History of Kemptville The Town of Kemptville began to emerge from the forest in the Township of Oxford, as early as one can tell, when Lyman Clothier, a resident of New England, bought 100 acres of land from a John Boyce, for the price of a yoke of oxen, and a fusee.  Mr. Clothier had lived in the general area since 1804 or 1805, and between 1812 and 1814 he made the afore - mentioned transaction with Mr. Boyce, in order to establish a lumber mill. In 1815, Mr. Clothier began construction of a saw mill with the assistance of his 4 sons, and they built two dwellings in what is now present - day Kemptville. This mill was extremely important for the settling of the community, as in order to construct a crude dwelling, lumber was required - and so, the mill began to facilitate the construction of dwellings for settlers all over Oxford Township.  The location chosen by Mr. Clothier was a location that became a point on the Ottawa - Prescott Road. As a result, and as a direct consequence of the many travellers passing through the settlement, one of Mr. Clothier's sons, Asa, made a habit of opening his home to these travellers - as a resting place, and as a meeting place - thus, the "Clothier Hotel" was born.  The next major industry to be established was that of a grist mill in 1821, when the Clothiers placed some rock stones in the lower part of their saw mill. As a result of this, rather than taking their grain to a site on the St. Lawrence River, which would be a daunting hike in the best of conditions, or grinding the grain in an extremely ineffective and crude fashion, the settlers could now take it to this grist mill. After this was established, a blacksmith's shop was then established, inevitably run also by the Clothiers. Next was a harness shop by one Crouch. Then a second blacksmith shop, a wagon shop, and a general store were built - all necessary for a farming community.  Education was also an issue, and so a schoolhouse was established in 1823, and this served the surrounding communities for quite some time. In terms of medical care, the first physician arrived in the community the following year after the school was established.  The small village was fast expanding - and the residents of the region were beginning to think about officially giving a dignified name to the location in which they lived. Initially, the community was known as "The Branch", and later, for obvious reasons, "Clothier's Mill". So, during a public meeting at this time, the name "Kemptville" was suggested, in order to honor Sir James Kemp, the Governor General of Upper Canada in 1828 who had been said to have camped on the banks of the river near the settlement. The name was adapted in 1829 and the first map with the name "Kemptville" was produced in 1830.  [Kemptville|South Gower|Burritt's Rapids|Oxford-on-Rideau]   History of South Gower South Gower, the smallest of all Townships in North Grenville, lies in the northeast corner of Grenville. It became incorporated in 1834 and today has a population of over 1300. Many of the people living there today are descendants of those early pioneers.  Many old stone homes seen throughout the Municipality demonstrate the skill of the sturdy pioneers who built them. The oldest one is believed to be the Eager House, just east of Heckston, built between 1817 and 1820. It has the unique feature of a cold cupboard built into the thick stone foundation wall. One of the modern houses located about one mile east of Pelton's Corners has combined early pioneering features into it's construction by having a thatched roof.  South Gower Township contains a well-maintained cemetery located just north of Pelton's Corners. It records burials dating as far back as 1817. Earlier markers are believed to exist, but most have fallen victim to weather and age.  [Kemptville|South Gower|Burritt's Rapids|Oxford-on-Rideau]   History of Burritt's Rapids The original settlers of Burritt's Rapids were Stephen Burritt, a United Empire Loyalist, and his brothers Daniel and Edmund. The Burritt family came from an aristocratic Welsh family, pioneering in the state of Vermont. Stephen Burritt became the elected representative of the Grenville riding for the 5th Parliament of Upper Canada. He also opened the first Post Office in the area in 1820. Daniel Burritt built the first sawmill, producing lumber for the building of new houses, thereby attracting more settlers to the area. The Rideau Canal opened on May 29, 1832, and the village prospered with heavy boat traffic between Ottawa and Kingston. Many local residents helped in the construction and rock for the stonework was quarried in this district. The canal was cut in order to bypass the rapids, diverting part of the Rideau. However, there was still enough water rushing over the rapids to keep the mill wheels turning. A cheese factory was built in 1868 by William Kidd, who developed the cheese industry with seven factories between Burritt's Rapids and Ottawa. T.A Kidd established the General Store in 1841, where it remained until 1940. Many businesses, mills and hotels flourished, and by the mid 1870s, pleasure boats began to appear on the canal. By the turn of the 20th century the pioneer lifestyle was disappearing. Gradually, the canal was to become the playground for pleasure boaters and cottagers and the village was destined to become residential with very little commercial life. [Kemptville|South Gower|Burritt's Rapids|Oxford-on-Rideau]   History of Oxford-on-Rideau Oxford-On-Rideau Township is situated in the north-eastern part of the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. In 1791 it was one of the first townships to be surveyed from the Rideau River southward. The beautiful, historic Rideau River forms the northern boundary of the Township. Stephen Burritt, a United Empire Loyalist, became the first settler in the Rideau River in 1793. His son, Edmund Burritt, was the first white child to be born in this area. Stephen Burritt became the elected representative of the Grenville riding for the 5th Parliament of Upper Canada and made four journeys to York (Toronto) between February 1809 and March 1812. He attended sessions "which were held in the winter months when the harvest was over and the granaries and pantries were full. Travel was by horse-drawn sleigh or cutter or cariole". (Excerpt taken from book by Ruth G. Burritt). A saw mill was built by Daniel Burritt at the swift flowing rapids in the river. He was able to produce lumber for the building of new houses thereby attracting more settlers to the area and the community became known as Burritt's Rapids. In 1824 the first bridge, a wooden bridge, was built over the Rideau River joining Marlborough Township to Oxford Township and the village spread. The Rideau Canal was opened on May 29, 1832 and the village prospered with the heavy boat-traffic between Ottawa and Kingston. Burritt's Rapids then became an island community with a swing bridge over the Rideau Canal and the stationary bridge over the Rideau River. The family who followed the Burritt's was very similar to their forbears. They were the Kidd family who arrived from Ireland in 1821 and were very prominent in the life of the village and surrounding district. T.A. Kidd was Reeve of Oxford in 1878, son William became a Canon in the Anglican Church, Tom eventually was speaker in the Provincial Legislature while Harold remained in the village where he died in 1974. He was the last of the Kidd family in Burritt's Rapids. Many businesses, mills and hotels flourished and by the mid 1870's pleasure boats began to appear on the canal. By the turn of the 20th century the pioneer style of life was disappearing. Gradually the canal was to become a playground for pleasure boaters and cottagers and the village was destined to become residential with very little commercial life. This is a very pretty village with a set of locks nearby and the surrounding country side provides a rural setting. Many cottages and year-round houses are built along the Rideau River. 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