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© copyright November 2009
Doug Grant
These articles can now be found online in the Web Site: The Doug Grant Building douggrant.weebly.com
This is a rare view of the old Gas Works which stood forover a 100 years on the west side of St. Paul St., south ofKing. This photograph was published in the
on October 6, 1953, along with an articlecommemorating the 100year anniversary of gasproduction in Brockville.
As you may see, in the background is the rear wall ofour present .
The first of the buildings pictured here were started inSeptember 1853, for the newlyincorporated
, who’s shareholders included some of theleading businessmen of the town. The first board ofmanagement was led by president , alocal lawyer.
The plot of land on St. Paul St. was sold to the companyby , one of the shareholders. The business wasestablished to manufacture gas by the distillation of softcoal.
The general contractor for the new buildings was, assisted by who built the
masonry The initial cost of construction and street pipingwas said to be £3,790. was the constructionsuperintendent.
By January of 1854, the first gas jets were lit. This wasa very progressive development for Brockville. The towncouncil arranged for the installation of 30 new gas lamps on
the main street. Soon, the gas company had signed up 200interested customers, including 25 of the retail merchantson King Street.
The first manager of the Gas Works was ,the brother of James Perry. He was succeeded in 1858 by
, a young plumber from Scotland whohad studied the gas system of Toronto.
The company prospered under the management ofWilkinson for the next 30 years. Tom Wilkinson alsostarted a coal company he named the
The company was incorporated in and by1893 he had acquired complete control by purchasing allthe shares of the other stockholders.
In the 1880s, the first experiments with electricityand electrical lighting was beginning in the world. ThomasWilkinson went to Belleville, where that town hadinstalled a directcurrent electricity system based on thedesigns of the of Toronto.
This led, in 1886, to the board of the gas companyagreeing to built a new electricity manufacturing plantfurther west on the shore south of Hartley St. This is where
is now located, and the entrance roadwas named
Thomas Wilkinson signed a contract with the town in1888 to install a number of at main intersectionsof the town. These were powered by direct current.
ECORDERIMES
ROCKVILLE RTS ENTRE
ALL LECTRIC IGHT O
R &T
B A C
. 1874,
B E L C .
ROCKVILLEAS IGHT O
ENTRAL ANADAOAL O
BG L C .
C CC C
David B. Ogden Ford
James Perry
William Holmes Thomas Price.
James Perry
Arthur Perry
Thomas Wilkinson
Thomas St.
arc lamps
Cunningham Park
1953
West side of St. Paul St.West side of St. Paul St.
1953
The story of electricity to be continued next week.