toil rather than a day of worship. During
the times of these communion services in the early days James Reid, then a
bachelor living in his shanty, made the minister's dinner for them. Mrs.
Gibson's shanty was the manse, and she hung up a carpet across the room to
make a bedroom for the ministers. The shanty was covered with elm bark.
One night a severe rainstorm came up and Mr. Gibson had to put an umbrella
over the ministers to keep them dry. Compare that manse with the present
one. Little do the ministers of the present day know about the
difficulties of the pioneer church. Mr. and Mrs. Gibson were very kind to
all the ministers in those early days, and their house was made the
preacher's home. They probably did more for the church in those early days
than any other persons in Culross. The ground on which Knox Church stands
was a gift from him, and yet his name appears in no place in the church
records. In the winter of 1857-1858 the Presbytery sent up Rev. John McKay
to us. An uncle of his, the Rev. A. McKay, of Lucknow, was also with us
for three months, and boarded with Mr. Reid. Before he left in the
following spring the contract of the first Presbyterian Church in
Teeswater was let to a man named Westover, who lived on the 12th
concession of Culross. The church was not completed until 1862. In that
same summer the congregation extended a call to Rev. Adam McKay, and he
was ordained and inducted into the charge. He was the first regularly
settled Presbyterian minister in Teeswater or Culross. Previous to this
time, in the fall of 1856, Rev. John Scott, of London, preached in Mr. P.
B. Brown's grist-mill, before the machinery was put in, and on the
following Monday he baptized sixteen children."
The Church of England
congregation worship in a brick edifice erected in 1875, the cost of which
was about $2,300. The Baptists had their church built in 1876. The Roman
Catholic Church was dedicated by the Bishop of Hamilton, September 15th,
1878. In the following July a bell, which had been imported from
Baltimore, was hung in the steeple, and has rung out its calls to worship
since. Rev. Father Corcoran has been in charge of this congregation for
over a quarter of a century.
For many years one of the
leading, if not the leading industry, of the village was the foundry and
agricultural implement works of Messrs. Gillies & Martin. The business was
established in 1869 by James Fraser. Shortly after commencing business
Archibald Gillies was admitted into partnership. In April, 1878, Mr.
Fraser retired, and his place in the firm was taken by James Martin. The
original firm had met a serious loss by fire, which occurred November 4th,
1877. The loss was estimated at the time to be about $20,000, but the
buildings destroyed were soon rebuilt and in an enlarged form. In May,
1892, the firm extended its capacity by opening up a branch at Listowel,
where they erected some fine buildings. The agricultural implements
manufactured by this firm have a wide market throughout the Dominion.
The first medical men to
settle at Teeswater are said to have been Dr. John F. Halstead and Dr.
James Murphy. The stay of neither was of any length. Dr. John Gillies, one
of the leading men of the village for over a third of a century, came to
Teeswater in August, 1867. Having acquired a large practice he accumulated
money and established a private bank, which was for years the sole
financial institution of the village. This business he disposed of to the
Sovereign Bank not long before his death. Dr. Gillies was the village
treasurer for many years. His death occurred August 10th, 1905.
Another honorable citizen
of Teeswater now passed away was W. R. Thomson. He commenced business
there about the end of the seventies as a cooper. Possessing a keen
business instinct and abundance of energy, he developed a large lumber
manufacturing business, exporting largely to England of his products.
The name of S. E. Brill is
one largely known in the dairy world, the creamery he established at
Teeswater being one of the first, if not the first, in the county.
L. A. Brink, the present
postmaster, has been prominently connected with Teeswater for the last
thirty years, filling the office of reeve and county commissioner, and has
been called upon to fill other responsible positions by his
fellow-citizens. As a produce merchant he has done much to make Teeswater
a good grain market.
The Teeswater News, the
local paper of the village and township, was first issued in 1874, G. T.
Hagyard being the publisher and editor. Since that date it has passed
through the hands of Thomas Fairbairn, A. G. Stewart, A. Colwell, Alex.
Butchart, and at present is under the editorship of A. D. McKenzie.
In the fall of 1901 an
effort was made by those owning lands within the village, used solely for
farming purposes (which amounted to 187 acres), to have the same detached
from the village and attached to the township. E. E. Little and Charles
Thomson supported the petition brought before the County Council. This
body passed the required by-law, which, however, the arbitrators pointed
out, was void, as the lands to be detached reduced the area of the village
below that specified by statute.
Like many villages in this
section of the province, Teeswater has felt the repressive effect of a
railway monopoly, and hopes for a future when it may enjoy the privilege
of competitive railways, and thereby bring an era of prosperity and
progress to the village. |
