Carnegie

History

Before the days of rural mail delivery, the countryside was dotted with tiny postal hamlets. They were badly needed. In the days of horse and buggy travel, these tiny settlements provided a vital link between the farming community and the outside world.

Over time, many of these communities grew to become small service and supply centres that included the usual general store and blacksmith. Those that were fortunate enough to be located close to a good source of water power and had a nearby railway station, were generally able to attract a number of mills and other small industries, and eventually become prosperous.

The majority were not so fortunate. Carnegie PO, located on Lot 24, Concession 7 in Elderslie Township, probably never had aspirations of greatness. It started out as a small post office and never grew beyond that.

Samuel Ewart, his wife Jannet, and their family of six hailed from Moffat, Dumfrieshire, Scotland. After arriving in Canada in 1856, they purchased Lots 24 and 25 on the sixth concession from the Gillies family and began to clear the land and build a log home. As more settlers arrived in the area, a small log school, U.S.S. #6, Elderslie and Sullivan, first opened in 1857. The Ewart’s son, Archibald, was one of the first teachers, before settling down to a life of farming.

Other early settlers who left their mark on the area were the Clements family. Thomas Clements was already in his late sixties when he, his wife and their five children left Ireland to start a new life in Canada. Tragically Mrs. Clements died during the voyage. More heartache followed when one of their daughters died upon their arrival in Toronto. Thomas and his four children carried on, eventually arriving at Concession 10, Elderslie, to clear their land and establish their new home. Next, they built a small log schoolhouse. Thomas, quite remarkably, taught there until the age of 91. In 1862 they helped to establish a small church that became known as the Clements Methodist Church.

In the early days of settlement, the Clements church was about the only church in the immediate vicinity of Carnegie. Known officially as the Clements Methodist Episcopal Church, it was located on the 10th line, Lot 25 in Elderslie.

The church began with the arrival of Reverend Francis Finn in 1862. For the first year, parishioners worshipped in various homes until a small frame church opened on February 8, 1863. William Clements generously donated a piece of his farmland fir the church and drive shed. Early preachers included a lay minister and schoolteacher, John Calhoun, and Reverend Joseph Henry Hilts, who wrote in detail about the travails of a backwoods preacher.

In 1882 the different branches of the Methodist Church merged to form the Methodist Church of Canada (later United Church). This led to the organization of a new circuit, followed by a new church at Dobbinton. The new church opened on July 29, 1893 and the Clements Church closed on the same day. One piece of the Clements Church survived, the drive shed. It became part of the new church.

In the early 1860s, one farmer, Samuel Ewart, decided to open a nearby post office. Samuel, along with many of the other farmers, must have been growing tired of making semi-regular trips over to Paisley to pick up their mail. Carnegie gained official status when the post office opened in Samuel Ewart’s log home on August 1, 1863. With the tables now turned, couriers now brought the mail in from Paisley. Sam still had to set aside his farm work, and run over to the house to meet the courier, collect the mail and sign off on the paperwork.

There were few other services in the Carnegie area. Residents had to travel to the nearby hamlet of Dobbington to find a store. Thomas Bearman Jr., whose father Thomas Bearman owned the mills in Scone, set up a sawmill on his farm, located on Lot 25, Concession 7. Bearman did custom sawing as well as general farming.

Samuel Ewart passed away in 1870. His son Thomas ran the post office over the next few years. By this time the farm had expanded and in addition to running the busy farm, Thomas also became involved in logging interests. Income from running the post office, at $10 per year, was not significant, and with less and less time on his hands, Thomas decided to close the post office. The date of its closure is questionable. The official record shows June 17, 1879. With the closing of the post office Carnegie’s brief moment in history came to an end. The Gilles Hill post office took over from Carnegie.

Descendants of the Ewart family continued to play a large role in Elderslie Township affairs for many years. Archibald Ewart served as reeve from 1874 – 76. His son, Samuel Kerr (S.K.), also served as reeve from 1910-13 and as secretary for “The Red School” from 1907 – 1938. In addition to his community work, S.K. Ewart was also president of the Gillies Hill Telephone Company from 1908 to 1943. Thomas’ son, Samuel Malcolm, (S.M.) enjoyed a similarly long run as township treasurer from 1902-41.

U.S.S. #6, known as “The Red School” continued to thrive as an integral part of the community for many years. A frame building replaced the old log school in 1875. In 1904, a large two-storey brick schoolhouse, built at a cost of $1,695 replaced the frame schoolhouse. Community Sunday school classes also found a home in the new school. W.D. Bell and later James Cass taught the classes from 1910 – 18.

Over the years, the schoolhouse saw a number of improvements. These included a new well in 1935 and a new furnace and enlarged grounds in 1947. Additional landscaping included a number of attractive trees. A young couple who had recently lost their home to a fire purchased the school building in the mid-1960s. They retained the original floor plan and lovingly preserved the building, both inside and out. Little else remains of Carnegie, other than a number of attractive farm houses.