| The first Marble Quarries to
be discovered were in the Townships of Faraday and Dungannon.
The marble was of such fine quality that from 1911 to 1914,during the
construction of Casa Loma, the finest marble from Bancroft was used for
Sir Henry Pellatt's 98 room. The residence of the Governor General ,the
Parliament buildings in Ottawa and Toronto, as well as the Canada House
in London, are also decorated with Bancroft's marble.
The Marble Quarries were first mentioned in June of 1906. Most of the
marble was quarried in large slabs and blocks. It was then shipped out
by rail to be used in floors and walls of public buildings as well as
table and counter tops.
In August 1909, the marble attracted the attention of Ottawa; mining
official - A.T. McKinnon to secure samples for the National Museum, "he
pronounced the marble of the Morrison and Riddell quarry one of the best
in Canada".
Dungannon and Faraday Townships had five worked quarries within a one
mile area. They were: Winfield Quarry, on Lot 41 - Hastings Road West,
in Faraday Township; Cliff Quarry, on Lot 41 - West Hastings Road, in
Faraday Township the at produced pink marble; Barker Quarry, on Lots 39,40,41,
Concession X, in Dungannon Township that produced Laurentian marble -
a vein stone which forms support for the columns in the Royal Ontario
Museum; White Quarry, on Lot 28, Concession XI, in Dungannon Township
that produced the best white marble; and the Mill Quarry, on Lots 29,30,
Concession X, that produced a variety of blue and grey marble. These mines
were active in 1931. The last quarry to operate was the Mill Quarry. It
closed when the depression put an end to building in general.
During the 1920's Mr. James Brown worked the Mill Quarry. They say the
locals took advantage of the Mill because the marble could be cut to any
shape or size. Mr. McMillan trucked blocks of marble from this property
as late as 1977.
Source:
Bancroft - A Bonanza of Memories
Nil Y. Reynolds
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