Stirling-Rawdon:
Township History
by Lewis Zandbergen
New Link: Diane Robnik's
index to the pioneer abandoned and family cemetery sites in Peterborough
and Hastings County.
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Stirling lies nestled in a valley created by the Oak Hills to the south,
the Trent River Valley to the west and the "Ridge" to the north
and east. The community straddles the boundary line between Sidney Township
on the south and Rawdon Township on the north.
Rawdon Creek slices through the village on its way to the Trent River.
The fast-running waters of the creek gave early settlers the power they
needed to run their grist, saw and woollen mills.
Rawdon Township and the village of Stirling were "reamalgamated"
after over 125 years of separate municipal government; Rawdon is an area
of rich farmland steeped in the history of early Scots and English settlers.
At one time Rawdon claimed nine first-class cheese factories, four post
offices and almost a dozen churches. Its Hubble Hill cemetery is the last
resting place for many of its pioneers among them the ancestor of Edwin
Powell Hubble, the American astronomer.
Records indicate the first patent for land was awarded to Samuel P. Cummin(g)s
on March 12, 1804; he acquired Township Lot 10 on Concession 1 of Rawdon
Township. Although greatly built up in the latter part of the 19th century,
Township Lot 10, which rises slowly to the north, would have afforded
a sweeping view of the mill pond
and the undulating hills to the south when Cummin(g)s settled there.
The first mill constructed in the eastern extremity of what is now the
"downtown" area of Stirling, was built in 1807 by a man named
Samuel Rosebush. He finished a mill begun earlier by John Bleecker; both
Rosebush and Bleecker were of United Empire Loyalist stock. That mill
was a crude affair powered by an overshot waterwheel; a later owner, Edward
Fidlar, completely rebuilt the mill of local limestone following a fire
in 1845. It was, along with several other later mills, to become the nucleus
of a village which sprang up on the banks of the creek. By 1846, the village
boasted a population of 125, one grist and saw mill, two stores and four
taverns.
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This
stone mill once stood across from the John Street-Front Street intersection.
The mill was built in 1845 by Edward Fidlar on
the site of another mill which was destroyed by fire. This limestone
building was demolished in 1971.
Photo from
The Heritage Years,
published 1983,
Blanche
Faulkner and Rosella Clancy editors.
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Stirling was known by various names before its incorporation: Seldon
Mills, Fidlar Mills, Rawdon Mills, and Rawdon Village. Up until 1853,
it was known as Rawdon Village, no doubt in deference to the man after
whom the township and the creek had been named, Baron Rawdon, Earl of
Moira, later Governor of Bengal and Governor of Malta. The
new municipality "recreated" after amalgamation in the late
1990s has been renamed Stirling-Rawdon Township.
During the decades to the 1830s, large numbers of Scots settlers came
into the area and Edward Fidlar, who came from the Orkney Islands, was
among the earliest. His further
development of the established mills in the village did much to encourage
settlement. Another early Scot was Robert Parker who came from Ayr,
near Stirling, Scotland. He arrived in 1821 to monitor family interests
in the Marmora Mine. This necessitated travel on horseback from Marmora
to Kingston a journey of some 50 miles as the crow flies but about 75
to 80 if the trails were used. However, Kingston was the location of
the
nearest bank in what was then Upper Canada.
After the mines
proved unsuccessful, Parker became involved in the timber trade. He
built a mill at Wellmans Comers, about eight miles northwest of Stirling
and exported
timber down the St. Lawrence River by way of the Deer and Trent Rivers.
Edward Fidlar's invitation to move to Stirling in the late 1830s resulted
in Parker's operation of a tavern in the village. It is through the
work primarily of these two men that Stirling received its name. Fidlar
and Parker and the Scots settlers decided the area so favoured their
homeland in its natural beauty and scenic splendour that the town was
named Stirling. When the name was officially adopted isn't known exactly.
The first body officially to govern the area at a local level was that
of Rawdon Township. The first municipal government was formed in 1850
and a town hall which also served as a church and community meeting
place was erected on Village Lot 47 of Lot 10, Concession I, Rawdon
Township; the lot was purchased for about sixty-one dollars. For the
next eight years the village and the township affairs were run from
those offices.
In 1858, Stirling was officially incorporated and declared a village.
Boundaries were set and Rawdon Township had to begin a search for new
offices. The building which had served village and township was sold
for $1,000. Stirling's second town hall is still standing although not
in its former glory. It has become a seed and feed store and mill. It's
ironic that the village business was for a time conducted in a building
which eventually became a mill; the village saw its beginning with one
mill and the dreams of pioneer entrepreneurs.
Development of the village and township was steady; by the dawning of
the 20th century Stirling had a population of about 1,000; today's population
stands at about 2,000 (total of 4,500 including the former Rawdon Township
population). Many of the early industries, most tied to farming, have
disappeared with time and the village serves as a picturesque bedroom
community for people working in Belleville and Trenton.
Today the village and the township have been reunited. Stirling is an
enchanting village with tree-lined streets, limestone buildings, magnificent
Victorian architecture and
turn-of-the-century storefronts. Two disastrous fires, one in 1883,
the other in 1908, did not spell the end for the village and today boutiques
and antique shops mix with the businesses which have survived since
the 1880s. A thriving arts community includes painters, woodworkers,
writers, a flourishing theatre, and regular musical venues.
The rural area of Rawdon Ward features fine farms set amid rolling hills.
Communities
such as Harold, Spring Brook and Bonarlaw dot the stretch of highway
between Stirling and Marmora. The Crowe River cuts a wide swath across
Concessions 12, 13 and 14; many secondary creeks and streams criss-cross
the countryside. Miles of former railbed provide winter sports delights.
Country schools and churches still dot many of the rural corners and
although the schools no longer ring with children's laughter, many have
been preserved either as summer or year-round homes.
Stirling-Rawdon is a community which can provide all the amenities.
There are endless
opportunities for recreation with fishing, boating, golf, swimming,
hiking trails all within a few minutes' travel. Shoppers will delight
in visiting the many shops in the village or can browse antique and
specialty shops which can be found around almost any corner. Bed and
breakfast establishments provide country charm with big-city convenience.
Consider the Municipality of Stirling-Rawdon for your next holiday.
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