Restoration of the Dufferin Heights Monument
Little Forks Branch
Stanstead, Québec (From the Summer 2006 issue, Stanstead Historical Society Newsletter)
Restoration of the Dufferin Heights Pioneer Monuments
Our steering Committee is happy to report that we have made great progress in different areas of this project since the last newsletter. First, we have reached our fundraising goal of $50,000 in cash and in donations of materials and services. A significant donation of $1,000 by the Little Forks Branch of the United Empire Loyalists, made in a formal presentation at the May SHS Board meeting, brought us over the top. Written solicitations to members of the Dufferin Heights Country Club resulted in generous donations and thus contributed much to the overall success of the campaign.
The other good news is that the actual restoration work on the monument is well under way. Contractor Jean D’Arcy did a thorough repair job on the War Memorial by repointing the entire structure, resetting fallen stones and rebuilding the memorial top using epoxy cement. As planned, the Pioneer Monument was carefully dismantled to save all the significant exterior features which will be reinstalled in the rebuilt monument. The base of the monument was found to be stone rubble going down about 2 1/2 feet to rock ledge. The hole for the new reinforced concrete foundation has been excavated in the same location and the work will continue as soon as the wet weather of the last few weeks lets up and the much-delayed foundation contractor can find some time for us.
Meetings with the private property owners on Dufferin Heights have resulted in a clear understanding of the location of the right-of-way over their land to the two monuments. A surveyor has been hired to prepare a technical description of the right-of-way, which will be formalized by notarized deeds. Also, the matter of tree cutting to restore the view to and from the monuments has been largely settled. Although we have formal approval from the Coaticook MRC and an understanding in principle from the property owners, we are still awaiting a written permission from two of the owners before the cutting can start.
— Harry Isbrucker
[submitted by Bev Loomis, Little Forks Branch]
About the Monuments
On 26 May, 2006, Milt and Bev Loomis of Little Forks Branch UELAC presented a cheque for $1000 to Harry Isbrucker and Edward Hyatt, representing the committee in charge of restoring a pioneer monument on Dufferin Heights in Stanstead, Quebec.
The monument in question, called the settler’s monument, is one of two monuments on Dufferin Heights, both of which are in need of restoration.
The cheque, donated on behalf of the entire branch, represents a big step in the $50,000 fund-raising goal set by the committee, which is comprised of members of the Stanstead Historical Society, members of the Royal Canadian Legion Stanstead Branch, and interested individual citizens such as Dufferin Heights Country Club president Peter Drysdale.
“We are pleased to present this cheque to help towards the restoration of the Dufferin Heights Monument,” said Bev and Milt during the presentation, “as we are aware there are several Loyalist names on the monument. We wish you continued success in this great endeavor.”
The settlers’ monument was erected in 1927 under the leadership of Col. Benjamin Morrill (on whose property it was placed), T. Lee Quimby, A.E. Curtis, and Homer G. Curtis. It commemorates the pioneers who first settled the area, and incorporates a list of the first 105 settlers, from between 1792 and 1820, as well as a bronze relief topographical map of the area.
The other monument on Dufferin Heights, the war veterans’ monument, was built in 1923 to mark the sacrifices of local soldiers who didn’t return from the First World War. Total costs for restoring both have been estimated at $50,000. The monuments must be “completely reconstructed with a new foundation,” according to the Stanstead Journal.
The names and dates listed on the settlers’ monument are as follows (titles and honorifics are editorial).
Joseph Aldrich — 1806
Daniel Bachelder — 1800
Jonathan Bachelder — 1800
Nathaniel Bachelder — 1800
Col. Heman Bangs — [ ]
Capt. James Bangs — 1800
Deacon Ruben Bangs — 1798
John Barry — 1803
Collins Bartlett — 1820
Hon. James Baxter — 1817
Leonard K. Benton — 1820
Major Camp Boynton — 1800
Capt. John Boynton — 1805
Major Wm. Boynton — 1805
Comfort Carpenter — 1800
Francis Cass — 1800
John Cass — 1800
Theophilas Cass — 1798
Seth Caswell — 1820
Col. Wright Chamberlain — 1809
Marcus Child, M. P. — 1809
Dr. Samuel Clark — 1797
William Clark — 1979
Moses French Colby, M.D. — 1814
Daniel Curtis — 1800
Capt. Dudley Davis — 1800
Silas Dickerson — 1813
Jesse Farley — 1803
Johnathan Field — 1808
Silas Fox — 1800
Uriah Fox — 1803
George T. Gates — 1823
Rev. Joseph Gibb — 1829
Jacob Goodwin — 1798
Johnathan Gordon — 1800
Oliver Hartwell — [ ]
Daniel Heath — 1804
Peter Heath — 1804
Pliny Hibbard — [ ]
Daniel Holmes — [ ]
Rev. Austin Hubbard — 1807
Phineas Hubbard — 1805
Francis Judd — [ ]
Col. Charles Kilborne — 1804
Capt. Joseph Kilborn — 1792
Capt. Samuel Knight — 1823
Nathaniel Ladd — 1800
John Langmayde — 1798
Major Daniel Lee — 1797
Rev. Jason Lee — 1803
Jeremiah/Jedediah Lee – [ ]
Abraham Libby — 1798
Ebenezer Lincoln — 1807
James Locke — 1800
James Lyford — 1802
Daniel Mansur — 1802
Abraham Martin — [ ]
Asa May — 1805
Hezikiah May — 1806
Charles McClary — [ ]
William McClary — 1798
Abner Morrill — 1800
David Morrill — 1809
Isaac Morrill — 1806
Paul Morrill — 1803
William Morrill — 1800
Rev. Avery Moulton — 1800
William Moulton — 1798
Oliver Nash — 1805
Adam Noyes — 1812
Israel Parsons — 1815
Andrew Patton — 1804
James Paul — 1800
Jedediah Peasley — 1803
Wilder Pierce — 1816
Samuel Pinkham — 1800
Selah Pomeroy — 1798
John Quimby — 1808
Nathaniel Rix — 1799
John Roberts — [ ]
Isaac Rogers — 1801
Joseph Rogers — 1802
Philip Rogers — 1802
William Rogers — 1798
Edward Rose — 1800
Timothy Rose — 1800
Capt. John Ruiter — 1800
Capt. H. Sleeper — 1801
Ichabod Smith — 1810
Joel Smith — 1803
Nathaniel Stearns — 1804
Johnson Taplin — 1796
Jacob Taylor — 1800
Silas Taylor — 1805
Joseph H. Terrill — 1800
Nathaniel Tilton — [ ]
David Wallingford — 1806
Peter Weare — 1803
Dr. Isaac Whitcher — 1799
Calvin Wilcox — 1817
Capt. Israel Wood — 1797
Edward Worth — 1800
Joseph Worth — 1800
Andrew Young — 1801
[This article cites the Sherbrooke Record, the Stanstead Journal, and townshipsheritage.com by Matthew Farfan.]