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The following is the Abstract and Table of Contents from Industries and Industrialists of Merrickville, 1792-1979, Manuscript Report 423 by Richard Tatley, Parks Canada, 1979. Republished by Friends of the Rideau as digital book DB-MR424, 2011:
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The industrial history of the Village of Merrickville is probably much the same as those of countless other mill towns in eastern Ontario, and very like the other leading nodules of manufacturing and commerce on the Rideau waterway over the years. Like its neighbours, Merrickville has known the shriek of the band saw, the clattering of the woollen mill, the line-ups of farmers with grain to be gristed, as well as the smoke of the iron foundry and the stench of the tannery. It has seen oatmeal mills, shingle mills, furniture factories, aluminum works and electroplating works, besides scores of smaller shops manufacturing for the local scene. Over the course of 189 years the village has hosted at least 58 industrial operations, all of which required water, steam, or electric power. Until the 1840s Merrickville was probably the most important centre between Kingston and Bytown (Ottawa): by the 1880s it had definitely lost out to Kemptville and Smiths Falls, especially after the latter became a major railway junction and division point. Today Merrickville's population, sustained by three manufacturing industries, stands at about 900 as against 1,060 in 1857: a poor performance compared to Perth, Smiths Falls, or Kemptville, but better than those of Newboro, Westport, Manotick, or Burritt's Rapids. The most remarkable feature about Merrickville is that it was the oldest manufacturing centre along the entire Rideau River and one of the oldest in Ontario, being senior to Smiths Palls, Kemptville, Ottawa, and even Perth and Richmond. Fortunately, extensive vestiges of several of its ancient industries remain. Of these various industries, most can be considered "primary" in that they were concerned chiefly with converting raw materials of various kinds into useable products, although a few - particularly the more recent foundries and machine shops - should be called "secondary" in that they used refined metals to make commodities for outside markets. For convenience the industries are grouped together (in each chapter) under wood processing industries, food processing industries, clothing and textile industries, and metallurgical and manufacturing industries: in addition a few others, such as the two electric power plants, belong in categories by themselves. To summarize the 58-odd industrial enterprises between 1793 and 1979 very briefly, there is evidence of six north shore sawmills and two island sawmills, as well as two island shingle mills, a snath factory, a sash and door factory, an axe factory, and an island furniture factory or planing mill. There were in addition perhaps seven grist- or flour mills on the north shore and one more on the island, plus an island oatmeal mill and several tanneries. Textiles were represented by two or three carding mills, two woollen factories, one shoddy mill, and a short-lived felt works. There were also seven foundries or metallurgical works within the core industrial area of the island and north shore, besides several in other parts of the village, as well as a number of transitory related manufactures, such as a name factory, fence factory, boat works and brass works. Other miscellaneous establishments could be cited as well. xiii Acknowledgements 1 Prologue and Resume 3 Merrickville: Wood Processing Industries 6 Merrickville: Food-Related Industries 8 Merrickville: Textile Industries 9 Merrickville: Metallurgical Industries 12 Merrickville: Utilities 14 Introduction 22 The Pioneer Period (ca. 1792-1845) 22 The Founding of Merrickville and the Mid-Rideau Settlement (ca. 1792-1845) 44 Sawmilling During the Pioneer Period 48 Merrickville: North Shore Sawmill No. 1 (1793-179?) 58 Merrickville: North Shore Sawmill No. 2 (1803-1844?) 72 Gristmilling During the Pioneer Period 74 Merrickville: North Shore Gristmill No. 1 (1797-179?) (ex-Sawmill) 75 Merrickville: North Shore Gristmill No. 2 (1803?-1828?) 77 Merrickville: North Shore Gristmill No. 3 (1829?-1844?) 80 The Textile Industry During the Pioneer Period 83 Merrickville: North Shore Carding Mill(181?