The Origins and Early History of Carp Village
by Dr. Bruce Elliott,
cover art by Marjorie Clayson

When asked to give a talk at the Annual Dinner of the Huntley Township Historical Society in May, 1994, Dr. Bruce Elliott, Professor of History at Carleton University, suggested that he present some of his research on the origins of Carp. This proved to be one of the most fascinating stories that has been related to the Society and was greatly appreciated and enjoyed by those present. At the time, several people suggested that the research be published and Professor Elliott volunteered to put the story together and give it to the Society. This volume is the result.

We are indebted to Dr. Elliott for working with the Society over a long period in order to publish this volume. Thanks are also due to Roger Thomas for scanning and enhancing the photographs and drawing the maps, and to Ruth Kirkpatrick of DocuLink International for preparing the final layout. We are also grateful to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Recreation of Ontario and to the former Township of West Carleton for providing funds to assist with the costs of publication.

Anne Cameron, President, Carp, January 2003

                                 ___________________________

Bruce. S. Elliott obtained his BA in Canadian History at Carleton University, his MA in English Local History, at University of Leicester, England and his Ph.D. in Canadian History at Carleton University. Presently he holds the position of Professor and Graduate Supervisor, Department of History, Carleton University. He is also the Director of the Centre for the History of Migration, an organized research unit in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Its purpose is to advance and facilitate scholarship on eighteenth- and nineteenth-century migration and settlement, and on later immigration from the British Isles, within a Canadian context, at Carleton University. His research interests include English emigration to Canada in the century following the Conquest (1760-1860); Irish Protestant immigration, emigrant letters and the gravestones and gravestone carvers of Prince Edward Island.

Marjorie Clayson has always sketched and painted. When young, she took courses at the Leeds College of Art in England and worked as a medical photographer. Now, painting is all for fun and for occasional showing with like-minded friends. The cover of this book was generated from a water colour painting by Marjorie Clayson. The painting derived from this water colour is displayed in the Carp branch of the Ottawa Public Library.

TABLE OF CONTENTS
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1
Location, location, location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Richard Kidd and the Village of Newtown . . . . . 15
Carp in the 1860s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
The Great Fire and the Coming of Industry . . . . 31
The Railway and Renewed Growth . . . . . . . . . . 43
The Village in 1901 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

The names of many former residents are mentioned in the book. These are all listed in the index, however, there are too many names to be listed here. A complete listing of these names will be included in the master listing of names in the 'Members area' of this web site.