Elizabeth Hall
A Walk Through History
Richmond Township took longer to settle than the others; with lots of swampland and soil containing high levels of clay, Richmond Township was falling behind other settlements.
Early lots on the Napanee River were for transportation access of goods and materials, and many people from Fredericksburgh were relocated to Richmond because of difficulties in the other township. As people got settled, they also became aggressive; many disputes and violent behaviour occurred over boundary lines and duplicate ownership to lots.
In 1786, at the falls on the Napanee River, a gristmill was built by the government. Even surrounded by dense forest and swamp or indecent soil, things like gristmills and sawmills attracted more people to settle in these townships. A man named Richard Cartwright purchased the government gristmill with plans to further develop the Napanee area. He established additional mills for cloth, tavern, and distillery. Cartwright bought, shipped, and sold goods during his time in Napanee; he bought potash and lumber from farmers and shipped them down the St. Lawrence River, then brought goods back to sell in his stores.
In 1815, the majority of Napanee’s new settlers were settled on the south side of the Napanee River, but when a man named Allan Macpherson built his gentry-styled, Georgian designed house on the north side in 1826, it became the social centre of Napanee. In 1820, a post office had finally been built and mail travelled on the primitive roads from Kingston to York (Toronto), which increased traffic in the townships and inns and hotels suddenly became a necessity to keep up with the town’s growing prosperity; Lennox House, Brisco House, Campbell House, Tichborne House and the Queen’s Hotel were some of the most important and busy hotels in the town. More people moved to Richmond Township with the first train arriving in the town in 1856, to keep up with the booming population. Along with the growing industries in the town, such as Gibbard’s Furniture Factory founded in 1835 and the multiple successful mills, Napanee was making itself known.
Random History Fact: After Vincent Van Gogh cut off his ear, he wrapped it up and gave it to a prostitute on the street, which is what got him sent to a mental hospital where he painted his most famous painting Starry Night.