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Bowmanville circa 1991.
BOWMANVILLE
A SMALL TOWN AT THE EDGE
William Humber
Bowmanville
A Small Town at the Edge
Published by Natural Heritage / Natural History Inc.
P.O. Box 95, Station O,
Toronto, Ontario M4A 2M8
Copyright ©1997 William Humber
All Rights Reserved
No portion of this book with the exception of brief extracts for the purpose of literary review, may be reproduced in any form without the permission of the publisher.
Design by Steve Eby
Printed and bound in Canada by Mothersill Printing Inc.,
Bowmanville, Ontario
Canadian Cataloguing in Publication Data
Humber, William, 1949—
Bowmanville: a small town at the edge
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-896219-21-7
1. Bowmanville (Clarington, Ont.) - History. I. Title.
| FC3099.B685H85 1997 | 971.3’56 C97-930511-X |
F1059.5.B685H85 1997
Natural Heritage / Natural History Inc. acknowledges the support received for its publishing program from the Canada Council Block Grant Program. We also acknowledge with gratitude the assistance of the Association for the Export of Canadian Books, Ottawa, and the office of the Ontario Arts Council, Toronto.
Table of Contents
The Brick Town: An Introduction
Three: The Building Blocks of Settlement
Four: Few More Picturesque Spots in Ontario
Six: Genuine Original Men are Scarce
Eight: Not Afraid to Face Public Opinion
Nine: A Drowsy State of Existence
Ten: The Lives of Ordinary People
Eleven: He Has Done Some Good in the Community
Twelve: Town Landmark Gives Way to Community Progress
Thirteen: The Town Which Nobody Leaves
Fourteen: If It Sticks to Its Principles
Scenes from present day Bowmanville
Acknowledgments
Writing a small town’s story presents problems that other types of histories avoid, particularly if one is a resident of that town. One risks offending some while angering others for neglecting their place in the town’s past. Having said that however the opportunity to express both affection for common places and experiences, and occasional criticism of inappropriate decision-making, is one that one would not wish to avoid.
I begin by noting my debt to the many fine histories of the town written over the years including Coleman’s History of the Early Settlement of Bowmanville and Vicinity, Fairbairn’s History and Reminiscences of Bowmanville, Squair’s The Townships of Darlington and Clarke, Hamlyn, Lunney and Morrison’s Bowmanville: A Retrospect, the various editors of Picture the Way We Were, and Leetooze’s The First 200 Years: A Brief History of Darlington Township.
My greatest debt however was to the inestimable Canadian Statesman newspaper, whose pages over the years brim with the life of the community. I say it elsewhere in this book and repeat it here, that in many ways Bowmanville is the “Canadian Statesman” and it would be hard to imagine one without the other.
Among the folks who have given advise, ideas and inspiration I mention only a few when so many are entitled to recognition. Garfield Shaw has collected as fine a pictorial record of a small town as exists anywhere. Garth Gilpin of the Bowmanville Business Area and Charles Taws of the Bowmanville Museum have read this manuscript in its early stages and provided helpful commentary. Neighbours and friends Marjorie and Eileen Couch and Muriel Crago have helped in many unseen but significant ways.
Institutional support from among others, Central Public School, including my former co-author Doris Falls, the Bowmanville Museum, and Bowmanville Branch of the Clarington Public Library have been invaluable.
My wife Cathie and children Bradley, Darryl and Karen share in the experience of living in Bowmanville. I salute another distant relative and wonderful popular historian, and the man I refer to as Mr. Bowmanville, Stu Candler to whose memory this book is dedicated.
I acknowledge, the many important writers including Garrison Keillor, William Least-Heat Moon, Peter Ackroyd, James Kunstler, Simon Schama and others whose words have influenced my own interpretation of the history and life of a small town and a special place.
I remember, in conclusion, my mother who gave me the love for reading and writing. Her inspiration will always be part of me.