Silcote

History

By 1843, Sydenham Township was fully surveyed, which opened large new tracts of land for settlement and farming. The area quickly became dotted with small farming settlements and communities as farmers grouped together to build and share much needed services. One small community, known as both “The Mountain” and “Mountain,” was one of the many early farming settlements that sprouted up along the northern portion of the township.

Mountain was first settled in the 1840s and 50s. The population included settlers from Ireland, Scotland and other parts of Canada. An Orange Lodge, known Campbell Cliff Lodge operated for a brief period until it moved to nearby Balaclava in 1858.

Although the settlement had no official name, and was not a full-fledged community as such, by 1855 the residents had built a log cabin and formed a school called “The Mountain.” The cabin burned down and was quickly replaced with another one. Since the population at the time was predominantly Roman Catholic, shortly thereafter they designated the school as a Separate School. The school functioned for an unknown period of time. According to reports, it closed by 1864 and the building was vacant.

By the late 1860s, after demographics had shifted somewhat, the residents once again got together to form a school, this time a public school. Known as S.S. #7 Sydenham, the school later became known as the Silcote School. Mr. Francis Lipsett, a farmer and immigrant from Ireland, provided a piece of land, located at the corner of his property at Sideroads 30 and 31, Concession 2 for construction of a frame building that could seat 50 to 60 students.

The fledgling school board held its first meeting on January 11, 1871 with Francis Lemon elected to the office of School Trustee. Initially all ratepayers sending their children to the school paid a tax, which amounted to one cord of two-foot firewood. The following year they contracted out the wood so ratepayers sent their taxes directly to the secretary-treasurer. Records from that period show that the school board collected $352.16 in taxes. The amount was insufficient to cover the school’s expenses which totalled $356.09, resulting in an operating deficit of $3.93, which would be laughable by today’s standards. John Hiltz was the first teacher.

Deficits aside, the community continued to invest in the school. New desks, purchased in 1876, cost a total of $64. They got a better break on the land where the school stood, purchasing it from Robert Lipsett (Francis Lipsett’s son) in 1883 for $41. That included the cost of surveying. They sold the old frame building in 1896 to John Lipsett and replaced it with a more sturdy brick structure.

By the late 1870s, the community had grown to approximately 40 ratepayers. Residents were now ready to form their own church. Once again the Lipsett family came to the rescue when Robert Lipsett donated a piece of land from his farm on Lot 30, Concession 3. The original Shiloh Methodist Church (later the Silcote United Church) was a frame structure with Dutch siding, built in 1877. Shortly afterwards, they added an open shed for horses. Reverend Isaac Baker was the first minister. Early members included Henry Bye, James Holdiway, Veart Vanwyck, James Cleave and Francis Lipsett, along with his sons Robert and John.

Joseph Ramsay opened a blacksmith shop in 1890 on Lot 29, Concession 3 in an area that later became known as Silcote Corner. Sadly for Joseph, his young wife and child died in childbirth. Joseph never remarried but kept his blacksmith shop open until his death in 1931. For a time he also operated a general store. Other than John Ramsay’s blacksmith shop and general store, there is no information on any other type of trade in the settlement. The villagers were likely able to meet most of their needs in nearby Balaclava and Johnson or by bartering amongst themselves.

By the early 1900s Silcote had developed into a small but well-established rural community. Mail for “Mountain” residents arrived at the closest post office in Johnson. Every Friday, the teacher would send one student to pick up the mail. The teacher would then redistribute it to the pupils, who would carry it home. By 1898 the residents had had enough and eagerly petitioned for their own post office under the name of “Mountain.” They got the post office but not the name. Instead they got “Silcote” and the community finally took on official status. Service arrived in February 1899, with John Ramsay acting as the first postmaster.

In 1897, the church congregation decided to give the church a facelift by replacing the Dutch wooden siding with grey fieldstone. Other changes included a choir, formed by Kate Breckenridge, a teacher at the Silcote School. Unfortunately the choir didn’t last long. Not all the choir members belonged to the church and following objections from some of the other church members, the choir disbanded. Without the choir, the congregation felt the need to replace the music. In 1900 they organized a drive to purchase an organ.

In 1875, a rural organization calling itself “The Grangers” had built a hall on the corner of Lot 29, Concession 2, which became known as the Grange Hall. The group was an early type of “networking” organization that enabled rural farmers to meet socially and set up co-operative buying and selling ventures. The building later moved to Lot 30. After the group disbanded, other groups such as the Patrons of Industry and Royal Templars of Temperance made use of the building. The church also held services there during the Shiloh Church renovation. The hall only lasted until 1907.

