Addie's Adventurers - Clue #1

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Original Site of McNab Township Hall – WISH Adventure #1

Where do we go on our first adventure? Which WI plaque, hall or project to choose? Do we want to pick one from our own branch or select one from our District that is not yet available online in the FWIO Digital Collections? After a bit of discussion, we settled on a monument that had not been previously documented. A WI member from a sister branch was contacted and she provided directions as none of us had seen the cairn before.

On a very frigid Valentine’s Day in 2022, we headed out. Not sure what we were in for, how close the cairn was to the road, and how deep the snow, Addie’s Adventurers put on snowpants under our warmest coats. Besides our cell phones for the photo shoot, we prepared for the worst and brought along snowshoes and shovels.

After driving about 10 km., we arrived in the historic village of Stewartville on the shores of the mighty Madawaska River, home of the current Stewartville Hydro Generating Station. Not quite sure which sideroad to park on, we decided to check out closer to the river and took a quick jaunt down the hill, over the bridge, turning around, and returning to the sideroad where we were before.

We turned the car around to park facing the other way and there it was! The cairn was right across the Stewartville Road on a bit of a hill. Quite obvious when one knows where to look. And even better – no snowshoes needed! A snowmobile had provided a trail from the road and across the ditch.

Shovels in hand, we headed towards the cairn. As we got closer, we noticed that no shovelling was needed to remove snow on the cairn and that a snowmobile had actually driven around the cairn creating a path for us. It could not have been easier. After a number of photos, we headed home very pleased with ourselves to find and document this historic location.

The large cairn commemorates the first Township Hall in McNab Township. The plaque reads “Original Site of McNab Township Hall 1859 - 1971.” In going through some Tweedsmuir Community History books in the FWIO Digital Collections, we found a June 19, 1974 newspaper clipping from the Arnprior Guide, which gave a write-up and picture of the plaque unveiling that Sunday before. Other information about the Hall was also found in the Tweedsmuirs. The Township Hall was built in 1859 by the pioneers, with the first council meeting held there in 1860. Prior to this, council meetings were in private homes. Stewartville (previously known as Balmers Island) was chosen as the location for the Hall as the hamlet was at the geographic centre of the township. Besides this, it overlooked the Madawaska River at the end of Long Rapids (16 miles of treacherous rapids), with a bridge across the river at that location. The hamlet was also on the main road from Arnprior to the lumber camps along and above the Madawaska.

The Hall was a wooden structure with clapboard siding and three windows along the two long sides, with the door at one of the gable ends. It was also used for community activities, such as a school and a church in the earliest years, exhibits for the Stewartville Fair, concerts, suppers, dances, and WI meetings. In 1967, as a centennial project, the Township opened a new Municipal Hall at another location a few miles away. In March 1971, the roof of the old Township Hall collapsed under the weight of the snow, ending 112 years of existence. Shortly afterwards Stewartville WI approached McNab Township council to suggest a cairn be placed to mark where the Township Hall once stood. The township created the cairn while the WI ladies donated the plaque. Today it stands as a reminder of days gone by.

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