Last year Dry Stone Canada had a walling workshop in the village of Merrickville.. This year we plan to add an arch to the wall. This is an excellent opportunity to learn the skills/effort required to build a feature. This is an intermediate level workshop. Registrants should have completed at least one walling workshop.
History of Merrickville
William Merrick, originally from Springfield, Massachusetts, founded the village of Merrickville in 1794. Attracted to the site by waterpower, he constructed a dam across the river and then built grist, saw and carding mills. It was not long before a community sprang up around the milling activity. In 1821, Merrick built a stone house overlooking his mills.
When the construction crews arrived in 1827 to build the Rideau Canal, the village of Merrick’s Mills, as it was then known, was a thriving community of about 300.
Unlike most of the pre-canal sites, Merrick’s Mills was not destroyed by canal construction. After the canal was completed, the excess water once again turned the wheels of the mills and the improved transportation system caused a surge in commercial activity in the village. By 1851, Merrick’s Mills was an impressive industrial centre.
Merrick’s Mills continued to thrive into the mid-1860s. The end of the community’s industrial growth is closely related to the decline of the commercial phase of the Rideau canal. The rise of the nearby town of Smiths Falls as a major railway hub displaced Merrick’s Mills as an industrial leader in the region. Despite the decline, some industry continued in the community. In 1915 a power company was formed at Merrickville to provide electricity for the mills and a foundry, and the woolen mill continued to function until 1954.
More about Merrickville:
Workshop Overview
- Fee is $200.00
- Location:
- Time: 09:00 to 16:00
- Lunch and snacks are included
- Required Equipment:
- Safety glasses
- Safety boots (if you have them)
- Gloves (don’t bring expensive gloves they get shredded just as quickly as the cheap ones)
- Appropriate clothing – We work in all weather conditions
Registration and Waiver:
Please complete the and return:
Payment Options:
- Cheque or via paypal (see link below)
- Make cheque payable to: Dry Stone Walling Association of Canada
Please print, complete, and send out the the waiver and registration forms electronically to: drystonecanada@yahoo.ca with “Merrickville” in the subject line.
Or mail forms (and cheque) to:
- Dry Stone Canada c/o Bill Jeffers
- 24 Sword St.
- Toronto, On.
- M5A 3N2