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[The name borne by the
village is supposed to have been given in honor of the Earl of Elgin,
Governor-General at the time the village began to take form.]
As mentioned in the
preceding Chapter, the first person to settle in the bush that covered the
present site of Port Elgin village was Lachlan ("Loch Buie") McLean. The
summer of 1849 had seen him engaged at the Pishing Islands. After the work
of the season there was over, he found his way to Port Elgin Bay. The
supply of provisions he had was small; nevertheless he made up his mind to
settle there for the winter at least. On land lying just north of Market
Street he built a shanty, in which he kept a tavern for several years. His
patrons consisted principally of the settlers in Saugeen, Bruce and
Elderslie, and of land-seekers going into these townships. The amount of
travel past "Loch Buie's" was by no means inconsiderable before the
erection of Burgess' (now McCalder's) bridge, as the route taken by
travellers going to the townships above named from Southampton was along
the lake shore as far as the bay at Port Elgin; there it struck inland. At
"Loch Buie's" the heavy loads of flour or other supplies the settler had
carried on his back thus far were set down, and rest and refreshments were
sought.
George Butchart, one of the
very earliest of the pioneers of Bruce, came to the county with the idea
of engaging in lumbering operations on the Saugeen. Perceiving how much
more easily a dam could be erected across Mill Creek than the wide Saugeen
River, not to mention the difference in cost, he in the spring of 1852
commenced the erection of a dam and saw-mill on Mill Creek, at a point now
within the village limits. This mill he operated for a couple of years, to
the great convenience of immediate settlers, until 1854, when he sold the
water privilege and sawmill to Benjamin Shantz and moved to Baie de Dore.
Mr. Shantz, on becoming possessed of the property, commenced the erection
of a grist mill, which was completed in 1855.
There is always a reason
why for the originating and developing, or not doing so, of an industrial
and trading centre in new settlements. This in some cases is none too
apparent, as is shown in Appendix N, where there is given the names of a
number of places in this county which at first promised well, but failed
to develop. In the case of Port Elgin, however, we see a village that
rapidly developed, although handicapped by close proximity to another
village which possessed the advantage of an earlier start, and which also
was expected to be made the county town; and yet for several decades the
younger village was the most prosperous of the two. This is largely
attributable to the men who founded or afterwards lived in the village of
Port Elgin. Its founders were Henry Hilker, [Henry Hilker was born near
Heidelburg, Germany, in 1824. When ten years of age he went, with his
father, to Jamaica. Their stay there lasted only until 1837, when they
came to Canada and settled at Preston. In the fall of 1852 Mr. Hilker came
to Bruce. After taking up land, part of which is now in Port Elgin
village, he returned to Waterloo. In the following spring he brought his
family with him to his bush farm. From then until his death (which
occurred January 2nd, 1900) Mr. Hilker was constantly engaged in
enterprises which helped to make Port Elgin all that it is to-day. As a
member of the firm of Ruby & Hilker, merchants and grain buyers, his name
became widely known throughout the county. The Commercial Block, built by
him, and in which the firm carried on business, has few to equal it in
appearance outside of our cities. Mr. Hilker held the reeveship of Saugeen
for three years, and that of the village for seven years. For many years
he was a member of the United Brethren Church, but latterly he united with
the Presbyterian Church.] Samuel Bricker, [E. N. Brower was the original
squatter on lot 9, concession 8, township of Saugeen (now part of the
village plot). His rights were purchased by Samuel Bricker.] Clement
Sieffert, Benjamin Shantz, [George Butchart was the original squatter on
lot 41, lake range, township Saugeen (now part of the village plot). His
rights were purchased by Benjamin Shantz.] Martin Hoover and John
Stafford. The presence of a mill and a tavern located at cross-roads
possibly formed the nucleus for the village, and the above-mentioned
energetic, resolute men supplied the necessary enterprise which evolved
from a settlement in the bush the thriving village of Port Elgin. It was
in 1852,. 1853 and 1854 that the above-mentioned men settled on the farm
lots which afterwards they had surveyed into village lots. [The date of
the plan of the survey is March 2nd, 1857. ] Prior to the survey portions
of the farm lots had been sold for building purposes, but only to a
limited extent. Confirming this, the author has been told by Mr. J. C.
Kennedy that when he came to Port Elgin, in September, 1855, the village
then consisted of but seven houses, of which two were taverns kept by John
Stafford and H. Hilker. The author has been fortunate in receiving from A.