-1848?) 84 Summary of the Pioneer Period 86 Biographic Sketches 86 Ensign Roger Stevens, U.E.L. (17??-1793) 89 William Merrick (Sr.) (1763-1844) and his Family 96 Merrickville During the Canal or Pre-Railway Period (ca. 1845- 1885) 96 Introduction 96 The Growth of Merrickville, During the Canal Period 112 Sawmilling During the Canal Period 116 Merrickville: North Shore Sawmill No. 3 (184? -1855) 118 Merrickville: North Shore Sawmill No, 4 (1856-1908?) 127 Shingle Milling During the Canal Period 128 Early Island Buildings at Merrickville 131 Merrickville: Island Shingle Mill No. 1 (1850-1861?) 135 Merrickville: Island Shingle Mill No. 2 (1867-1899) 139 Merrickville: Ashery (fl. 1846-1852) 141 Merrickville: Cooperage Shops 142 Merrickville: Island Cooper Shop (1847-185?) 144 Merrickville: North Shore Stave Factory (fl. 1861) 146 Merrickville: Axe Factories (1847-186?) 150 Merrickville: Island Snath Factory (fl. 1871-1876) 152 Merrickville: Cabinet Shops (fl. 1851-1876) 155 Merrickville: Island Furniture Factory and Planing Mill (1873- 193?) (Start) 157 Merrickville: Carriage Works (fl. 1850-1895) 160 Gristmilling During the Canal Period 160 Merrickville: Island Gristmill No. 1 (1839?- ) 166 Merrickville: North Shore Gristmill No. 4 (fl. 1847-1855) 168 Merrickville: North Shore Gristmill No. 5 (1856-1868?) 172 Merrickville: North Shore Gristmill No. 6 (1856-1895) 178 Merrickville: Island Oatmeal Mill (186 -1899?) 181 The Woollen Textile Industry During the Canal Period 184 Merrickville: Island Carding Mill No. 1 (fl. 1848-1854) 186 Woollen Mills in the Rideau Corridor 187 Merrickville: Island Stone Storehouse (fl. before 1848) 188 Merrickville: Island Woollen Mill No. 1 (1848- ) 203 Woollen Storehouses 205 Merrickville: Island Woollen Mill No. 2 (1861-1899?) 209 Tanneries in the Rideau Corridor 210 Merrickville: North Shore Tannery No. 1 (1850?-189?) 216 Merrickville: North Shore Tannery No. 2 218 Merrickville: Village Tannery (fl. 1856-1862) 219 Blacksmithing During the Canal Period Foundries 220 Foundries During the Canal Period 223 Merrickville: The Lilly and Hogg Foundry (fl.1851-1852) 224 Merrickville: The H. D. Smith Foundries (fl. 1852-1871) 229 Merrickville: The Magee-Pearson Foundry (1859?-1887) 236 Merrickville: Island Foundry 240 Malleable Iron Casting During the Canal Period 241 Merrickville: Malleable Iron Works (1867-1920?) 247 Merrickville: Canal Storehouses 257 Summary of the Canal Period 260 Biographic Sketches 260 Aaron Merrick (1801?-1870) 262 William Merrick (Jr.) (1793-1867) 264 Stephen Hedger Merrick (1807-1861?) 265 George Merrick (1832-1884) 266 Henry Merrick (1837-1927) 269 Hiram Easton (1820-1910) and his Family 273 Ransom Stone (1797?-1864) 274 Edward Errett (1823-1904) 276 John Hunter Parnell (1838-1905) 277 Thomas Watchorn (1828-1879) 279 Henry D. Smith (1821?-18 ) 281 William Henry Magee (1827-1887) 283 William Pearson (1832-1929) 286 The Prime Industrial Period in Merrickville and Its Decline (ca. 1886-1945) [Volume II] 286 Introduction 288 Merrickville During the Prime Industrial Period and Afterwards 295 Sawmilling During the "Prime Industrial Period" 297 Merrickville: North Shore Sawmill No. 4 (1856-1908) (Concluded) 300 Merrickville: North Shore Sawmill No. 5 (1909?-19 ) 301 Merrickville: Island Sawmill No. 1 (1898?-1899) 303 Merrickville: Island Sawmill No. 2 (1900?-192 ) 306 Merrickville: North Shore Sawmill No. 6 (1921?-193 ) 309 North Merrickville Steam Sawmill (fl. 1925-1940) 311 Merrickville: Island Furniture Factory and Planing Mill (1873- 193?)(Concluded) 317 Merrickville: Island Sash and Door Factory (1901-1908?) 321 Gristmilling During the "Prime Industrial Period" 321 Merrickville: Island Gristmill No. 1 (1839?- ) (Concluded) 327 Merrickville: North Shore Gristmill No. 6 (1856-1895) (Concluded) 329 Merrickville: North Shore Gristmill No. 7 (18997-1927?) 336 Cheese-Making in the Canal Corridor 338 Merrickville: Cheese Factories and Creameries 341 The Woollen Textile Industry During the Prime Industrial Period 343 Merrickville: Island Woollen Mill No. 1 (1848-1954) (Concluded) 371 Merrickville: Watchorn Storehouse (fl. 1895-1940) 372 Merrickville: Shoddy Mill (fl. 1934-1938) 373 Foundries During the Prime Industrial Period 374 Merrickville: Island Foundry (fl. 1874-1915?) (Continued) 376 Merrickville: Malleable Iron works(1867-1920?) (Concluded) 377 Finishing Shop 380 Carriage Shop 381 Annealing Shop 382 Moulding Shop (ex-Tannery) 384 Pattern Shop 385 Japanning Shop 385 Castings Storage Building 395 Merrickville Hame Company Limited (1888-18 ) 397 Merrickville: The National Fence Company (1899-1908) 399 Merrickville: Canada Brass Works (1927-1929) 402 The Farm Implement Industry During the Prime Industrial Period 404 Merrickville: Percival Plow and Stove Company Limited (1887- 1935?) 