In celebration of Canada’s 150th Birthday the Town is sharing some fun & fascinating Mississippi Mills trivia. These tidbits of local info will include stories about local sports stars, award recipients & other residents who have helped put Mississippi Mills on the map. We’ve included quirky or funny stories, tragic historic events, geographic info and more recent history too. Learn how some of our local clubs started and how our individual communities began.
84) Pakenaham’s Perilous Parties
Did you know Ottawa Valley Country Music Hall Inductee Ron McMunn was from Mississippi Mills? Pakenham residents enjoyed popular weekly dances at the Pakenham Agricultural Hall. Listen to Ollie Ziebarth and her niece remember to good old days.
http://thetaleofatown.com/
85) Artist & Gallery Owner Sanjeev Sivalrasa & the Mississippi Mills Dark Skies Bylaw
Born in Sri Lanka, Sanjeev Sivarulrasa earned two law degrees in Canada, but gave up working as a specialist in international tax law to pursue art full-time. Sivarulrasa began observing the night sky with telescopes 13 years ago, travelling to dark skies in Ontario and Quebec for visual observations and photographic work. He sees the pristine night sky as a meditative space that fosters awareness and creativity. Mississippi Mills Dark Skies bylaw brought him to Almonte where he opened Sivarulrasa Gallery, a contemporary art gallery in the Fall of 2014. The Gallery’s first location was the Thoburn Mill, a re-purposed woollen mill in Almonte. After two successful years, the Gallery expanded in the Fall of 2016 and moved onto Almonte’s Mill Street, at 34 Mill Street. The Gallery represents professional Canadian artists from Almonte, Eastern Ontario, and across Canada, with rotating exhibitions curated by Sivarulrasa.
More information about Mississippi Mills Dark Sky Bylaw visit: http://www.
86) The Original Union Hall
In 1857, on Lot 16 Concession 2 of Ramsay Township, a frame building, Union Hall, was erected as a library, to also be used as a church for all denominations. Unlike other area settlements which were founded around mills near water, Union Hall was the centre of a farming community.
87) A Special Performance in Pakenham to Celebrate Canada’s Birth
The Pakenham Brass Band performed for the birth of the Dominion July 1, 1867. The Band was formed by Capt O’Neil and led by Mr. James Drummond as part of the Pakenham Rifles.
88) The Mills of Appleton
During the settlement of Ramsay Township in the early 1820s, the natural falls of the Mississippi River at Appleton provided an opportunity for a community to grow using water power. An entrepreneurial family, the Teskeys, harnessed the river’s water power, building a sawmill and a gristmill at the falls. The North Lanark Historic Museum has a virtual exhibit entitled “The Mills of Appleton” featured on: www.virtualmuseum.ca. Check it out to learn more!
89) Clayton Hotels
Clayton was on the main road from Perth to Pembroke in the mid 1800s. For that reason the village had several hotels over the years. Two of them burned. The longest running one was torn down in the early 1950s. One still remains as a private home.
90) Before Almonte had Don’s Meat Market
In the 1890s, one could find a number of interesting business places on Bridge Street across from the Almonte Old Town Hall. Next to Illingworth’s grocery store was Mick McCabe’s butcher shop. He had a delivery boy, “Pacer” Coulter, so called for the little horse he drove. The horse knew the route as well as Pacer, stopping and starting without command at the customer’s homes. There were no refrigerators and few ice boxes then, so meat was perishable. Deliveries were made at 9 a.m. with stews and roasts and at 11 a.m. with steaks and fries. Orders were taken at the 9 a.m. delivery for the 11 a.m. meats and at 11 a.m. for the next morning’s 9 a.m. delivery.
