01/17/2025
Heritage Herald – Lime Lake
Submitted by : Jack White
January 2, 2025
This year we are going to work our way from the southeast corner of Hungerford Township (now part of the Municipality of Tweed) and work our way north hitting to some of the small communities that have vanished but are still known by the crossroads on old maps. Some of our Heritage Heralds will contain interesting articles of activities and historical items.
Lime Lake
The community of Lime Lake is about 5 kilometres south-east of Marlbank and lies within the townships of Richmond in Lennox and Addington, in Tyendinaga and mostly in Hungerford in Hastings County. It takes its name from the nearby lake, Lime Lake which empties into Parks Creek that in turn empties into the Moira River near Latta.
Some of the first settlers were the families named McConnell, Brown, Dafoe, Jamin, Purvis and Henderson many coming from Ireland. As with most of the pioneers they settled and had to build a log cabin, clear land for farming and in the process burned much of the trees and made potash which was one of the few sources of cash.
The first Post Office in the district was in the Jarmin home and was later moved to the general store run by Mr. and Mrs. John Henderson. It was just west of the building that used to be the Orange Hall. After the train started running through Marlbank, the Post Office was closed and was moved to Marlbank. About 1914 the Rural Mail service was started and the first contractor Harry Allen first delivered the mail on a bicycle and later with a horse and buggy. Mr. Allen continued to deliver the mail for 25 years. Now the mail is delivered by Canada Post from Marlbank and from Roblin.
At one time there were two schools in this community, Tyner’s School in Richmond, on the Tyner property and another on the north-west part of the section of Hungerford called Lime Lake School. The Tyner school was built in 1870 and until 1885 was held only in the summer months. In 1885 a new frame building was built, and the school was held all year. In 1944 it was closed and the students were taken into the Richmond school area
The first Lime Lake School was constructed about the same time with it being replaced by one on the sideroad connecting the 1st and 2nd concessions of Hungerford in 1934. The last teacher in this school was Mrs. Annie Purvis and it was absorbed into the school at Marlbank in 1965 with Mrs. Purvis continued as the principal for 2 years. The school building has been moved and is now the building that Nadeen Tyner does her basket weaving.
The first settlers in this area travelled to attend a church a distance from home. They built themselves a church known as the Methodist Church. When it needed repairs to a considerable sum, it was decided to build a new one in 1905. This church was built of brick sourced from Tweed, and in January 1907 it was dedicated. The first caretaker was Charles Bird, who received $10 per year to keep lamps cleaned and filled, and to start the fire in cold months. In 1909, Miss Lizzie Brown was appointed organist, a position she held for 40 years. The church mortgage was paid off in 1912 and the church as declared free of debt. This church, as many others has been closed and the parishioners attending other places of worship.
Not far from the front of the church doors was the church graveyard while another cemetery known as Bunker’s Hill was not far distant on the Hog’s Back Road. If you wander through these cemeteries and note the names, you will note the pioneer names that descendants still live in the Lime Lake and Marlbank area.
It was the custom in those days to have a yearly church picnic. To this would come friends and relatives from miles around arriving in buggies, democrats, wagons and often on horseback. The horses were tied to the crooked snake rail fence where they remained all day munching on hay placed at their feet.
In 1869 the Gazetteer and Directory listed Dunn, William, a general merchant, John Henderson, general merchant, Jarmine James, Postmaster and Maxwell, John M.D. and a population of 50. By 1886-1887 the population had increased to 100 with John Henderson, the Postmaster and general store. Dr. Joh Maxwell was still the doctor, Wm. McFarlane, shoemaker, Wm. Brandon, livestock, Robert Bird, Geo. Henderson, Wm. Maxwell and David Smith all carpenters, Wood Bros. shingle mill and Benjamin & Co the hub and spoke manufacturing. The population to increased 165 in 1898-1899 after which it started to decrease again.
In this picture you will see Dr. John Maxwell M.D. and his wife Jane Gray from who many of their children married and remained in the community. Ater the death of his wife Jane Gray, he married Suzannah Wayte. Many of the families with ties to these families were Maxwells, Halls, Gray, Meeks, McConnell, Marlin, Brenton, Weir, Collins, White and many other families with ties to the pioneering families with relatives still living in the area.
