Westport, Newboro, Chaffey’s Lock and Foley Mountain – An Introduction to the Rideau Lakes (Part 2)
Deep into the cottage country of Eastern Ontario, you will find a little slice of paradise – the Rideau Lakes. Located at the western edge of the Upper Rideau Lake, the tiny town of Wesport is a small hamlet with a lot of character. If anything, the quaint settlement almost looks like it belongs in the foothills of Vermont!
In this post we run down the following location, both in Westport and the surrounding area:
- Foley Mountain
- Foley Mountain Conservation Area
- Sapper’s Cemetary (Newboro)
- Newboro
- Chaffey’s Lock
For more things to do in the Rideau Lakes Part 1 (Rock Dunder, the Silent Dam and Lynhurst) post here.
Table of Contents
- Foley Mountain Conservation Area
- Westport
- Newboro
- The Royal Sappers and Miners Cemetery
- Chaffey’s Lock
- Conclusion
Foley Mountain Conservation Area
Overlooking the town of Westport is the Foley Mountain Conservation Area. This fantastic park can be driven in and parked at for a small fee, or walked to from the town.
During your walk you have the potion to visit Spy Rock overlooking the town or beaver lake, inland. A third option involves taking the Spy Rock ridge line trail down the hill to a beach.
Beaver Lake
Beaver Lake is home to… what do you know… beavers. As one would expect a tree bore the signs that one of these oversized rodents was present!
On the lakefront path, you will find a stone ridge overlooking the Lake, a great spot to stop and smell the roses.
You will also find a small area at the edge of the pond with picknik tables and a dock. This is a perfect spot to set up for a family lunch!
Spy Rock
The start attraction of the conservation area is of course, Spy rock. Perched above the Upper Rideau Lake, it looks down on the town. From here you can see Wesport’s unique position straddling a crescent small patch of land separating Upper Rideau from Wesport Sand Lake. This beautiful isthmus is where you will drive into town from and it is absolutely stunning.
From up here one can make out some of Wesport’s most iconic buildings. It is an ancient town for this part of Canada and its iconic spires dominate the skyline. This gives it a quintessential Vermont like look!
Here are a few more pictures of Spy Rock.
Westport
On your way down Foley Mountain past the istmus, you will find a pair of historic bed and breakfasts Roberts (the red structure) and the Cove Country Inn. The later has been a Westport staple, established in the 19th century and home to a historic pub.
It is a town of few streets and the first right hand turn you will have access too is Bedford Street. It is of importance due to the location of the Westport museum, located in a wood home at street level.
Continuing further down Bedford you will find one of the most recognizable landmarks in town, the stone built St. Edward the Confessor Church.
The structure was constructed in 1859 by Irish Immigrants having escaped the Great Famine.
Back in the center of town you will find old traditional main streets, with beautiful churches, a grocery store, many small businesses and beautiful old home. Some of these include the Back Dog Inn, Lost Penny Pub (highly recommend) and Wesport Brewing.
Westport was first settled in the early 19th century, like almost all Eastern Ontario town, with the construction of a sawmill and gristmill (floor mill). Incorporated in 1904 it still hold much of its old time charm, developed as it developed as a commercial center during the construction of the canal. Today Westport is a tourism town becoming a hub for the regions many cottagers. While many towns in the area are dying, the shops in Wesport are well maintained and busy.
One of my favorite buildings in the downtown core is the old stone post office, dating from 1845, with its distinctive clocktower.
Also make sure to check out the Westport United Church, one of my favorites in the region.
Finally check out the Westport Harbour where you will find a beautiful docking area and park with view of the old mill on the isthmus. This is the heart of the town and is home to the summer Jazzfest.
I ended my visit to Wesport on the water, having a Pizza and a few beers from Westport Brewing. I recommend checking out this business the many others mentioned in this post.
Newboro
The tiny hamlet of Newboro was spurred in its creation by the construction of the canal. The city sits on an isthmus on the Rideau river where Benjemin Tett, a local mill owner established a general store and post office in 1837. From here the town grew as an agricultural center and then as a center for iron mining, with the ore being shipped south the the United States, via the Canal. Other industries included a tannery and a foundry.
There is little of importance left in Newboro and in many ways it is a forgotten community, yet several old Victorians may help to remind the visitor of the former’s long dissipated eminence.
One the the main sights is the old war memorial.
As well as the waterfront
It is on the water that you will find Lock 36, the Newboro lockstation, at the time of my visit undergoing a renovation.
