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m-------- Sharing Our Heritage Lochwinnoeh Lochwinnoch is a rural community embracing the borders of both McNab and Horton townships in the county of Renfrew. The early settlers so named Lochwinnoeh in the early 1800’s in an attempt to alleviate some of their homesickness as the original inhabitants came from Lochwinnoch, Renfrewshire, Scotland. They were displaced weavers who out of desperation decided to try their hand at farming in Upper Canada. The first settler was James Melaren who came with the Laird ochNab in 1825. Some ofthe other earliest settlers had surnames such as MacMillan, Miller, Phillips, McGregor, Storic and Lindsay. Many of the descendants of these intrepid souls remain in Lochwinnoch today and more than a few are loyal Women’s Institute members. As was the case in every community of that time, the local oneâ€"room school and the church were the focal points for both learning and socializing. The school existed as early as 1850 with Peter Connery as the first teacher. By 1875, a new oneâ€"room schoolhouse was built with a second room added on in 1897. Our current W.I. president, Kyla Hogan, now lives with her family in this very same unique and historic building. School records dating back to 1896 state that ‘there were 53 students, including 14 with the surname Phillips’. In 1897, the teacher, Bella Craine, eamed a salary of $350 for the year. The second schoolroom was later to be called the ‘School Hall’ where various meetings, box socials, square dances, Christmas concerts, skating parties and other events were enjoyed by all in the community. Renfrew South District Women's Institute Page 22 on7