407 Percival Main Building 411 South Storage Shed (fl. 1895) 411 Assembly Shop (1900-1931?) 412 Sand Shed (fl. 1898-1920) 413 Three South Side Sheds 414 South-East Building (fl. 1900-1915) 414 Coal Shed (fl. 1900-1915) 415 Castings Storage Building (fl. 1912) 437 Merrickville: Electric Light and Power Company (1894-1915?) 442 Merrickville: The Rideau Power Company Limited (1914-1949?) 454 Merrickville: Island Laundry (fl. 1905) 456 Conclusion 458 Biographic Sketches 458 John Mills (1832-1924) 459 Alexander Mills (1855-1942) 460 Abraham Lincoln Mills (1864-1950) 460 The Dougall Family 463 Robert William Watchorn (1852-1950) 465 George Edmund Watchorn (1865-1947) 466 Thomas Judson Watchorn (1881-1962) 469 Patrick Kyle (1838-1911) 472 Roger Croft Percival (1837-1912) 475 Thomas Harvey Percival (1869-1941) 477 The Modern Industrial Period in Merrickville (ca. 1945-1979) 477 Introduction 480 Merrickville: Electric Feedmills 481 Merrickville: Daly Dog Food Company (fl. 1950-1952) 483 Merrickville: Felt Works (fl. 1945) 485 Merrickville: Island Brass Works (fl. 1943) 486 Merrickville: North Shore Machine Shop 488 Foundries During the Modern Industrial Period 489 Merrickville: Eureka Alloys and Stainless Steels Limited (1938-1942) 491 Merrickville: Alloy Foundry Incorporated (1943-1945) 494 Merrickville: The Alloy Foundry Company Limited (1946- ) 504 Merrickville: Grenville Castings Limited (1945- ) 511 Merrickville Engineering Company Limited (1943-1946) 513 Merrickville: Belaire Works (1948-1952?) 515 Merrickville: Boat Works (1960- ) 520 Merrickville: Island Electroplating Works (1965-1977) 524 Merrickville: Roger's Plating Limited (1967-1973) 525 Conclusion 527 Epilogue: The Surviving Industrial Buildings of Merrickville Today 528 Island Industrial Buildings 528 Island Gristmill (1939- ) 529 Island Woollen Mill No. 1 (1848- ) 530 Island Foundry (ca. 1870?- ) 531 Hydro-Electric Generating Station (1915- } 531 North Shore Industrial Buildings 531 North Shore Gristmill- Foundry (1856?- ) 533 Electric Light Plant (since 1895- ) 533 North Shore Tannery- Grinding Shop (1850?- ) 534 Percival-Ayling Main Building (since 1895- ) 537 Endnotes 537 Introduction and The Pioneer Period (ca. 1792-1845) 557 Merrickville During the Canal or Pre-Railway Period (ca. 1845-1885) 608 The Prime Industrial Period in Merrickville and Its Decline(ca. 1886-1945) 660 The Modern Industrial Period in Merrickville {ca. 1945-1979) 674 Bibliography 689 Figures Figure 1: Merrick's Mills, 1827 Figure 2: Merrickville Locks, 1835 Figure 3: Merrickville, 1844 Division of William Merrick's Lands Figure 4: Merrickville Locks 1847 Figure 5: Central Merrickville 1860 Figure 6: Merrickville Industrial Area, 1900 Figure 7: Merrickville Industrial Area, 1912 697 Illustrations 697 1 Merrickville Lock Station, 1835 699 2 Merrick's Station, 1827-1832 701 3 Kyle Works, Merrickville, ca. 1900 703 4 View of Merrickville Industrial Buildings, ca. 1894(?) 705 5 View of Merrickville Industrial Buildings, ca. 1895(?) 707 6 View of Merrickville Industrial Buildings, ca. 1896(?) 709 7 View of Merrickville Industrial Buildings, ca. 1896-1898 711 8 Flood Scene at Merrickville, ca. 1890(?) 713 9 View of Merrickville Industrial Buildings, ca. 1908-1914 715 10 View of Merrickville Industrial Buildings, ca. 1916(?) 717 11 North Shore Industrial Buildings at Merrickville, ca. 1900(?) 719 12 North Shore Industrial Buildings at Merrickville, ca. 1900(?) 721 13 Percival Plow and Stove Company Works, ca. 1900 723 14 Percival Plow and Stove Company Works, Merrickville, before 1921 725 15 Percival Plow and Stove Company Buildings, ca. 1895 727 16 Percival Plow and Stove Company Buildings, ca. 1965 (now Ayling Boat Works) 729 17 Henry Merrick (1837-1927) 731 18 William Roche Merrick (18287-1900) and his Wife(?) 733 19 Henry D. Smith (1821?- ) 735 20 Hiram Easton (1820-1910) 737 21 Hiram Easton (1820-1910) 739 22 Edward Errett (1823-1904) 741 23 Robert William Watchorn (1852-1950) |