H. E. Kennedy a letter, giving interesting particulars regarding the early
settlement of Port Elgin. The letter was accompanied by a map, showing the
corners at the crossing of the eighth concession road by the Goderich and
Saugeen Road, now the corner of Mill and Goderich Streets, Port Elgin. On
the northeast corner of lot 40, Lake Range (now block 47) stood John
Stafford's tavern. Across the road, on the north-west corner of lot 9,
concession 8 (now block 1) was E. N. Brower's shanty, and on the southeast
corner of lot 41, Lake Range (now block 68), was the log house in which
Mr. Kennedy kept store. In his letter he says:
"I was the first
store-keeper in the township of Saugeen, having opened a store in what is
now the village of Port Elgin on May 27th, 1854. At that time the village
contained only three houses, a tavern unfinished log-house that I bought
for a store, that had been built by a Mr. Butchart, who had sold out to
Benjamin Shantz before I went to Saugeen. I bought the house and 1-4 acre
of land on the corner from Benjamin Shantz. After opening my store the
people got me to petition the Post Office Department to establish a
post-office. The petition was granted, and I was appointed postmaster. The
post-office was named Normanton [This office at first was known as "Normanton,"
a name it bore until April 1st, 1874, when the post-office authorities
consented to change it to Port Elgin. A. H. R. Kennedy continued to act as
postmaster for about a year, when he was succeeded by John J. Lehnen, who
held the position until 1864. Archibald Boy was the next postmaster. On
his death, in 1868, his widow was appointed his successor in office, which
position Mrs. Boy has retained until the present day.] on account of it,
at that time, being considered one of the most northern post-offices in
Canada. The nearest date I can find as to when the Normanton P.O.
commenced business is about the 16th December, 1854. At that time there
was no waggon road through Port Elgin; the mails were brought on foot by a
man of the name of John Urquhart, who once a week carried the mail from
Kincardine to Southampton."
After conducting the
business above-mentioned until April, 1855, Mr. Kennedy disposed of it to
Messrs. Lehnen & Ruby. [J. J. Lehnen only remained in the firm for a few
years, after which he sold his interest to H. Hilker, when the name of the
firm became Ruby & Hilker. On Mr. Ruby's death (August 9th, 1892) the
business was continued under the present name of Hilker & Co., by Henry E.
Hilker. It is satisfactory to think that the first mercantile business
started in the village is, after half a century, still flourishing. The
next merchants to commence business in Port Elgin were George Craig and
Edward Gordon.] Mechanics and others also in increasing numbers were led
at an early date to settle at Port Elgin. By united effort they had the
satisfaction of witnessing the surrounding walls of forest trees being
pushed further back, roads opened, houses built, and trade and commerce
increase. These last-mentioned features received a marked impetus by the
construction of a pier, built in 1857-58, by private enterprise, which
permitted the landing of passengers and goods. Prior to this, when the
steamboat entered the bay on its way to and from Goderich a large scow
(built by George Fenwick) was rowed out until it lay alongside the
steamer. By it all passengers and freight found their way to land. The
pier helped to a great extent to build up the export trade of the village.
Grain buyers appeared in the persons of Martin Hoover and Samuel Bricker,
who built, at the harbor, grain storehouses. About the time the pier was
built the government undertook the construction of a small breakwater, the
initial step toward the making of a harbor.
Among the early settlers of
Port Elgin alive to-day and a resident of the village, is J. C. Kennedy.
September, 1855, is the date when he first set foot there. After he had
succeeded in erecting a house and shop he commenced business at his trade
as a wagonmaker, which he carried on successfully during many years until
he retired. In May, 1856, James Muir, another of the pioneer artisans of
Port Elgin, took up his abode in the village, and since then has been one
of its active citizens. Andrew Hood was Port Elgin's first blacksmith, but
unfortunately he met an untimely end. He, with his family and brother, had
been enjoying a sail on the lake, Returning therefrom, and after having
entered the bay, by some mishap the boat capsized and all were drowned.
