Historic Locations

Village of Grenville 

Grenville

17 - Long Sault Canal System
- Système de canalisation du Long-Sault
c. 1819 - 1833

Grenville, Québec

In 1819, the Royal Staff Corps started the construction of the Grenville canal under Captain Henry du Vernet’s supervision and it was completed 10 years later.  In 1827, the British army also undertook the development of canals at Chute-à-Blondeau and at Carillon in order to bypass all of the Long-Sault rapids.  Including three canals, the 16-kilometre long canal system was inaugurated in 1834. However, the Carillon canal soon became insufficient to handle boat traffic and the construction of a second canal in the village was necessary.  Inaugurated in 1882, the new wider canal in Carillon allowed barges through. Supplanted by the St. Lawrence waterway, the canal system was in operation until the Carillon hydroelectric power station was built, around 1960.

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18 - Filion House
- Maison Filion
c. 1825

19, rue Canal nord, Grenville, Québec

Known as the Filion house, this beautiful rectangular residence was built in 1825 according to the pièce-sur-pièce technique.  The first owner, John Kelley, an Irish immigrant, used it as a hotel where the engineers building the canal stayed.  The Filion family acquired it as a residence at the end of the 19th century and a descendant of that family still owns it today.  Two brick chimney stacks stand on the roof and a veranda with moulding-decorated columns add a certain charm to the house.  In 1870, the house was covered with clapboard.  At the front of the dwelling, a modest wooden fence surrounds a cross.

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19 - Former Grenville Lodge
- Ancienne loge de Grenville
c. 1820

The former Grenville Lodge was constructed during the 1820s. The two-storey house was erected on a foundation of rock and of concrete, with the exterior surface being composed of rock, tin and cement.  For several years, the building was the meeting place for Freemasons.  The House also contains an organ dating back to the 1800s, five ceremonial chairs and an altar.

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20 - The House of Pridham/Desforges famillies
- Maison des familles Pridham/Desforges
c. 1825

1 and/et 3, rue Canal Nord, Grenville, Québec

This beautiful residence, located near the Grenville canal, was constructed around 1825 for Alexander Pridham. Pridham was a militia captain, then mayor of the village in 1875. The House, of far greater size than any other stone construction at that time, remained in the Pridham family until 1949.  Then, the Desforges family acquired it and still owns it today.  The House was built with stone chimney stacks and two small gabled dormer windows.  Today, the chimney stacks are made of brick and the dormer windows have been replaced by a larger, flat-roofed style.  A porch has been added at the front of the House.  An ancient powder magazine built around 1875, stands at the back of the house and is used as a shed today.

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21 - Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs Church
- Église Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs
c. 1901

322, rue Principale, Grenville, Québec

This beautiful stone church was constructed in 1901 upon the request of the priest Joseph Gascon who asked to replace the first Catholic Church in Grenville which had become too small for the number of parishioners. A pinnacle and a cross stand on the steeple crowning the huge square tower in front.  An interesting fact about this building is that the stones of the façade are red while the stones covering the side walls are grey.  This imposing cross-shaped church dominates the heart of the village.

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22 - St-Matthews Church
- Église St-Matthews
c. 1832

365, rue Principale, Grenville, Québec

At  Reverend Joseph Abbott’s request, St. Matthew’s Anglican Church was built in 1832.  As the population of the village of Grenville had increased to 1,500 inhabitants at that time, a new church was needed. This ashlar (cut stone) building distinguishes itself by its pointed openings which remind us of the Gothic style and by its steeple decorated on three sides with a bull’s-eye window.  The few trees that surround the church and the small graveyard on the left invite us to visit the site.

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23 - Manoir du Canal
c. 1826

475, rue Principale, Grenville, Québec

In all probability, this superb stone residence was built around 1826 for Archibald MacMillan, the founder of Grenville.  This Québec-style house was probably constructed by the canal-builders.  It was built at the same time as the Pridham / Desforges house and the stones used were similar.  With its pitched roof and dormer windows at the front, this dwelling had once been a travellers’ inn, known as le Manoir du Canal.  Later on, it became a residence again.  Located at a beautiful spot along the Ottawa River, this splendid house is surrounded by a small forest.

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