Community and municipal life

Vanished communities

It’s fascinating to step back in time and explore the remains of some of the communities that once enlivened the region of what is now St-Albert. Names like Mayerville, Longtinville and St-Albert-Station resonate in history, but have disappeared over time, each for unique reasons. Let’s delve into the past to discover the rich heritage of these ephemeral communities that helped shape our village and its surroundings.

Mayerville was founded before St. Albert, around 1825. The village is located three miles from Casselman and three miles from St. Albert. Given its advantageous position on the Berwick-Casselman road, Mayerville was already a hamlet, whereas there was only one chapel in St-Albert when it was founded in 1874. This hamlet is located on the hillside of rang St-Albert est, at the corner where the road turns north towards Casselman on lots 9 of the IXth and Xth concessions. It was here, in the southern part of the township, that the first settlers, the Scots, settled. It was on the Mayerville hillsides that the settlers’ ploughs dug their first furrows. The Scots came from adjacent townships to the south. The Scots settled mainly on the Mayerville hillsides, but also on those near St. Albert Station. A peculiarity still noted today, when the first farm buildings are still standing, is that they are not on the roadside, but rather midway between the two ends of the lot. No wonder. The first thing that jumps out is that these buildings are quite dry on hillsides; which makes good sense and is also very much in the Highlander tradition. There was also a practical reason: when the farm buildings are in the middle of the land, the farmer doesn’t have far to travel to work his fields. If farmers later moved closer to the road, it’s perhaps because they were replaced by French-Canadians, who like to have their neighbors within sight for a chat. Even today, as you drive through Concession IX, you’ll notice that some farms are very far from the road, as is the Highlander custom of the Scots. For example, the homes of Benoit Boulerice, François Cayer and Miguel Cayer are far from the road. The first French-Canadians to arrive in Mayerville around 1860 were Joseph Meilleur and Alexandre Matte. When Alexandre Matte arrived in Mayerville, he built himself a log cabin and returned to St-Anicet to fetch his wife and three brothers. The village grew by leaps and bounds, with settlers arriving in large numbers at the time.

Curé Chénier had apparently requested that a train station be built in St-Albert. His wish was granted in 1925. In 1882, the Canada Atlantic passed to the east of the village, stopping only at Casselman, while the New-York Central, from 1897 onwards, passed to the south-west of the parish without passing through the village of St-Albert. A station was finally built in 1925, and Arthur Foucher was hired to maintain it. He also owned a store not far from the station.

The opening of the new New-York Central railroad station west of St. Albert, also due to the determination of the dedicated pastor, made this new arrangement possible. Henceforth, mail from the New York Central would be collected at the St. Albert station and brought to the village post office, where it would be classified and distributed to all the ranks of the parish. A few acres west of the New York Central station, there has long been a marble quarry, known in the commercial world as Silver Stone Black Marble. This is a very black, gray-veined stone that can be given a very bright polish. It was sold as interior marble because its veins allow moisture to penetrate. It cannot be used outdoors, as it is affected by the cold. At the time, it was shipped to New York, Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg and Vancouver. In Ottawa, it can be admired in the interior decoration of the Ottawa Hydro-Electric Commission building between Bank and Albert, and at the Central Post Office on Besserer Street.

The death of Curé Chénier in 1940 was one of the main reasons for the demise of St-Albert Station. Before his death, Curé Chénier wanted to found a village at St-Albert Station. Some were for it, others against. Everything was abandoned after his death; the station was removed.

Municipal life

The municipality is undoubtedly a political structure. However, it is first and foremost a gathering of human beings who are creating a common future, from yesterday to today and with a view to tomorrow, in a specific territory. In short, it exists only for and through its citizens.

The territory in which St. Albert is located is part of what, for a long time, was known as Cambridge Township in Russell County. It was first settled by Scots, then by French Canadians. By 1837, two settlers had been found in the township: one a freeholder named Donald McGillis, who occupied Lot 7 of Concession IX on a fork of Butternut Creek, and a squatter named Kennedy, who held Lot 12 of Concession X on a hillside near the southern boundary. Until 1880, there are no figures for St. Albert as distinct from the rest of the township. However, it seems that the rest of the township was sparsely populated before this date, so the figures for the whole township would apply mainly to St-Albert.

The township’s first municipal council was formed in 1857, and the man who became Cambridge’s first mayor was none other than Martin Casselman, founder of the village of the same name. Then, after 1880, although the parish’s population (based on more fertile soil) fluctuated less than that of other parts of the township, it was still subject to similar influences in some respects. Out of a total population of 200 souls in 1851, there were 28 French-Canadians, barely 20 Irish, about 40 English and the rest Scots. This was a satisfactory start, considering that in 1840 there were barely a few settlers or squatters. By 1850, we saw a small handful of French-Canadians settling on Ontario soil among the Anglo-Saxons. This migration of French Canadians to Cambridge seems to coincide with a major migration of our own people to Western Canada and the United States. Mgr Guigues, who led the Ottawa diocese from 1848 to 1861, founded a colonization society on September 3, 1849, one month after his coronation, and served as its president. The purpose of this society was to attract settlers to the Diocese of Ottawa, by providing them with information, interceding on their behalf with the government, and so on. It is said that “colonization was the great business of his life”.

