page_title: Edwardsburgh/Cardinal
section_title: Crystal Rock (Limekiln)
hierarchical_section_title: Edwardsburgh/Cardinal / Hamlets, small villages, and other communities / Crystal Rock (Limekiln)
caption_attribution_description: English: A picture of a framed print of a Thelma Cameron work depicting Fort Wellington. This particular print was on display in a local Prescott store. The original painting was gifted to Queen Elizabeth II in the 1980s during her visit to the fort.
context_page_description: Edwardsburgh/Cardinal is a township in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville of eastern Ontario, Canada. Edwardsburgh township was first surveyed in 1783, and incorporated in 1850. The township was part of the historical Grenville County before it merged with Leeds County to form the United Counties in the 19th century.
  The Township of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal was formed on January 1, 2001, through the amalgamation of Edwardsburgh Township with the Village of Cardinal.
  It is a historical community with many old homes and buildings; including one-room school houses, grist mills, and churches. It is situated along the Saint Lawrence Seaway/River and extends back into rural hamlets. Both Highway 416 and Highway 401 pass through the township, as well as the South Nation River.
  The township's main population centres are Cardinal, Johnstown, and Spencerville. The township's administrative offices are located in Spencerville.
context_section_description: Crystal Rock, Ontario is a community located along County Road 44, directly north of Johnstown. The settlement was first called Gore's Hill, then Limekiln before being changed to Crystal Rock in the 1900s. The land was first surveyed for Loyalist settlement by Edward Jessup in 1784 however it was predominately Irish immigrants who settled and established the community. Before 1784, the land was occupied by many small First Nations communities. Largely forced out by the Europeans, the few aboriginals who stayed in Crystal Rock traded handmade goods with the early settlers. Clay beads, bowls and pipes were commonly found scattered throughout the land.
  In the early 1800s, land at Crystal Rock was slowly doled out to disbanded Loyalists as grants. Early landholders cleared the lots of timber and shipped it to Montreal for profit with no intention of settlement. The timber trade ceased in 1820 and Crystal Rock was abandoned. Settlement began at Crystal Rock in the 1830s with an influx of Irish immigrants. Few settlers received clear title to the land they occupied as much of it was clergy reserve land. Some opted to become tenants while others simply squatted. The land in Crystal Rock is sandy with large limestone outcroppings making traditional farming difficult. Wheat, hops and rye became staple crops, being the most productive and easily sold to nearby breweries and distilleries. Many settlers sought employment outside of agriculture, working as labourers during the construction of the canals and railways or as rivermen.
  During the 1830s, the Gore family established a large homestead at the intersection of County Road 44 and Brouseville Road. Gore's farm was of the first in the area and included lime pits and a limekiln. The prominent farm led to the community's early designation of Gore's Hill and inspired the construction of numerous other limekilns which the settlement became known and named for. At night the light of the kilns was allegedly visible from a distance creating the illusion the area was glowing.
  Around 1840, the first schoolhouse was built from logs on property owned by a Daniel Mills. Prior to this a teacher tutored children from their home for a fee. Sunday school was held here after hours for Methodist and Anglican congregations until the 1850s. When the township split into school sections, Crystal Rock was designated section #8 and the school was recorded as ‘Common School S.S. #8’. In 1865, records indicate a section of land was sold to school trustees by Joseph Dyer for unspecified school use, on which was a log schoolhouse. Records are unclear as to whether the land was sold to extend the grounds of the existing school, or if the building was a newly constructed replacement. By 1865, the school was referred to by S.S. #8 Limekiln School. In 1870, a local man was hired to build a stone schoolhouse to replace the log building with a toilet and woodshed on the premises. In the 1880s the school's well water was deemed unsafe after many students fell ill. The unsanitary conditions of the school were attributed to the deaths of a few pupils in 1909. The toilets were then demolished and the school was cleaned and repaired. The school closed by 1961 and was sold to the church before becoming a private residence, as it remains today.
  By the 1850s around 700 acres (2.8 km²) were being cultivated by the community and two taverns had opened. In 1868, a Loyal Orange Lodge group built an Orange Hall which also held Anglican and Methodist services before churches were built. The frame hall was later used as a community meeting hall. By the late-1800s, Crystal Rock was a thriving farming community home to numerous pioneer industries. Tradesmen including a blacksmith, shoemaker, mechanic, cooper and two carpenters, one of whom solely constructed coffins, serviced the community. A shingle and a cheese factory were constructed. The cheese factory was built in 1884 at the corner of Brouseville Road by a trio of locals. The factory, called Thompson's Cheese Factory #5 after one of its owners, was later upgraded to produc
caption: Framed print of Thelma Cameron's painting of Fort Wellington.
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