The Carman House

The Carman House
The Carman house is a 225 year old Georgian
limestone cottage which has been restored to its
original form. It was built shortly after the War
of 1812 by Michael Carman III, the son of a
Palatine Loyalist. He was bequeathed the
property in 1806 by his uncle who had fought
on the side of the British during the 1776
American rebellion. The Carman House is
emblematic of those Loyalists who came to
South Dundas.
It is located in Iroquois, Ontario, a community
in the original eastern counties of Upper
Canada. This 150 year old village is situated
on the magnificent St. Lawrence River and the
original Williamsburgh Canal system.
Slow night drew on,
And round the rude hut of the loyalist
The wrathful spirit of the rising storm
Spoke bitter things. His weary children slept
And he, with head reclined, sat listening long
To the swol'n waters of the St. Lawrence
Dashing against their shores
....Author Unknown
Part of that original canal included the Galops and Iroquois canals, built between 1844-1856, they
together covered 12 km of what became known as the Galops Canal. The system was designed for nine
feet of water over the sills but didn’t always meet that requirement, as noted in the British Whig
(Kingston, ON), Sept. 27, 1848—
“The schooner Scotland struck at the entrance to the
Beauharnois Canal, in seven feet of water; the Earl
Cathcart was aground at the entrance to the locks at
Point Iroquois; and the steamer England was also
aground there, and it was with great difficulty that
she was forced over the remainder of the dam at the
entrance to the lock.”
It seems the “Earl” had an aptitude for becoming stuck.
Steamer “Earl Cathcart” Aground
among the Islands of the River St.
Lawrence
NAC C8678
Iroquois is located just minutes south of Highway 401 via the Carman Road Exit, a little over an hour
from Ottawa, Montreal and Kingston and is home to the Iroquois Seaway Locks.
From here it’s a short 20 minute drive east to Upper Canada Village. To the west is Prescott home to
Fort Wellington, the Forwarders Museum and the site of the 1838 Battle of the Windmill. Other area
attractions include Prehistoric World, the Battle of Crysler Farm Memorial and the original home of the
world famous Macintosh, or MacIntosh, or McIntosh Apple. Within 35 minutes in all directions there
are another dozen museums telling the stories of the people who built Ontario.
The History
South Dundas was
originally settled in 1784
by United Empire
Loyalists of Palatine
descent. They were
driven out of their homes
in the Mohawk Valley in
NY at the conclusion of
the American’s war of
secession for taking up
arms in defence of
Loyalist veterans and families at Johnstown (present-day Cornwall, Ontario)-1784
Source Dept of National Defence
British North America.
How the Carman’s came to settle in the small village of Iroquois on the St. Lawrence River is a story
worthy of film. In fact, the Palatine exodus in the 1700's from what is now Germany to England, North
America, Ireland and Australia could easily fill a season of “prime time” television.
Among those Palatines were Michael Kürmann Sr., with his wife Magdalena, son Michael Jr. and
daughter Maria Magdalena. In 1750 they left Kehl on the upper Rhine River and proceeded down to
Rotterdam. There, along with relatives Georg Kirmann, Marx Kürrmann, and Matthias Kürrmann, they
took passage on the ship "Anderson" for the large German colony in Philadelphia. Port records show
they arrived on the 25 Aug 1751 “along with 236 items of freight and 50 Roman Catholics”.
Somewhere between 1765 & 1769 Michael Sr. and his family moved to New York’s Mohawk Valley
and along the way the name Kürmann or Kürrmann or Kirmann became Carman. In 1769 Michael
Carman III was born, and in 1776 during the American rebellion his father fought on the side of the
British with John Johnston’s “Kings Royal Regiment of New York”. At the conclusion of hostilities
those Carmans who had remained in the Mohawk Valley were being threatened by their neighbours and
decided to leave for British Canada.
So in February of 1782 the family, including the elders and the young children, headed north through the
bush to Montreal. By 1785 the Carmans had taken advantage of government land allotments and moved
to Iroquois Point to rebuild their lives. For the patriarch Michael, his time near the swiftly flowing river
would be short. He passed away sometime between 1788 and 1790. As is the case for so many who died
in those first years, there is no record of when or where they passed on. In the case of Michael Sr., even
his place of burial is not noted. His wife, Magdalena, survived him, dying at 92 in 1801.
Imagine, if you will, what a life she had to look back on— childhood, young womanhood, marriage, and
the birth of two children in the little German town of Kehl; her journey to an untamed country with a
new language and new customs; the years in pioneer Philadelphia; starting again with a move to the
Mohawk Valley in New York; once more, years of hard work in building a prosperous farm; then the
American revolution and the absence of her only son fighting for the British; her short stay in a rebel
prison at the end of hostilities and being deprived of every possession as she and her family are driven
from their homes by a force of American rebels. With no safe place to go they make a terrible trek in the
month of February through the forests to Montreal, followed a year later by another journey, this time up
the St. Lawrence River. Again the work of beginning over in a trackless wilderness but this time when
she was over seventy years old!