If we note that Casselman’s “boom” only dates from 1885, we can state with some certainty that the colonization movement was confined to the southern part of the township, where St. Albert is today. In 1880, St. Albert was the only parish in the township. At that time, most of the population movement from Cambridge took place in St. Albert. However, with the construction of the Canada-Atlantic Railway in 1882, the movement of settlers shifted to Casselman and South Indian (now Limoges), where the railroad passed. The population of St. Albert declined steadily in the 20th century for three main reasons: the end of the land-clearing period, the mechanization of farms and the abandonment of unproductive land.

The Ontario government of Mike Harris, determined at the time to transfer provincial responsibilities to the municipalities, gave them a strong incentive to join forces so that they would be better able to foot the bill. And so, with the election of November 10, 1997, our new municipality La NATION was born, an amalgamation of Cambridge, Plantagenet-Sud, Saint-Isidore and Calédonia. A new rural municipality of 750 square kilometers. The members of the first municipal council are Claude Gravel, mayor, and 4 councillors: Gary Bradley, ward 1, Gaston Levac, ward 2, Claude Lafrance, ward 3 and Raymond Lavigne, ward 4. Since the merger, the St-Albert community has been represented at the council table by the Ward 3 councillor.

Community life What drives human beings to act?Without doubt, the need to belong, to commit and to achieve.Our associative, social, cultural and sporting organizations, symbols of personal and collective wealth, enable our community to flourish.

Union culturelle des Franco-Ontariennes

The U.C.F.O. cercle de Saint-Albert was founded on November 12, 1948 by Jeanne Lauzon.A woman of heart, an organizer, with leadership qualities and respect for the ideas of others!She held the reins of the U.C.F.O. for 14 years, from 1948 to 1962.The founding committee was made up of: Jeanne Lauzon, president, Eva Cayer, vice-president, Lorraine Lavergne secretary and directors Marie-Jeanne & Thérèse Adam, Laura Doré, Réjeanne Bourgeois and Yvonne Tremblay. The 35 original members each pay one dollar in dues.In the early days, the circle was known as the Union Catholique des Fermières, with the motto “Aime Dieu, la terre et ton foyer” (Love God, the earth and your home), which later became “S’aimer, s’unir, se cultiver” (Love, unite, cultivate).The association promotes rural women, encourages their self-fulfilment and develops their personality and talents by weaving a network of mutual aid and friendship.Originally, meetings were held at the top of the Coopérative agricole, where you sometimes had to jump over bags of feed.Meetings were held in the school basement and gymnasium until 1976, when the portable classroom was renovated and became the U.C.F.O. premises. The official inauguration took place on September 17, 1978.It would remain the gathering place for U.C.F.O. ladies until the turn of the century.

Golden Age Club

André Deguire, the parish priest, was the driving force behind the Club’s founding, which began with 32 members on February 4, 1971. Hector Ouimet was the first president, while Marie-Anne Raymond took over as secretary-treasurer.The first meetings were held in the school gymnasium; then, with a grant from Horizons Nouveaux, the vestry was renovated and the Club de l’Âge d’Or moved there in 1975.Finally, on May 4, 1983, the Community Centre welcomed seniors to its specially designed premises. Just as travel is good for the young, it’s just as good for the old.In 1973, members visited the picturesque Gaspé region, and in 1974, 24 members toured Western Canada, again under the guidance of guide André Deguire. After several decades of warm seniors’ gatherings, following the pandemic of 2020 and with much less participation in its activities, the club’s leaders made the difficult decision to end the organization’s activities, which in the meantime had become the Club des Bons Amis in 2021.

Optimist Club

Pierre Séguin was the founding president of the Club Optimiste de Saint-Albert on February 26, 1984.Optimist members identify themselves as “Ami de la Jeunesse”.Concerned with the well-being of young people, the Club fosters their development and commitment by offering them the opportunity to participate in a variety of social, cultural, educational and recreational activities.Over the years, the Optimists have become a pillar in the heart of St. Albert, not only raising funds for the development of local youth, but also providing valuable financial support to various causes. Their impact has also been felt through a variety of community activities ranging from bike rodeos to catfish fishing days, varied dinners, festive carnivals and fruitful collaborations with our school. The famous Friday night youth dances, a tradition that has marked generations of young people.

The Knights of Colombs

The André Deguire Council #9239-58 of the St. Albert Knights of Columbus took off on February 27, 1986, under the leadership of Grand Chevalier Léo Ouimet, with Father Jean-Pierre Fredette, the parish priest, as chaplain. Identified as an arm of the Church, the Knights of Columbus have a special and primary mission for their Church, parish and families, in addition to helping the disabled and those in need.

The Community Clothesline

La Corde à Linge Communautaire de St-Albert is a non-profit organization founded in 2000. More than thirty volunteers give their time on a weekly basis, either sorting incoming items or working in the store, which is open to the general public. In the past, recycling stores were intended only for people with great needs. Since then, society has changed, and it’s now “cool” to go and see the treasures that can be found there. La Corde à Linge gives back over $40,000 a year in donations to families in need and to various organizations such as the Food Bank, schools, Prescott-Russell Community Services, Groupe Action, the Maison de la famille, Valoris (lutins

Roger Cayer, St-Albert, 125 ans de vie, 1999, Page 40 à 58 et p. 137 à 150 – p.209 à 224