Horaceville, Ottawa

Horaceville is a ghost town located on the Ottawa River in eastern Ontario. This location is also known as Pinhey's Point.

Hamnett Kirkes Pinhey, an English merchant, petitioned Lord Bathurst, Colonial Secretary at the time, for land in Canada as reward for his service in the British Army and received a 1000 acre (4 km²) land grant. He retired from business, left England and travelled to Upper Canada around 1820. On his lands in March Township, he built a grist mill, homes for employees and a small two storey log house covered in clapboard. There were seven small cannons facing the river.

A stone parlour and three small upstairs bedrooms for the servants were added to the home between 1822 and 1825. In 1841, Pinhey added a central hall kitchen wing with a sweeping staircase leading upstairs to a dining room and a bedroom over the front entrance. In 1848 and 1849, a south wing was added with a library, pantry, drawing room and more bedrooms on the second floor.

Pinhey, who continued to prosper as a politician and insurance broker, named the estate, Horaceville, after his oldest son Horace. Horace was to be the heir to the estate, in accordance with British aristocratic tradition.

Other buildings on the site included a barn, stone stable, powder magazine and St. Mary's Church. The construction of the church began on 1825 and the first service was held on October 7, 1827. The opening featured a seven gun salute from the cannons. The building of the church on this site was opposed by the bishop of Quebec, who felt that the church should be built further inland. Even though Pinhey donated part of his land and the labour costs, the bishop still refused to consecrate the church.

The site remained the property of Pinhey's heirs until the 1970s, when the property was sold to the township. Horaceville was preserved as a provincial heritage site. Today, Pinhey's home serves as a museum.

External links

• Ontario Ghost Towns - Horaceville
• Pinhey's Point