This is a story not only of the Carman family, but one amongst many stories of this area.....stories of the
settlers whose names still make up a good part of the local telephone book.....stories of communities
created as a result of a 1783 treaty signed in France by England and the new United States.
The Carman House Museum is dedicated to telling those stories.
By the time of Iroquois’ incorporation in 1857, the Dundas population stood at 13,811
inhabitants.
They were carpenters, cobblers, and coopers; sutlers, saddlers, spinners,
seamstresses and weavers. Along with customs collectors, lawyers,
politicians, and telegraphers, there were smugglers, farmers, preachers,
priests, sailors, and part time soldiers. Here could be found cheese
makers, carriage makers and watch makers; along with tinsmiths,
blacksmiths, millwrights, fullers, millers, and bakers. They operated
foundries, gravel pits, grist mills, saw mills, shingle mills, brickyards,
bakeries, dairies, hotels, lock gates and toll gates. They were merchants of
groceries, of liquor, of hardware, and shoes.
THE MUSEUM
Built about 1815, this United Empire Loyalist heritage home has been restored
as a living history museum. Renovation of the house and converting it into a
museum was initiated for Canada’s Centenary in 1967 under the direction of
famed restoration architect Peter Stokes. It is one of three buildings in Iroquois
that were not moved at the time of the St. Lawrence Seaway in the 1950's.
Visitors to the home are met by a costumed interpreter who brings to life the
stories of these first families in a community that was taking its first steps
towards a lifestyle if not of grandeur, then at least one with some semblance of
refinement.
The interpreters will point out the details of the house, which architecturally represents the Georgian
period with its symmetry, small window panes, large chimneys and its simple dentil trim.
In a stroll around the gardens it will be noted that the stonework on the house is not fussily dressed as
used in grand manor houses, but stonework with workmanlike attention to detail. Possibly it was
completed by a self taught stonemason who wouldn’t have access to the skilled help or equipment found
in larger centres. Lack of help was the reality for these early 1800's Upper Canada communities and in
the interest of expediency the
tradesman made do. The rough
limestone hauled from the quarry
would be split into various size
blocks making use of as much of
the material as possible. The
largest would be laid on the lower
courses with the blocks becoming
smaller as they rose higher up the
wall. Moving to the rear of the
house, economy in both time and
effort is recognisable in the use of
the left over rubble for the facing
material and at the rear of the
kitchen the pieces have become
very small.
The gardens are designed to reflect
the period from 1850's back into
the 1790's. As visitors walk the path towards the rear of the house they’ll be moving back in time with
the plantings representative of the appropriate period. Symmetrical, Georgian inspired flower beds are
located in the front of the house; along the west side are fruit trees, bushes and vines representing the
early 19th century; then traditional vegetables and herbs are found in the pioneer kitchen garden.
Upon entering the kitchen visitors are immediately immersed in the era of the War of 1812. Although
the house wouldn’t be built for a couple of years after that confrontation, the visitor can imagine
American soldiers on a cold, miserable night in November 1813, stopping on their way to the battle at
John Crysler’s farm. Those soldiers wouldn’t have found anything amiss or out of the ordinary upon
entering this early kitchen. The unadorned cradle in front of the massive cooking fireplace, the large
‘walking’ spinning wheel, the yarn winder, and the wooden bowls and utensils would have spelled
comfort and home to them. They would have to be content though, with returning to the dark and cold
and laying down next to a fire built with cedar rail fences torn down to provide warmth. As soldiers,
there would have been trepidation about what the next days would bring but they couldn’t foresee the
ignominious defeat awaiting them a short distance downstream.
For the modern visitor there are other features that may
not be expected. A stone sink next to the "beehive" oven;
a kitchen outfitted with early 19th Century handmade
chairs and in the corner near the fireplace, Oma’s chair
where she could keep track of all the comings and goings
and still be warm. It’s also a place where maybe this
grandmother could feel useful again, drying the dishes or
peeling potatoes and vegetables for the mid day meal.
Possibly Opa would have sat in a rocking chair on the
other side of the fireplace rocking the cradle to keep the
little one quiet for awhile.
On leaving the kitchen and moving into the dining
room the wear on the threshold is testament to the
number of times the women of the house passed that
way when doing the family chores. In this 1835 era
dining room the colour scheme is typical of those from
the Rhine River, with dark green trim and intense wall
colours. Along with the stone fireplace, a large built in
wall cupboard emphasizes that traditional Palatine
style. This room more than any other gives witness to
the home being occupied up until the early 1960's. This
is suggested by the south wall which separates this
room from what is now the Front Gallery. It is a later
addition which could only have happened once cast
iron parlour stoves came into use, since there wouldn’t have been any heat in that front entrance room
without one.