Once again this is a great place to grab lunch where you will see the stone outline of long dissipated structures.
The Royal Sappers and Miners Cemetery
Between Westport and Newboro, you will find an important piece of local history, the Royal Sappers and Miners Cemetery.
As you learned in Newboro, the locks in that town were the only ones on the canal system constructed by the army. After the failure of the civilian contractor to finish the work, the job fell to 160 men of the Royal Sappers and Miners, the construction corp of the British Army. Many of them later settled on Eastern Ontario, many even becoming lockmasters of the Canal they helped construct. For some reason the cows from the neighboring farm had all crowded around the fence adding to the fun of exploring the cemetery.
The cemetery itself dates from 1828, when it was constructed by the Sappers to bury some of the men who passed while constructing the locks at Newboro. The civilian workers that preceded the Sappers had been affected by a particularly bad bout of malaria, felling many of them. They also struggled with poor geological conditions for this type of work as such many refused to work and the workforce was greatly reduced thus needed the military intervention. To circumvent some of the issues the military changed the design to include and dam at the isthmus and raised the water levels.
As mentioned previously you will find the graves of many that have passed during the work as well as a reproduction of the Newboro Blockhouse that once stood here.
You will find a plaque with a history of the cemetary and its most important graves on site.
It will give you a good idea of the history of the site and what graves to check out, such as that of the Bilton familly an important regional landworner. The military administered the Canal lands from 1828-1857 when it then turned it over to civilian control. Here are a few more pictures of the graves.
Chaffey’s Lock
The second most imposing lock in the Rideau System after the Silent Dam, Chaffey’s Lock station was constructed in 1831 and represents some of the finest work in the Rideau System.
Dam and Chaffey’s Mill
Parking for day trippers can be found near Chaffey’s Mill (now an Art Gallery). This is the most iconic structure that can be found on site, and easily the most handsome to photograph.
From here one can walk across the small dam and onto the site of the lock-station.
The Chaffey’s were early millers in Eastern Ontario. After immigrating from England they settled in Perth, then Brockville (Elisabethtown) on the St. Lawrence before establishing this mill here in 1820. A community soon settled around the mill complex which grew to having its own distillery and assorted mercantile ventures.
Here are a few extra pictures of the area.
Lockmaster’s House
Across the locks, past the old steel swing bridge that connects both sides, you will find an old stone and wood Lockmaster’s house.
Today the home serves as a museum detailing the history of the small hamlet.
Lock 37
When Samuel Chaffey passed away in 1827, Colonel By (the man in charge of the canal construction) bought the property from his widow from £2,000 (a large sum on those days) in order to build Lock 37. The original canal locks still stand as a testament to the craftsman exerted in their construction.
Usually the docks here are full of life but I got some empty pictures in the spring of 2021, as the COVID pandemic has closed the waterway.
From the upsteam side you will get a fantastic view of Chaffrey’s Mill.
The downstream side for its part is a giant picnic area and another great spot to stop for lunch.
This is another great place to stop of for lunch as you can admire the stonework of the locks and hit the museum when you are done eating.
The Opinicon
This beautiful wood cottage located past the lock keepers house, and located on a bluff overlooking the Rideau river is an iconic part of the Rideau Waterway Heritage landscape. Built in the late 19th century, the family resort was frequented by a clientele of mostly American travellers seeking to experience the great white north by boat as well as a fishing resort during the 1920’s. The grand dining room was at focal part of the resort but the large yard was also well used. This classic has recently been renovated and is back in business after a difficult 1990’s. It is perfectly worth checking out and if you don’t wish to stay in the main hall, separate retro cottages have been built off to the side!
Chaffey’s Irish Cemetery
The hidden gem of the Chaffey lock system, this tiny cemetery is tucked behind Brown’s Marina, away from prying eyes. It horrors Samuel Chaffey himself as well as the many Irish immigrant who died working on this section of the Canal. The death came not only due to the harsh working conditions in the wilderness of Eastern Ontario, but of the malarial illnesses spreading among the work crews. From 1828-1832, 95% of the crew caught the not yet understood disease. Many of the Irish immigrants had no families in the land of Canada and were buried in unmarked graves such as this one.
A small memorial in the shape of a lock gate has been erected at the edge of the cemetery. Here you will find small plaques filling you in on the lives of these lost souls.
Conclusion
This lost corner of Ontario is a cottager’s paradise. Families have been established for generations and properties seldom come up for sale, and I don’t blame them. Why would anyone want to leave this place.
