Corbyville
History

©Jeri Danyleyko
Corbyville was a company town that grew from the spirits so to speak. It seems however that Corbyville’s spirits were of a more tangible nature. Specifically, we’re referring to the H. Corby Distillery Company, which got its start at this location in the middle of the 19th century.
Corby’s extensive selection of products presently includes Canadian Club, Wiser’s DeLuxe, Polar DeLuxe Vodka, and Beefeater Gin, among many others.
It all began when a small area known as Hayden’s Corners was first settled in the late 1700s. In 1790 Captain John W Meyers constructed a mill, powered by the fast-flowing waters of the Moira River. Around 1812 the Reed family followed Meyers’ lead and built a flour mill. It was to become the future location of Corbyville.
Henry Corby was an energetic, adventurous 26-year old baker. With great enthusiasm, he arrived in Canada from England in 1832 eager to seek his fortune in the new country. Upon his arrival in Belleville, Corby opened a small general store. It didn’t last long. Corby sold the store once it was established and returned to his trade as a baker. He, along with a partner William Dickens, opened one of the first bakeries in Belleville. Much to their delight, it was an instant success. Within a short period of time it became known as Belleville’s premier bakery.
Unfortunately, Corby’s politics seem to have gotten in the way of his business partnership. After he served as an unattached volunteer in the Mackenzie rebellion, he and Dickens parted ways. Corby sold his interest in the bakery and this time, purchased a steamer. Throughout the next four years, he travelled up and down the shores of Lake Ontario working as a grain merchant. By 1857 he was ready to settle down and take up a new trade. With his background as a baker, and his knowledge of the grain industry, a new grist mill seemed to be an ideal choice.
Initially, Corby had wanted to locate his new dam and mill in Belleville. Once again, it seems his political views got in the way. Corby was a vocal and active member of the Liberal party. There was speculation that political differences between him and the Conservatives forced him to alter his plans. Whatever the case, Corby ended up purchasing the grist mill from the Reeds in 1855. Before he could open, he had to build a dam and perform major renovations to the mill. Once those renovation were complete, the mill reopened in 1857.
The mill site was located five km north of Belleville, along the banks of the Moira River, known for its pure, clean, sparkling water. A small company village, known as Corby’s Mill, consisting of a general store, a few houses, along with the mills slowly began to take shape.
In those days, it was common practice for farmers to set aside a small amount of their more inferior grain to be distilled into spirits. It took very little time for Corby to spot a new business opportunity and add a distillery. He quickly developed a reputation as a superb whiskey maker. By 1859 the distillery, known as Alma Mills after his late first wife Alma, had taken on equal importance. The distillery quickly grew to eclipse the mill.
Now that his business interests were flourishing, Corby returned to his political ambitions. He became active in the Belleville community and served as mayor from 1867-68. Then he expanded his reach into provincial politics. He continued his political career by serving as a member of the provincial parliament for the Liberals. Rather than wear two hats, Corby sold his business to his son Henry Jr., known as Harry, who ran it for the next 25 years. Henry Corby Sr. passed away in 1881.
Harry invested substantially in the business. One of those investments was a new bottling operation in Belleville. Like his father, Corby Junior was politically active and served as a Conservative senator for 12 years. He continued his father’s philanthropic endeavours by creating a park and donating a library building. Public service duties included serving as captain of the fire department.
Additional commercial ventures included making substantial investments towards a bridge to connect Hastings and Prince Edward Counties. However this was not a public service gesture. The owners charged tolls which lasted until 1921 when the province took over the bridge. Another commercial interest included the Quinte Hotel in Belleville. Unfortunately, fire destroyed the hotel in 1907. A new Quinte Hotel rose from the ashes in 1908. This luxurious hotel was a mainstay of the city of Belleville for over 100 years. Sadly, fire struck again in 2012 destroying the Quinte Hotel forever.
In the meantime, the small community town surrounding the Corby mills continued to thrive and grow. In 1882, the year after Henry Corby’s death, William Bennett opened a post office in his general store under the name Corbyville. By then, the community boasted a population of around 100. Tradespeople included a cooper, Peter Marille, a carpenter, James Becket, a blacksmith, T. Hanswill and a cabinetmaker. William Scantlebury was the shoemaker. By 1886 there was a Methodist church, a school, a hotel, operated by R. B. Palmer and a flour mill, run by J.A. Bradshaw. F. Bronton opened the Union Cheese Manufacturing Company in the mid-1890s. Eventually Harry Corby sold his interest in the distillery. Mortimer Davis became the new owner in 1906. Corbyville continued to expand with the population doubling to about 200 by 1910.
During the war, alcohol manufacture was restricted to military purposes. By the end of the World War I, major changes were taking place in the alcohol industry. After the war was over, sales dropped sharply as the temperance movement began to take hold. Corby’s, as one of the smaller producers, was hurting badly. The company ended up merging with Wiser’s Distillery under the new name of the Canadian Industrial Alcohol Company.
Luckily for this new entity, the hard times didn’t last long. Prohibition in the United States, which forbade the manufacture of alcohol, was destined to create a lucrative market for Canadian hooch. Unlike the US, manufacture and production of alcohol is Canada is strictly under federal jurisdiction. Provincial jurisdiction is limited to distribution and sales. Although some provinces imposed temperance restrictions, it was easy to get around those with mail order sales. Not surprisingly with all the money rolling in, the federal government had no interest in going there. As a result by 1921 Corby’s was producing 50,000 gallons of alcohol per month. This period of growth and prosperity lasted for many years.
In 1950 the H. Corby Distillery Company had reverted back to its original name. The company continued along the path of growth and expansion with additional mergers and acquisitions. Unfortunately the founding plant in Corbyville did not remain part of Corby’s later success story. The plant closed in 1991, putting approximately 220 people out of work. That also resulted in the closure of the Canada Customs offices located directly across the street. Corby’s shifted production to newer plants in various areas across Canada. Not surprisingly, the head office was moved to Toronto.
The nearby city of Belleville with its many attractive historical buildings continues to grow and prosper. In time it will likely absorb the remains of Corbyville. Meanwhile, a new housing development is currently in the works. Most of the distillery buildings have been removed. The former customs offices have been converted to a brewery. For now Corbyville continues to exist as a separate entity. The ghosts of its past remain undisturbed in a field just past the entranceway to the community.