Moving through the General Gallery one enters the 1850 era parlour with its deep set windows and
again another large fireplace. This room reflects the end of the Georgian period and the very earliest
styles of the young Queen Victoria’s era.
From that earlier time frame, there is an Hepplewhite inspired upholstered settee which has the Prince of
Wales three feathers carved into the back. It is in contrast
to a later settee of a similar design, and handsome in its
own right, but from the beginning of the industrial period
with machine worked appliques decorating the frame.
In the corner of the room there is a very plain, long case
clock which has a movement traceable to Ireland. This
style became known as “Grandfather Clocks”. It seems a
songwriter, Henry Clay Work, in about 1875 visited an Inn
in England owned by two brothers. In the lobby there was
a long case clock that kept perfect time until one of the
brothers died. The story suggests that, despite the efforts of
various clockmakers, it began to lose time at an ever
increasing rate. When the other brother died, the clock
stopped, never to run again. In 1876 Mr. Work wrote a
song based on that story and called it “My Grandfather's
Clock” which became very popular and subsequently
influenced the name change.
My grandfather's clock
Was too large for the shelf,
So it stood ninety years on the floor;
It was taller by half
Than the old man himself,
Though it weighed not a pennyweight more.
It was bought on the morn
Of the day that he was born,
And was always his treasure and pride;
But it stopped short
Never to go again,
When the old man died.
CHORUS:
Ninety years without slumbering,
Tick, tock, tick, tock,
His life seconds numbering,
Tick, tock, tick, tock,
It stopped short
Never to go again,
When the old man died.
In watching its pendulum
Swing to and fro,
Many hours had he spent while a boy;
And in childhood and manhood
The clock seemed to know,
And to share both his grief and his joy.
For it struck twenty-four
When he entered at the door,
With a blooming and beautiful bride;
But it stopped short
Never to go again,
When the old man died.
CHORUS
My grandfather said
That of those he could hire,
Not a servant so faithful he found;
For it wasted no time,
And had but one desire,
At the close of each week to be wound.
And it kept in its place,
Not a frown upon its face,
And its hand never hung by its side.
But it stopped short
Never to go again,
When the old man died.
CHORUS
It rang an alarm
In the dead of the night,
An alarm that for years had been dumb;
And we knew that his spirit
Was pluming for flight,
That his hour of departure had come.
Still the clock kept the time,
With a soft and muffled chime,
As we silently stood by his side.
But it stopped short
Never to go again,
When the old man died.
CHORUS
Our clock also keeps very good time— for now!
On leaving the parlour the visitor re-enters the Front Gallery. This
room is more contemporary and it is used for special displays that
highlight significant events that took place in Dundas County.
Things that were witnessed and experienced by the people of this
community.
Whereas the grounds and household rooms show the lifestyle of the
pioneer families, the displays in this gallery are meant to remind the
viewer of this communities history.
There are stories of the river and stories of a Boer War hero, stories
of a foot doctor, a writer, a marine engineer, of religious leaders, of
an apple, a Provincial Premier, of sons & daughters and a young 13
year old Anna Carman who went to the Belleville Seminary where
her older brother Albert was a teacher and principal. Later this
Albert was to became Bishop Carman and the General
Superintendent of the Methodist Church.
Anna’s Letter Home to Her Father
In the summer of 2010 the museum hosted a book signing by Maggie Wheeler. Her books have
focussed on the impact of the building of the Seaway and the saga of the Lost Villages. In her mystery
series, Maggie has set her stories in actual buildings and communities that were moved and flooded at
the time of the Seaway construction. Much of her success, especially with the people who lived through
the turmoil, is a result of her having captured the prevailing mood in those small villages at that time.
There is a line in her first book that pretty much sums up the idea of this
history. The central character, while walking along the shore of the river
near one of the submerged villages notices “Old bits of terra cotta bricks
worn smooth by the river. And pieces of old blue and white china with the
pattern intact: ...Small pieces of lives long gone ”
This may be an epithet for all families throughout history.
The final book in the series, On A Darkling Plain, takes place 50 years
after the completion of the Seaway. In it the Carman House Museum is
woven into the plot and provides the setting for the solving of the
murders. It should be noted that no museum directors were harmed in the
writing of the story.
Plan Your Visit
Location:
Carman Road Highway 401 exit, south on Carman Road and straight through into the
parking lot.
Hours:
Every day in July & August from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
Other times by appointment.
Admission:
Donations Accepted
Mailing Address: PO Box 472
5895 Carman Road South
Iroquois Ontario K0E 1K0
Telephone:
During July & August 613-652-4408
Other times contact Murray Richer at 613-543-3556
Email:
Website:
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