The Gloucester Historical Society

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Billings Bridge - The most important entry point from Gloucester into Ottawa since 1830.
Here we see the current bridge on opening day, September 2, 1915
Photo by Binks & Wallis and supplied courtesy of Library and Archives Canada, Copy Number C-014138

Township of Gloucester County of Carleton Ontario, Canada Originally, all the land bordering the Ottawa River east of the Rideau River to the Cumberland Boundary and south to Osgoode Township, belonged to what was then, the Township of Gloucester. Parts of the township were annexed by the City of Ottawa over the years, or were incorporated as separate municipalities. Eastview (now known as Vanier) was incorporated in 1908 and Rockcliffe Park in 1925. Annexations began with New Edinburgh in 1887 and followed by a much larger annexation in 1950. The remainder of the township was incorporated as a city in 1981. The city was then amalgamated as part of the city of Ottawa in 2001. The township is divided into four parts. First, the Junction Gore is bounded by the Ottawa River on the north, the Rideau River on the northwest, St. Laurent Blvd on the east and Walkley Road on the south. The Ottawa Front is bounded by the Ottawa River on the north, Osgoode Township on the south, Cumberland Township on the east and St. Laurent Blvd. and Ramsayville Road on the west. The Rideau Front is bounded by the Rideau River on the west, Walkley Road on the north, Ramsayville Road on the east and Osgoode Township (Mitch Owens Road) on the south. A small portion of the township along the Rideau River west of Spratt Road and covering from Honey Gables to Manotick is known as the Broken Front. Within these boundary, small villages and distinct communities were founded. A list of Gloucester Place Names can be found here. For the purpose of this list, the Ottawa Front was divided into two. The north portion is bounded by the Mer Bleue, a natural dividing point, and the Walkley Road baseline. A historic map of the township showing many old and modern place names can be found here . A map showing modern community names can be found here . Farms and market gardens flourished in the villages and communities in those early days. The township also originally included some of the Ottawa area's most expensive residential real estate in Rockcliffe Park. Many stories are written about these past times. The Gloucester Historical Society's publications, along with other interesting research material and books on local history may be viewed at the Society's research room at 4550 Bank Street (off of Leitrim Road).

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Next Board of Directors Meeting - Saturday, February 20, 2010  9:30 am, 4550 Bank Street, Lower Level off of Leitrim Road (next to Fire Station). The general public is welcomed to attend.

Come and See us at GENE-O-RAMA - Saturday, March 27, 2010, Library and Archives Canada, 395 Wellington, Ottawa ON. Please click here for further details.

Annual General Meeting - Sunday, April 18, 2010 2:00PM. Details to be announced.

Important Announcement - Effective from May 6, 2010 until October 28, 2010, the Grace Johnston History Room will be open to the public each Thursday from 10:00 am until 3:00 pm. This is a great opportunity to research family or Gloucester history. For the address and directions, please click here.

Honey Gables - The Gloucester Historical Society is pleased to announce that we are collaborating with a community researcher with the end goal of producing a detailed written history of Honey Gables authored by the community researcher.

Bayview Public School - This school is now located in Hunt Club but for well over 100 years, it was a fixture on Riverside Drive near Mooney's Bay. It was originally known as School Section #7 Gloucester but has been known as Bayview School for much of its recent history. The most recent school building across from Mooney's Bay was demolished in 2009. Click here to learn more on the history of this school.

Volunteers - If you are interested in history, there are opportunities to learn more about your community by helping out in the history room. Please contact us for details.

Donations - The Gloucester Historical Society always welcomes donations that preserve Gloucester History. We will accept family histories, community histories, organization histories, church histories, school histories, photographs, historic documents and artifacts. Items of historic significance will be preserved in an appropriate local museum or local archives. If you would like to donate something, please contact us.

New - GHS Newsletters Now On-Line - New - Click here to view almost every Newsletter published by the Gloucester Historical Society since 1993.

1837 Gloucester Assessment Roll - Click here to view an alphabetic listing of heads of households that appeared on the assessment roll that year. The listing includes the location of where they lived or owned property, the number of acres cultivated and uncultivated and the family size categorized by sex and age. .