Of industries that
developed about the time referred to there might be mentioned the steam
sawmill built in 1856 by Samuel Bricker. The boiler for this was floated
down the Saugeen. To successfully navigate such an unwieldy craft pieces
of timber were secured to its sides at the water line, forming a rough
sort of a deck on which to stand. They also served as outriggers to
prevent the boiler from rolling over. [The incident, clipped from the
Paisley Advocate, given in a footnote in Chapter V., about floating a
boiler down the Saugeen, doubtless referred to this exploit, although the
Advocate fixes it earlier and says that the boiler was for a mill at
Southampton.] A foundry was commenced in a small way by Alex. McLauchlan
in 1859. The extent of the plant can be judged from the fact that
horse-power was used to drive the air-blast required when smelting. A few
years later, when his brother Robert became a partner in the business, a
ten horse-power engine was installed. Brick-making was started by Barthold
Smith in 1860. A woollen mill was another industry of the village,
inaugurated in the early sixties by Messrs. Buschlin & Eby. They who
subsequently carried on this industry have been Betzner & Sons, McCarthay
& Wilson, Lewis McCarthy and M. G. Barber.
A description of Port Elgin
in 1866 is to be found in a Directory published early in the following
year. The population is therein stated to be about 630. In addition, the
following particulars are given. There were five churches in the village
belonging to the following denominations, namely: Methodist, Mennonites,
United Brethren, Presbyterian and the Church of the New Jerusalem, two
schools, a commodious Town Hall, four stores, three hotels, a job printing
office, a brewery, two tanneries, a woollen factory, a foundry, two
sawmills, a grist mill, a pottery, besides a goodly number of the smaller
handicrafts, and one physician, Dr. Robert Douglass. [The first medical
man to settle at Port Elgin was Dr. Hill, who came about 1856.]
During the half dozen years
or so subsequent to the last-mentioned date the growth of the village was
not rapid. This is shown by a comparison of the amount of assessments. In
1868 the assessed value of village property was $31,120. Five years later,
in 1873, it was but $92,000. The following disconnected incidents belong
to this period. Port Elgin, with other lake ports, came in for its share
of harbor grants from the county, which spent in 1867-68 some $3,600 on
works in the harbor. [Port Elgin Harbor Works in 1867 and 1868 are
described as consisting of a landing pier extending 264 feet out into the
lake and of a breakwater 509 feet in length.] Some time about the year
1869 Port Elgin was first connected with the outer world by electric
telegraph. In the same year [See By-law No. 36 of County of Bruce, passed
December 9th, 1869.] a sectional tax was levied by the township of Saugeen
on the property in the village. "To raise the sum of $350 to defray the
expense of fencing ground and erecting a suitable building within the
limits of the village for agricultural and other exhibitions." Not much
could be done with this small amount, yet from such humble beginnings has
sprung the highly successful North Bruce Biding Exhibition of to-day.
Another event of this period in the history of Port Elgin was the
establishing in 1869 of a local newspaper, The Free Press. The
enterprising publisher was H. J. Benner. For seventeen years this paper
experienced the usual vicissitudes of country journalism, till, in 1886,
it and The Busy Times were merged into one under the name of The Port
Elgin Times, now The Times. The Busy Times made its first appearance in
the last week of December, 1877. W. S. Johnston (now of Toronto) was the
proprietor and editor. In 1888 Robert Munro purchased The Times, and has
conducted it ever since most successfully.
The opening of the railway
for traffic in 1873 resulted in bringing to Port Elgin an augmented volume
of trade. The population increased and attained to a number that
authorized an effort being made to have the village incorporated. On a
census being taken that year, the population was found to be 941. The
County Council thereupon passed, on June 7th, 1873, a by-law incorporating
the village of Port Elgin, also directed that the first municipal election
"be held in the old school-house on the south side of Mill Street," and
that John Eastwood be the returning officer. The election, which was held
the following January, resulted in the return of H. Hilker as reeve, [The
following are the names of those who have been reeves of the village of
Port Elgin, with the years in which they held office, viz.: H Hilker,
1874, '75, '77, '78, '79, '80, '82 ; A. C. Sinclair, M.D., 1876; D. J.
Izzard, 1881, 1891; W. S. Johnston, 1883 to 1890; E. Munro, 1892, '93; J.
A. Chapman, 1894, '95, '96; J. R. Paterson, M.D., 1897; H. E. Hilker 1898,
'99; John George, 1900; D. Geddes, 1901 to 1906.] and D. O. Bricker, James
Muir, Martin Hoover and John Mcintosh as councillors. Following the
separation from the township of Saugeen an adjustment of assets and
liabilities of the two municipalities had to be arranged. In this matter
Henry Hilker and James Muir acted for the village, and Neil Cassidy and
John Peirson for the township. The decision arrived at was that the
village assume, as its share of the liabilities of the township, the sum
of $535.30.