In 1912 Silcote took another step forward with the formation of the Silcote Telephone Company, built with materials purchased from the Northern Electric Company of Toronto (later Nortel). Shareholders privately owned the two-circuit system after helping to install the line that began at the Bell Canada exchange in Owen Sound. The shareholders each owned their own wall unit and paid an annual service fee of $5. They added a third circuit six years later. Duncan Stewart was the first company president and the linesmen included Everett Johnson, Ernest Vanwyck and Joseph Hood. Bell Canada finally purchased the system in 1956 performing necessary upgrades such as dial telephones in 1859 and direct long-distance dialing in 1965,

Other changes included the establishment of rural mail delivery from the Silcote post office in 1914. Reginald Johnson was the first courier. He received and an annual salary of $273.00 with an additional $1 per each box. The route covered approximately 14 kilometres It lasted until the arrival of a new rural mail service known as R.R.1, Balaclava in 1921. The post office officially closed on January 14, 1922.

Competitive sports activities started when Samuel Vanwyck set up a rifle range on his farm in 1912. The 31st regiment in Owen Sound provided both military rifles and ammunition. Practice took place once a week with the losers providing supper for the winners. World War I put an end to the controlled shootouts. A soccer team formed around 1914 purely for the purpose of evening entertainment. The team returned in 1930 but this time without the laughs. They went on to win the championship of the Sydenham Soccer League in 1943. Fourteen years later, in 1957, the team had its proudest moment when it defeated the city of Barrie to win the Carling Trophy.

Vanwyck’s Cemetery was located on Lot 8, Concession C between the old and new settlements of nearby Balaclava. The cemetery took on the name from Mr. and Mrs. Hiram Vanwyck who donated the land for the Shiloh Methodist Church. The earliest headstone dates from 1867 and most likely came from another location.

The cemetery fell into a state of neglect following Mr. Vanwyck’s death. In 1933, a committee formed by the Balaclava Women’s Institute organized a “Bee” to level and clean up the grounds. They continued holding bees every few years to cut the grass and straighten the headstones. The cemetery remains in use to this day.

During the 1920s, the congregation slowly upgraded and modernized the Silcote United Church. In 1927, Mr. and Mrs. Victor Bye donated a new handmade pulpit that originally came from the Woodford Presbyterian Church. Generous donations from Rachel and John Lipsett included new cedar shingles for the church and horse shed. In 1937, they replaced the old horse shed with a new drive shed and donated electric lighting.

The church saw regular improvements over the years. They replaced the old organ with an electric organ in 1955 and installed an oil furnace in 1964. Unfortunately none of these optimistic improvements masked the fact that the congregation was drifting away. From 1948 onwards, there was no regular minister and an assortment of students and lay ministers served the congregation. The church lasted until 1969, when it was demolished.

In 1897 the Silcote School had boasted about 50 pupils. By 1938, that number had declined to 18. In June 1945, the school officially closed and the remaining students transferred to the nearby Balaclava school. Following the school’s closure, the Balaclava Women’s Institute took over the building and converted it into a community hall for use by the institute and other groups within the area. They redecorated the building and equipped it with tables, chairs and a piano. They added electricity in 1951. The building remained in use for many years right into the 1960s.

Many of the former students at the Silcote School went on to professional careers such as teaching, nursing and the ministry. However one individual stands out as being highly unique.

William Bell arrived from Scotland in 1873 or 1874 and settled at Lot 30, Concession 2. His son Thomas, a young man in his early thirties, followed suit in 1882. Thomas was musically inclined and before arriving in Canada, took instruction in the fine art of violin making, a skill he passed on to his third eldest son Peter.

After settling in Silcote for a few months, Thomas and his family relocated to Texas. That lasted six years until the family returned to Silcote where they raised Peter along with his brothers and sisters.

Peter began making violins in 1910 as a hobby. Although he was a barn framer, carpenter and later building contractor by trade, his passion was making violins. As an adult, he settled in Calgary, where he was able to sell his violins from between $80.00 to $800.00. He also did repair work for many classical artists on the side. Peter went on to win many awards for his violins and continued with his work until he was in his late 80s.

By the 1930s Silcote was already in a state of serious decline. The little village had never been more than a small farming community and farming held little attraction or allure for the younger generation. With no other employment prospects available in the area, people began to gravitate to larger centres. By the close of the 1960s, Silcote had breathed its last. Today the area has reverted back to farmland, and other than a few original farmhouses, nothing else remains.