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PIGEON RIVER
1890
Omemee, ON

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PIGEON RIVER

Omemee was settled on the banks of the Pigeon River in the Township of Emily, County of Victoria, Ontario and although it could be called unremarkable, the village was typical of the settlements of the 1800's. The hub of the village centered on the main street which ran through the village and became part of the highway system of Ontario.
In 1825 William Cottingham built a mill, and in 1826 a store was opened beside it. This was the nucleus which Omemee was built around. By 1835, a post office was established with Josiah L. Hughes as postmaster. The post office was called Emily, but the hamlet around it was better known as Williamstown, probably from 'William Cottingham's town'. In the 1840's the name was changed to Metcalfe, and was again changed in 1857 to Omemee, after the Omemee or 'Pigeon' family of Mississaga Indians. At this time a railway was built, but was placed at an extraordinary distance from the village, apparently out of spite due to low bonus payments. Omemee was incorporated as a village in 1874. It reached its maximum prosperity and population in 1878, when it had 835 inhabitants. By 1920 the populations dwindled to 467, due primarily to industrial competition of the cities.

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POSTCARD VIEW FROM DOWNTOWN OMEMEE
1898
Omemee, ON

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POSTCARD VIEW OF DOWNTOWN OMEMEE

Omemee, at the time of John McNeely's childhood, ran primarily along the main street from the bridge over the Pigeon River to the east to the Sherin home on the west. On both sides of the street were businesses and residences. In the centre at the four corners, were McNeilly's Dry Goods, Hardware and Groceries (John's uncle's store), Young's Hotel with the village pump in front, Tisdall's Groceries and R.J. Mulligan's drug store. On the north side of King Street, several lots west of George Street, was John McCrea's cabinet shop and house, the McCrea Home, the Tully Lark was destroyed in The Big Fire of 1891, and the family moved to The Tully Lark, the second, which was much further up the main street on the south side Mr. J. McCrea built furniture and was undertaker to Omemee. When he retired, John McNeely McCrea took over the business, which he sold in 1915 to Mr. Leslie Morcombe, who ran it until his death in 1952.

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HOMECOMING FROM SOUTH AFRICA
1900
Omemee, ON

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HOMECOMING FROM SOUTH AFRICA

The homecoming of John McNeely McCrea took place in 1900, after the return of the Canadian troops from the Boer War. The official reception was held in the band stand, which, at the time, stood on the lot just west of the barber ship (now Clifford's). Before the bandstand is standing Lamb's (later Mitchell's) bus, which met the trains at the old Junction station. In the crowd, marked the row of white helmets, was a troupe of soldiers. This old picture portrays a section of the main street of Omemee , the dress of the residents and the horse and carriages.

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THE McCREA BUILDINGS, TULLY LARK
1910
Omemee, ON

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THE McCREA BUILDINGS - TULLY LARK

This home is on the Northern side of King St. ( the main street in Omemee) . In her book Memory's Wall, Lady Eaton recalls that the name Tully Lark came from her mother's ancestral home in Ireland. There were at least two Tully Larks, the first having been destroyed in one of the fires that ravaged much of the Village.

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EARLY CHURCHES OF OMEMEE
1920
Omemee, ON

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THE EARLY CHURCHES OF OMEMEE

Village life for the young John McCrea centered for a great part around the churches of the village. Social events, school picnics, added to the regular services of each church. The yearly school picnics sponsored by the churches were an occasion for the young to vigorously play and participate in races and games. The McCrea family, like most families of that time, were regular attendees at their church and upheld the values taught by the Church. . There were four main churches, the Presbyterian church, the Anglican Church, the Wesleyan Methodist Church, and the Salvation Army.

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OMEMEE POST OFFICE AND STORE
1920
Omemee, ON

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OMEMEE POST OFFICE AND STORE

The Post Office occupied the building known as the Grandy Building which was erected in 1892 at the north west corner of King and George Streets. The building is still standing and houses several local businesses. The corner room on the main floor was devoted to the post office with the western portion of the building housing a store.

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INTERIOR POST OFFICE
1898
Omemee, ON

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INTERIOR POST OFFICE

The picture shows the section of the post office containing 104 boxes which opened using a combination lock. An older section of the post office was in the rear with 40 boxes using keys. Richard Grandy was the postmaster at the time of the opening of the building.
The mail was delivered to Omemee by train and as there were four mail trains each week day, mail was delivered promptly.