The decade following the
opening of the railway may properly be looked upon as the most prosperous
period in the first half century of Port Elgin. Not only did it become
incorporated, but business was conducted on a scale larger than previously
known. Farmers found it to be a satisfactory market at which to sell their
various descriptions of produce, while its reputation as a grain market
was widespread. The most prominent and energetic of Port Elgin's business
men of this period was D. O. Bricker, [Dilman Oberholt Bricker was born,
in the year 1840, in the county of Waterloo, of Pennsylvania Dutch parents
of the Mennonite faith. His father, Samuel Bricker, with his family,
settled in Port Elgin in March, 1854. D. O. Bricker was at an early age
engaged in business for himself. His energy and enterprise not only
brought him to the front, but the village also. For years he conducted his
varied business enterprises successfully. To carry these on conveniently
he built the Arlington Block, which provided the largest premises occupied
by any firm in the county. Suffering heavy losses in grain, Mr. Bricker,
in the fall of 1880, became bankrupt. To retrieve his fortunes Mr. Bricker
went to Winnipeg and was again successful. After twenty years there his
health gave way and he returned to Port Elgin, where he spent the last two
years of his life. His death occurred April 17th, 1904.] although others
there were deserving of mention who also developed large commercial and
industrial enterprises, such as Zinkan, Cress & Co. Their tannery,
manufacturing for the shipping trade, employed a large number of workmen,
and was one of the leading industries of the village. The promise the
village gave of further growth induced the Bank of Hamilton to open a
branch there in 1873. For thirty-three years this was the sole chartered
bank in Port Elgin, although a private bank (Allen, McMahon & Co.,
afterwards H. A. Allen) carried on business for about fifteen years of
this period, until it closed its doors in 1894. In the summer of 1906 the
Metropolitan Bank opened an agency in the village, supplying it with
abundant banking facilities and incidentally showing the increased
business importance of Port Elgin.
After the incorporation of
the village, the need was felt of a suitable town hall. The matter was
taken up in 1875 by the Village Council, which at one of its first
meetings passed a by-law to raise a loan of $3,000 for this purpose. The
site, at a cost of $900, was purchased from Edward Gordon, and the
contract was let to J. McLachlan for $2,460, and in August following the
corner-stone of the building was laid. The sum raised as above mentioned,
being insufficient to complete the building, more money had to be raised.
To do this, in 1877 the Legislative Assembly was applied to, which, in
response to a petition, passed an Act [40 Vic. Chap 36.] authorizing the
sale by the corporation of certain public squares and reserves on the
following mentioned conditions: "The proceeds of every such sale by the
said corporation . . . shall be held and applied by it, in fully finishing
and completing the town hall . . . and in aiding the Board of School
Trustees ... in purchasing a site and erecting such school buildings as
the said Board may require to have built." The new town hall was opened
March 7th, 1877, with a concert and a ball.
The harbor at Port Elgin,
like all others on the eastern shores of Lake Huron, has cost a large sum.
The initial work, as before stated, was commenced in 1857-58. In 1872
Alex. Sproat, the member for North Bruce, stated in the House of Commons
that the expenditure up to then on this harbor was in excess of $30,000,
of which but a small proportion had been paid by the government. The
departmental report for the year ending June 30th, 1899, states that the
expenditure by it up to then amounted to $80,652. Since then further large
sums have been expended, so that it is safe to say that the cost of making
the harbor what it is to-day is greatly in excess of $100,000. Mariners
may say that its entrance is none too easy under certain conditions of
wind and weather, but, once in, vessels have all the protection needed.
Port Elgin harbor is an excellent one for a vessel to winter in, there
being no danger from spring freshets, as is the case where the harbor is
placed at the mouth of a river.
The village of Port Elgin
has ever been liberal and public-spirited in granting bonuses and loans to
encourage the establishment of industries in its midst, and also in
providing means for useful and needed public improvements, as the
following list of issues of debentures shows. Prior to 1885 the total
issue amounted to $16,000. The following list up to that year is probably
correct; after that year it is so:
In 1897 the unpaid
debenture debt and interest amounted to $13,137.06. There existed at the
same time a floating debt of the village and the two School Boards which
amounted to $3,992.39, making a total indebtedness at that time of
$17,119.45. This being found burdensome and oppressive, application was
made to Parliament to consolidate the debt and extend the payment of the
same over twenty years. The application was granted and an Act [60 Vic.