New Publication - ** HOT OFF THE PRESS ** - Gloucester Township Ratepayers for the Years 1855, 1864 and 1872 tabulated by Bob Serré, 2009 This 55 page book lists ratepayers by family name and also by lot and concession number. The 1864 and 1872 lists also identify the School Section that each family belonged to. NOUVELLE PUBLICATION - Le 17 juin 2009, la Société historique de Gloucester a publié un livre intitulé *Familles pionnières de Saint-Joseph d’Orléans dans l’Est de l’Ontario*. L’auteur est Robert Serré. Le village de Saint-Joseph d’Orléans a toujours chevauché la frontière entre les cantons de Cumberland et de Gloucester. Un tiers environ des 53 familles décrites dans ce nouvel ouvrage relèvent du canton de Cumberland. On y trouvera aussi une liste des sources consultées, un index des noms des conjoints et conjointes, et une photo en couleur de l’église Saint-Joseph. Cette nouvelle publication se vend 10 $ (commande postale : ajouter 3 $). Pour en savoir plus, communiquer avec Robert Serré, Publications SHG, 1057, promenade Riviera, Ottawa ON K1K 0N7; courriel bob.rosealine@gmail.com (téléphone 613-749-0607). First time Available from the Gloucester Historical Society - Historic Homes and Buildings of the Billings Bridge Community, A Self-Guided Tour by Joan McEvoy Rooney, 2004 This 29 booklet provides a suggested tour of many historic homes in the Billings Bridge area and particularly the old market garden community of Rideau Park. Each house is photographed and the history is explained. New Publication - Pioneer Families of St. Joseph (Orleans) in Eastern Ontario by Bob Serré, 2009 This 48 page book provides information on 53 families in this community that straddled the boundary between Gloucester and Cumberland Townships. About one third of the families listed resided in Cumberland. Further information can be found here. New Publication - Remembering Carlsbad Springs (Gloucester Township) by Mary Boyd and Robert Serré, 2009 This 32 page book provides the fascinating history of this community built around mineral springs and the 19th and 20th century spas that developed as a result. Further information can be found here. Pioneer Families of Janeville (Gloucester Township), by Robert Serré, 2008 This 47 page book provides the geographical location and a brief history of the village known in recent years as Vanier. It also provides historical background and genealogical profiles of 56 families present in Janeville between the late 1820s until the 1880s. Further information can be found here. Pioneer Families of Rockcliffe Annex and Manor Park in Gloucester Township, by Robert Serré, 2008 This 36 page book contains a precise geographical description of the community, historical background and genealogical profiles of 34 families present in Manor Park between 1915 and 1948. Further information can be found here. Pioneer Families of Hurdman's Bridge (Gloucester Township), by Robert Serré, 2007 This 46-page book contains a brief history of the village of Hurdman’s Bridge, as well as biographical and genealogical profiles of 55 pioneer families. Further details can be found here. Pioneer Families of New Edinburgh (Gloucester Township) Volume 1 1830-1870, by Robert Serré, 2007 This 55-page book, published in May 2007, describes the geographical setting and early history of the village of New Edinburgh, and provides biographical and genealogical information about the the families of the period. Further details can be found here.

Did you know? 1. Green Island where Ottawa's former City Hall was located was once part of Gloucester. 2. The north half of Long Island at Manotick was once part of Gloucester. 3. Hog's Back Falls bordered on Gloucester. 4. Rideau Hall and the 24 Sussex Drive (the Prime Minister's residence) were once in Gloucester 5. The Village of Rockcliffe Park was once part of Gloucester. 6. The City of Vanier was once part of Gloucester. 7. The jumble of roads, ramps and bridges next to RCMP Headquarters on the Vanier Parkway was once the thriving village of Hurdman's Bridge. 8. Greenboro Transitway station is adjacent to the former village of Ellwood. 9. Billings Bridge was once the centre of Gloucester Township including the first bridge to Bytown, a post office, 2 schools, 3 churches, the township hall, an Orange Hall, 3 ice houses, a brickyard, a toll gate and several other businesses. 10. The intersection of Russell and Walkley Roads was once the village of Hawthorne, traces of which have entirely disappeared. 11. Cummings Bridge once crossed via the island south of the current bridge. The island is named Cummings Island, named after the Cummings family who lived on the island for many years. 12. Ottawa's streetcars once travelled into Gloucester as far east as the north end of St. Laurent Boulvevard where the RCMP stables are now located.

A Tribute to Edward F. Kirk Ed Kirk on Colonel By Day 2008 volunteering at a GHS public event next to Bytown Museum It is with deep regret and sadness that the Board of the Gloucester Historical Society learned of the passing of fellow Director, Edward (Ed) Kirk in October. Our deepest sympathy goes out to his wife, Gertude, and their family. A member of the Historical Society for many years, Ed sat on the Board of the Society during the 1970s and from 2002 to 2009 where he was greatly appreciated for his advice and support. Ed loved to talk about the history of Gloucester and was enthusiastic about and determined that, Gloucester's history be preserved. He attended many events as a representative of the GHS and he enjoyed meeting the general public on behalf of the Society at those events. He was a member of numerous fraternal organizations at the local and provincial level, as well as an active participant in his community and church. His passing is a loss to the heritage community and to all his friends at the Gloucester Historical Society. Ed looked upon life as a challenge. He will be missed.

About the Logo: For many years the Gloucester Historical Society used the wooden bicycle which had been made by 17 year old James Blair in 1898. The official logo as shown above was designed by R.N. Strong, Graphic Designer, who was commissioned to come up with a meaningful design. The original bicycle is incorporated in the design and the colours of the Gloucester Historical Society, yellow and green are used. The green in the part below the word "Gloucester" represents a ploughed field, complete with furrows.

Last Updated February 19, 2010

The Gloucester Historical Society acknowledges the financial assistance of the City of Ottawa