1. Black and white photo of Maggie McNab of White Lake, with a spinning wheel outside a building. Origin unknown.
2. Colour photograph taken by Peter Hessel in the 1980s, showing the house in White Lake at the southeast corner of the intersection of White Lake Road and Burnstown Road (opposite the church). The house was then occupied by Phoebe Hunter.
3. Black and white photograph (enlargement) by Dorothy Garlough of Burnstown, taken in 1984. The photo shows a detail of the verandah of the “Fraser House” on Main Street (Front Street, later named Burnstown Road) in White Lake. It won second prize in a photo contest organized by Waba Cottage Museum.
4. Photocopy of a black and white photo showing the boathouse for the Stewart and McLachlin yachts at White Lake. The boathouse was demolished in the 1940s after which Mr. Ostler built a dance pavilion on the site (the pavilion burned down).
5. Photocopy of a page from the “Canada Directory” for 1857-1858, showing names and occupations of heads of households. The population was given as about 150. Family names: Adams, Barry, Bennet, Box, Boyle, Brown, Browne, Burlongette, Casey, Cram, Dennin, Elliot, Ferguson, Fraser [Rev.], Johnston, Kenny, Lindsay, McNab (one spelled Macnab), McAdam, McDonald, McLauchlan, McManus, McRae, Mills, Moynahem, Paris, Parkhurst, Robertson, Ryan, Stirling, Yuill. Occupations: innkeeper, shoemaker, stonecutter, general store, clerk, painter, lumber merchant, miller, plasterer, teacher, free church [minister], carriagemaker, waggonmaker, saw mill owner, landowner, farmer, constable, carpenter, postmaster, carding and fulling mill, flouring mill, stonemason, tailor.
6. Photo of a map of White Lake (original at the Ontario Archives) by H.F. Walling, dated 1863, showing Main Street, Allan Street, Fisher Street, Side Line (the road to Arnprior), and Mill Street (now John Box Street). It shows the locations for the Paris grist mill and sawmill, the Lindsay sawmill, Alexander Stirlings "shoe shop" and store, J. Cuthbert's store, D. McManus's blacksmith shop, the Presbyterian Church, the Manse (Rev. S.S. Fraser), J. McAllum's Hotel (White House), the school, and a number of residences. There are 2 copies of this photo.
7. Sketch of a map of White Lake village (source and date unknown), showing Main Street, Allan Street and Point Road, plus “Highway 2”. Scale: 1” = 1000 feet.
8. Photocopy of article in a local paper (April 20, 1933) by Ruth Fraser, “Early Days at White Lake”. Reference to John McLauchlan, immigrant from Scotland, L 15 C 3 (Alex McLeod), Thomas McLauchlan. Charles Fraser L8 C4 (son Alexander Fraser, grandson William N. Fraser). John Cunningham (from Ireland) L 11 C 5 (son John Cunningham, grandson Samuel O. Cunningham). James Cunningham. Lowlands (Clay Bank). L 2 C 7, William J. Cunningham. James Headrick (his son James Headrick, grandson Fred), L 3 C 8. Mail service, mail delivery: James Robertson (first mail to White Lake). Rural route: first mailman Michael Havey (on horseback, one trip a week): Arnprior - White Lake - Burnstown). First post office John Paris. Louise Paris. Joseph Thoms. William McNab (R.R. 1, 5th Line, daily). Ernest Box (R.R. 2, Bellamy Road 3 x a week). Post master at White Lake in 1933: John Hough. “Church Lot” (Free Church / Free Kirk) in White Lake donated by the Laird owned in 1933 by John Fraser (Allan Street / Back Street). First minister: Rev. Cunningham Simon Fraser from Scotland. The old manse: home of Alexander McNab in 1933. First blacksmith shop where “Joseph Hamilton now resides”, another owned by Michael Merriman on the “vacant lot now owned by Russell Cameron. Merriman’s Corner. Alexander Cameron “present blacksmith”. In frame house built by Adam McGonigal. Village “surveyed mostly from L 6 C 4. Allan McNab. William Lindsay, Alexander Lindsay, Gavin Lindsay. James R. Gillies (sawmill on Waba Creek on Fraser property). Robert Box. Sawmill burned in 1898, never rebuilt. Daniel Fraser. Matthew J. O’Reilly (lineman for McNab Co.) White Lake schools (3 successive buildings). Land from Robertson. First teacher: Duncan Ferguson, “present” Miss L.E. Andison in the senior room and Miss G.I. Halpenny in the junior room. Leslie Hanson, (Mrs.) William McAdam operated the hotel called Old White House. Stores: Thomas Young, William Sterling, F. Ostler, James E, Cuthbert. John Paris mill, James Paris, Colin Deacon, Jack Campbell. Cemetery: Donald Fraser gave land. Enlarged in 1932. taken care of by the Women’s Institute. Waba Cottage. John S. Box. White Lake a summer resort. Tourists, cottages. Presbyterian Church, United Church, Baptist Church, Orange Hall, (Loyal Orange Lodge) L.O.L. No. 2902. Lawn socials. [Ruth Fraser married Donald McLeod.]
9. Colour slide taken by Peter Hessel (about 1983) of a small frame house on Back Street in White Lake. The house was later demolished.
Related Material
Much information about the history of the White Lake area is contained in the books “White Lake — The Early Years” (published by the White Lake Property Owners Association in 1999) and “White Lake — The Later Years” (published in December 2000) — on our book shelves. Some of the articles from these books have been copied and inserted in the relevant files.