Chap. 76.] passed authorizing the issue of debentures to the extent of
$17,000 for the said purpose. Since then the further issue of debentures
has been:
Prior to the vote being
taken, in June, 1906, on the last two mentioned items, the then debenture
debt of the village was stated to be $34,005.49, exclusive of local
improvement debentures. It will be noted what a large amount has been
voted by the ratepayers in the endeavor to build the village up as a
manufacturing centre. Success has unfortunately not attended all these
efforts. At present the leading industry of Port Elgin is probably the
brush factory. This was established in 1883 by John Hepner (previously a
resident of Napanee) and six business men of the village. Two years later,
in February, 1885, the works were destroyed by fire. A stock company was
then formed under the name of the Port Elgin Brush Co., Limited, and the
works rebuilt. T. I. Thompson was president of this company, and B. B.
Boyd manager. Ten years later the company went into liquidation. In June,
1896, the plant was purchased by H. H. Stevens, John Hepner and E. H.
Schiedel, who carried on the business under the name of Stevens, Hepner &
Co. In 1901 the last-mentioned gentleman retired from the firm. In that
same year new buildings were erected and the capacity of the plant
doubled. Five years later, in the spring of 1906, the firm made a
proposition to the village, offering to erect an addition to their factory
of 180x36 feet, of three stories and basement, and to double their
capacity for production, provided the village would install a system of
waterworks (affording fire protection), and guarantee a loan of $10,000
for ten years. The proposition was accepted by the village, and the
required by-law was passed by a large majority. The business is at present
carried on under the name of The Stevens, Hepner Co., Limited.
Another manufacturing plant
that promises to add materially to the business of the village is the Wm.
McVicar & Sons sawmill, at the harbor. A bonus of $7,000 to this firm was
voted upon and carried, September 16th, 1905, in consideration of which
the firm undertook to erect a large sawmill, and also to purchase the
right-of-way for a spur line of railway from the Grand Trunk Railway
station to the harbor, to grade the same and supply the required railway
ties, the Grand Trunk Railway Company at the same time offering to supply
the rails and lay the track. W. McVicar & Sons also agreed to furnish a
locomotive and engine-house. At the time of writing considerable work has
been done, and the line is almost completed. [At the time the railway to
Southampton was surveyed the intention was to have the railway enter Port
Elgin on the lake shore side, and the station in proximity to the harbor.
Considerable and mistaken opposition to this proposal was met with from
property holders in the eastern part of the village, under the impression
the centre of business would be moved to the vicinity of the proposed
station. Unfortunately the views of these men carried, and it is only now,
after many efforts, that the railway will reach the harbor.]
A bonus and loan totalling
$10,000 was granted to the Dominion Harness Company, in 1903. This company
has not, as originally started, been a successful venture. In 1906 the
company was reorganized under the name of the Dominion Pressed Steel
Company, to manufacture shovels and similar goods. John George is the
president of this company, and F. Miehle is the manager. High hopes are
held that this firm may prove a success and the village derive benefit
from the assistance rendered.
The first school building of the village stood on the site of the present
High School. A Miss Agnes Lawrence was the first teacher. Her father,
Alexander Lawrence, was the next who endeavored to lead the youth of the
village in the paths of learning. The school buildings and furnishings at
first were none too elaborate. These conditions improved, however, as the
years rolled by. In 1875 a good brick school-house was erected, and in
1890 a further advance was made when the present handsome school premises
became the home of the village Public School. The High School was opened
in the fall of 1889. For the first fifteen years J. T. Lillie, B.A.,
filled the position of headmaster, and did so in a manner that brought
credit both to the school and to himself. On his resigning, Mr. J.
Campbell Clark was appointed his successor. In addition to the schools
belonging to the regular educational system of the province, there existed
an Academy, connected with the United Brethren Church, during the years
1880, 1881 and 1882, the principals of which were the Rev. A. B. Sherk and
D. B. Sherk.
Public religious services
were in the very early days held in a building erected for the common use
of all denominations. The Presbyterians were the first to be organized
into a congregation. The following extract from the Annual Report for 1894
of this congregation is so complete that it is worthy of permanent
preservation, and a large extract therefrom is here given: "While yet the
settlers were few in number and were separated from one another by the
primitive forest, the Presbytery of London, realizing that many of them
belonged to Presbyterian families, sent in one and another of their
ministers to let the people feel that the church had not lost sight of
them, and was interested in their welfare. Among the first to come (in
1854) was the Rev. John Scott, then of St. Andrew's, London (afterwards
Rev. Dr. Scott, of North Bruce), who, having come early in his ministerial
life to preach and dispense ordinances, and by the way to gather together
the scattered few and lay the foundations of Presbyterianism in the
district, spent the last ten years of his ministry among some of the very
people for whom he had many years before done something to supply with the
means of grace, and keep them in connection with the church of their
fathers. The reverend doctor tells how that in the early fifties he more
than once or twice, by appointment of Presbytery, visited this northern
country and preached at Southampton, Port Elgin, Dunblane, Paisley and
North Bruce. One of the first services held within the bounds of what
afterwards became the Port Elgin congregation was conducted by him in the
house of Mr. John Smith, on the 6th concession of Saugeen. In those days
so dense was the bush that the minister failed to find Mr. Peter Smith's,
although it was only about a mile and a half from his brothers at the
riverside!, on what is now the McGillivray farm. The Rev. W. Ball, then of
Woodstock, visited the district in 1854, and dispensed ordinances at
various places. The first ordained minister was the Rev. James H.
