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First Prize Ribbon

from the Eldon Fall Fair

Formed in 1862, the Eldon Agricultural Society’s first community event was the Annual Fall Fair located on the grounds of the old Town Hall in Woodville. Local history book, Woodville: The Friendly Village reflects, “Not withstanding the unpropitious weather, the show was a complete success ” The showing of horses was deemed to be one of the most popular events and it was declared by the judges,

This enthusiasm was shared in 1910 with William Alston ‘Al’ Greenaway’s horses Al won first place in 1910 and he carried that love of horses, his entire life

The Greenaway farm was located on Lot 20, Concession 13 in Mariposa and settled by Al’s grandparents William Greenaway and his wife Maria Smith, both of England, in 1851

Shortly after his win, Al and his family moved west, first to Warman, Saskatchewan and eventually just outside of Acme, Alberta, where he worked for the National Elevator Company

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“to be superior to any they had seen…”

Eldon Fall Fair First Prize Ribbon, 1910 CKL Artifact Collection, 2001 009 007

The Greenaway Farm

James A Patterson, County of Victoria Map, 1877

Written by his wife Rowena Cullis for

Acme Memories, she notes that while working for the grain company, Al also raised purebred Percheron horses, “He took them on the show circuits in the West as well as the Royal Winter Fair he showed horses at the first Royal in 1922, winning first prize.” Reenie continues, “He won a good many prizes show pigs and cattle also, and never missed a Royal ”

Mr Greenway devoted his life to bettering the Acme community: coaching the local hockey team to multiple championships, serving the Village of Acme first as Councillor, then as Mayor, and through his membership at the Elks Lodge as District Deputy and Provincial President and his time spent on the local school board

Al and Reenie had one son, John Alston ‘Jack’ Greenaway, who followed his father’s fondness for animals and became a veterinarian from the Guelph Campus of Toronto University.

Thank you

The Village of Acme, Alberta

Mayor William Greenway Village of Acme Photograph Archives Photographer is Unknown

Organizational Button

from the Palestine Community Centre

Palestine School Section # 6 Eldon was organized in 1861, and over several years of negotiating where a log school house was to be built, it was decided that it would be constructed on 1/4 of an acre of land donated by Archie ‘The Mason’ MacMillan, Concession 10, Lot 15

The boundaries were laid out as: commencing at the boundary of Fenelon Township, then west along the line between lots 11 and 12, to the centre of the 8th Concession of the Townshipo then north along that line to the line between lots 22 and 23, then east along that line to the western boundary of Fenelon Township, then south on the boundary between Fenelon and Eldon Townships, by ByLaw # 24 These boundartes were later extended to the South Quaderline Basically, the area around Glenarm not covered by School Section No 9

The log building was used until 1876 when controversy arose between a new site, Concession 9, Lot 18 (land owned by Daniel Brown) and the original site Lot 15, now owned by Archie’s son Colin Mason MacMillan, remained the most popular and plans were laid for a new brick school on a property that was enlarged to l acre By 1877, the new white brick school, built by Wm. MacKenzie (later Sir William) was in use.

Palestine School Section #6 CKL Municipal Archives Collection

Mary Murchison (sister of Margaret Murchison, Colin McMillan’s wife) was the teacher until was she married to Malcolm M McPhadden in 1886

In June 1934 enough land to make a full 2 acres was purchased from Mrs Colin Mason MacMillan

During the years since 1934 changes came quickly The Eldon Township School Area was created in the 1940's and in 1964 S.S.# 6 was closed and the students were moved to Woodville. The building was reopened as the Palestine Community Centre

The Palestine Community Centre is designated under City of Kawartha Lakes Bylaw: 2019-010

The MacMillan Farm with Schoool Section #6 James A Patterson, County of Victoria Map, 1877

Coins from the South Eldon Presbyterian Church Time Capsule

The Township of Eldon was surveyed between 1826 and 1829 and the first settlers, consisting mostly of immigrants from Scotland, arrived between 1828 and 1830

Neil Gregor Smith illustrates in ‘The Kirk in Eldon’ that “Many of those who originally settled here left a hard life behind them and faced a hard life here To attempt to better their lot by facing the hardships of pioneering in a new land of which they knew little was a solution ” “It is only with difficulty that we, who see fields cleared in a few hours with a combine, can imagine the toils of those who worked under such conditions.”

