Country Quill donated in August 2017 by Art Turnewitsch
Scope and Content
1. Original photo (fading) of Burnstown, year unknown, probably early 20th century. The view faces east, showing the church on the right and the general store on the left. In the left background the white steeple of the school is visible.
2. Photocopy (enlarged) of the above photo.
3. Pencil sketch of Burnstown by Peter Hessel, made with information from John Box Campbell, in the late 1980s, showing the old Madawaska bridge, the course of the old road, the James Douglas store (General Store), Leckie’s hotel (later “Fog Run”), the W. McKay store, etc.
4. Clipping from the Renfrew Advance, Jan. 10, 1963, showing pictures of Burnstown in 1963, including the church, general store with Texaco station, school; Free Presbyterian church (in 1898), which stood on the site of the Burnstown United Church; bridges (1920, 1929 , 1962); location of Rochester grist mill.
5. Photocopy of article (III in a series) and editor’s note about Burnstown school by Catherine E. Forrest Weber, in Renfrew Mercury, Nov. 10, 1982. See item 19 below.
6. Photocopy of photos of Burnstown school in 1941 and an almost illegible manuscript page regarding the school. Also: photocopy of a photo of the Goshen school in 1937.
7. Photocopy of an article by Harry Walker in the Ottawa Journal, April 23, 1955 entitled “Old Burnstown Home Last Link With Laird o’ MacNab’s Downfall”. Photo of Leckie’s Hotel (which later became Richard Gill’s “Fog Run”). The contents of the article are based on Dugald C. McNab’s book, “Last Laird of McNab”. Key terms: rebellion against Laird, beaver tail soup, Stewartville dam, Sir Francis Hincks, Gathering of the Clans, statute of labour, Duncan Anderson, Alexander McNab, Allan Stewart.
8. Clipping from Ottawa Citizen, August 4, 1987, article by Bert Hill entitled “In praise of the ol’ time country stores. Photo of inside of Burnstown General Store, showing Marion Gordon. [The article also deals with and has a photo of the Pakenham General Store.] Other key term: Diane Gordon.
9. Clipping from Arnprior Chronicle-Guide (1989): “Burnstown celebration”, dealing with the reunion and 100th anniversary celebration of the Burnstown school in June 1989. Key terms: Tim Gordon, Eileen Brydges, Marion Fraser.
10. Photocopy of photo reproduced in the Renfrew Mercury (date?) entitled “Photographic peek at the past”. The 1899 photo shows a picnic celebrating the dedication of Burnstown church. Key terms: Miss Anderson, Miss Bella Crane, Jim Stringer (teachers); Katie Wallace, James Wallace, Mary Leckie . . .
11. Photocopy of photo reproduced in the Renfrew Mercury (date?) entitled “Photographic peek at the past”. The 1890 photo shows the students and teachers of Burnstown School. A key terms: Robert Dickson.
12. Photocopy of a page (15) from a book by Smallwood, “The Story of Renfrew”, 1919, referring to another book written in 1850 by W.H. Smith, “describing the counties of Lanark and Renfrew as they then were”. Key terms: White Lake, Burnstown, Sand Point, Mount St. Patrick, Madawaska River; grist mill; registrar for the County of Renfrew; population; area; agricultural production.
13. Photocopy of photo owned by Jimmy Forrest (resident of McNab Twp.) of the ruined building formerly the Rochester grist mill in Burnstown.
14. Original pamphlet published for the 100th anniversary of the Burnstown School on June 24, 1989, containing agenda for the day, summary of school history; list of teachers from Dugald C. McNab to “Mr. Johnson. Also list of school trustees, custodians and inspectors. Illustration by Bill Slavin.
15. Double-sided printed sheet published together with item 14, “The History of Burnstown School”. Key terms: George Rochester, McNee family, Fisher family, Taylor family, Campbell family; Daniel Fyfe, Wm. Austin (teachers); D. McCallum; John Stewart; Mike Osborne; Graham Ditchfield.
16. Photocopy of James Campbell (of Burnstown) and his grandson John Box Campbell, dated Aug. 22, 1906; also of the Campbell home on Picket Hill Lane near Burnstown (where John Box Campbell was born). The house is still standing in 1998 (photo of the house by Peter Hessel, 1988).
17. Photocopy of a picture postcard, showing “the John Anderson Home” in Burnstown, 1896.
18. Clipping from a newspaper of June 16, 1911 of an article entitled “Farmers and Women’s Institutes. An interesting afternoon at Burnstown”.
19. Clippings of article (in 3 parts, including the above item 5) about Burnstown school by Catherine E. Forrest Weber, in Renfrew Mercury, Nov. 10, 1982 and 2 other dates.
20. Modern (2001) brochure, “The Heart of Burnstown”.
21. Three-page typed notes by inknown (date?) titled “Burnstown Village”. Good Temperance Society Hall. Rochester.
22. Country Quill Volume 1, Issue 1, March 1991 (monthly paper serving Renfrew, Burnstown, White Lake & Calabogie) 12 pages of news and editiorials. Peter Hessel's column "Peter's Point" entitled Green with Envy (about St. Patrick's Day) appears in this volume.
Notes
See also file “Burnstown School”. Cheese factory. Grist mill.
See also the book, “Burnstown United Church, 1849-1999” by Irene Robillard on reference shelves.
See file “Historical Society copies”, item HS 23 re list of teachers.
See article about the naming of Burnstown in Chronicle, Feb. 7, 1930, page 7.
See File “Geographical Names”, folder personally prepared by Alan Rayburn for the Arnprior and District Historical Society in 1992, “The Geographical Names of the Arnprior Area”.