McNaughton, who was settled over the congregation of Southampton from 1855
to 1859, and who had a number of preaching stations, Port Elgin among the
rest, which were supplied more or less regularly by him for several years,
without their being united to form a pastoral charge. About the time of
Mr. McNaughton's resignation Mr. Alexander Eraser was appointed as
missionary at Port Elgin, where he labored with so much acceptance that he
was called as pastor, and ordained and inducted on the 22nd of October,
1861. In July, 1862, we find a communion roll of 53 members; but as eleven
of these had been added since Mr. Eraser's settlement, the membership at
that time must have been about 42. The first church, which was built in
1860, was soon found to be so inconveniently situated (the village having
grown in a different direction from that which was originally expected)
that it was never fully completed; and in 1870, although the membership
was not by any means large or wealthy, yet, animated with commendable
zeal, and realizing that a conveniently situated church was necessary to
the advancement, if not of the very existence, of Presbyterianism here,
the erection of the present church building was determined upon and a
substantial and comfortable brick church with basement' was erected. Early
in 1871 the basement was opened for worship. The church had not been
erected much more than a year, when the Rev. Mr. Fraser, who had
faithfully and amid not a few hardships ministered to the people for about
eleven years, tendered his resignation, which was accepted early in 1872.
After a vacancy of about eighteen months, during which a union had been
consummated with Dunblane, the Rev. D. C. McKay, M.A., was called and
settled as pastor of the united charge. Scarcely had he entered upon his
ministry when he was stricken down, and died on September 21st, 1873,
after a short pastorate of only five weeks. Eighteen months again elapsed
before the settlement of the Rev. James Gourlay, M.A., was effected.
Meanwhile the church building had been completed and finished at a cost of
about $4,000, besides a further expenditure for the bell, and was opened
on September 27th, 1874, by Rev. A. Topp, D.D., of Knox Church, Toronto."
This building was enlarged in 1889 at a cost of $1,300, and extensively
renovated in 1901. The pastorate of the Rev. Mr. Gourlay, which extended
over twenty years, was. terminated by his resignation in July, 1895. The
Rev. A. H. Drumm was the next to minister to the spiritual needs of the
congregation. He was followed by the Rev. A. Mahaffy, who was inducted in
January, 1900, to this charge, which he continues to minister to. The
congregation held jubilee services on July 9th, 1905.
Other denominations were
not long in following the example set by the Presbyterians, and proceeded
to organize as congregations, the United Brethren being the next to do so.
In 1866 there were five churches in the village, the three others not
above mentioned being the Methodist, the Mennonites and the Church of the
New Jerusalem. In a few years the congregation last mentioned ceased to
be, but the number of denominations in the place remained the same, as the
Baptists formed themselves into a congregation. Subsequently, some time in
the seventies, congregations belonging to the Church of England and the
German Evangelical Church were formed. The above-mentioned number of
religious denominations in this locality has of late years been increased
by a congregation of Latter Day Sainte (Mormons), whose church is just
beyond the southerly boundary of the village.
The attractions that Port
Elgin offers as a summer resort are yearly becoming more and more
appreciated. The splendid beach, the bracing breezes that blow from off
Lake Huron, and the mineral spring and baths are attracting each season an
increased number of visitors.
The efforts put forth by
the people of Port Elgin to hold annual gatherings of the pioneers of the
county are worthy of the fullest commendation. The first of these was held
July, 1899, and is referred to in Chapter VIII. Since then these
gatherings have been held annually, and are one of the events of the
summer at Port Elgin.
At the time of writing the
village is possessed, as not before for years, with a sense of its
possibilities. That it may have the courage' to press on and attain is
certainly the desire of its well-wishers. |