While the majority of first settlers were of the Presbyterian faith, it was some time before a regular church service was established In the first few years the people had occasional services that were provided by ministers sent by the Church of Scotland, held in homes, school houses or intimate outside gatherings

John Carruthers’ ministered the early communities of Eldon and Thorah Townships frequently in 1832 and detailed his time in ‘Retrospect of Thirty-Six Years Residence in Canada West’:

Wednesday, August 15th- Crossed the Talbot River, and entered into the Township of Eldon, bounded on the north by forest unsurveyed These were new townships and had only a few settlers yet

Sabbath, 19th- Assembled the young people and children on the forenoon at the school house between Eldon and Thorah on the afternoon delivered a lecture to a good attendance of people

According to research conducted by Smith the people of Eldon had to wait another 11 years before a regular minister could be called

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, c 2022

By 1836, the community was beyond ready for a church that a 200 acre farm, Concession 4, Lot 6, was deeded from the Crown to three trustees- James MacPherson, James MacAlpine and Lachlan Cameron, to be put aside for the eventual construction of a building This land is the present site of the South Eldon Cemetery and where the current St. Andrew’s Church is, today

James A Patterson, County of Victoria Map, 1877

Getting restless, a petition from the Presbyterians of Eldon for a regular minister was presented at the November 1843 meeting of the Toronto Presbytery and in 1844 Rev John McMurchy was appointed as the first permanent minister of St Andrew’s South Eldon Presbyterian Church.

Now that South Eldon had a minister, they now required a permanent place of worship Under Rev John McMurchy, the following people were appointed to guide the construction of a new church: A Jackson, Donald Campbell, James MacPherson, Neil McFarlene, James Ure, Neil Smith, John McIntyre, James McLaughlan, Lachlan Cameron and Alexander McAlpine, with Archibald McFadyen as treasurer.

The first church was built in 1846 on land the trustees obtained 10 years prior According to the 1851 census it was a frame building 30’ x 40’ and capable of holding at least 100 people It was the only public building in Eldon at this time

St Andrew's Presbyterian Church

South Eldon Presbyterian Church Coins CKL Artifact Collection, 2023.001.001-004

In Memory of St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, South Eldon

In 1890 the old frame church was considered to be ‘inadequate’ for current community needs and a new church was built at a cost of $6000 00 According to the 150th Anniversary of South Eldon Church Committee, the cornerstone which was brought all the way from Scotland and a time capsule containing newspaper articles and coins of the time, were laid on June 20th in front of a large crowd.

When the St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, South Eldon closed in 1995, the corner stone was removed and installed in the neighbouring cemetery and the contents of the time capsule were kept safe

St. Andrew's Church is now a private residence.

Thank You

Mr Reid Torrey

Resources

'The Kirk of Eldon' by Rev Neil McGregor Smith, D D 'Retrospect of Thirty-Six Years Residence in Canada West' by J. Carruthers

Commemorative Plate

from the Baddow United Church

Initially called Eades Settlement after an early farming family, the community of Baddow, sits in the south-west corner of the former Township of Somerville. Settled in the 1850s, Eades grew rapidly and the need for educational and worship services become evident for the families that called this area home As one of the largest communities in Somerville, Eades comprised of two schools, S S #4 and S S #9, and two churches, Baddow Baptist and Baddow United, both built in 1874

Unfortunately, trying to locate records of the United Church in Baddow is difficult as most of them were destroyed in a fire that also took the Methodist Parsonage in Coboconk around 1930 However, we are thankful that much information was recorded in Memories of Somerville Township that was compiled to celebrate Ontario’s Bicentennial and documented in Gladys Suggitt’s Roses and Thorns: A Goodly Heritage.

CKL Curatorial Collections 0001, Winter 2022

Early United Church services were held in the home of George and Eliza Eade, one of the earliest families to settle in the area and eventually services took place at the S S #4 school house, now the Baddow Community Centre

Upon expansion of the congregation, land was purchased in 1873 from Mr. Dowson for $20 00 and a wood frame building was erected on the 3rd Concession The official opening was held in October of 1874 and was received with an audience that filled the church

The Baddow United Church

James A Patterson, County of Victoria Map, 1877

In 1889 the church was improved to include painted clapboard and a picket fence

In 1929 a church kitchen was built on the back, which was enlarged in 1937 and eventually insul-brick covered the clapboard

The church closed in 1989 and joined its sister church in Coboconk, which closed in 2011 With the closure of Coboconk, the congregation joined Norland and created Hope United.

Some of the early ministers included, Rev John Irland, Rev Thomas Mills and Rev Petley

Thank you

Hope United Church, Norland, Kawartha Lakes

The United Church Archives