Friends of Lakefield Park

Lakefield's Hague Point and the Lakefield Marsh by Michael P. Dolbey,

Heritage Gazette of the Trent Valley, Vol. 23. No. 4, February 2019, p. 43-44 (a publication of the Trent Valley Archives, reproduced with permission of the author and the publisher).

Hague Point and the Lakefield Marsh are part of what was Smith Township Lot 28 – Concession 8. In 1832 it was bought by Walter Crawford, a wealthy gentleman from Northern Ireland whose family had made money in linen manufacturing. The Crawford family arrived from Ireland in 1828 and initially settled in the Cobourg/Port Hope area. Walter Crawford was appointed a Justice of the Peace in 1833 on the recommendation of Thomas A. Stewart of Peterborough. He later moved to Peterborough where he was a Justice of the Peace, the Government’s Land Agent and Colonel of the Peterborough militia during the 1837 rebellion. Crawford purchased a number of properties in Smith, Douro and other townships.

In about 1837, Walter’s daughter, Mary Crawford married James Hague who was described as a gentleman (rather than a farmer or labourer) but nothing more is known about his background. James and Mary Hague had two children, Eliza Georgina, born Oct 4, 1838 and James Hague, born July 24, 1843. Mary’s husband, James Hague, along with Hugh Nelson, drowned in May, 1843 while attempting to cross the Otonabee River just below the falls at Lakefield. Just two months before Hague’s death, Walter Crawford sold James Hague the land he owned in Smith Twp opposite present day Lakefield, today’s Hague Point. The family may have been living on the property since their marriage. Suzanna Moodie, in a letter to her husband, Dunbar, written in January, 1839, tells him of a visit from Mary Hague who found Suzanna in a “miserable state”. Mary Hague sent Suzanna “a gallon of old port wine and so many nice things ..”. She also took Suzanna’s daughter, Aggy, and looked after her for the winter buying her shoes and nice clothes. Clearly the Hagues lived nearby and appeared to be well off.

Mary (Crawford) Hague soon found another gentleman to marry. Augustus Sawers was the son of John Sawers, a half-pay Lieutenant of the Royal Marines. John Sawers immigrated to Upper Canada in 1833 and acquired a large tract of land in Verulam Township near Bobcaygeon and later a large tract of land in St. Vincent Township near Meaford. His son Augustus was being educated in France and Germany and joined his father in Upper Canada in 1840 at the age of 21. Augustus Sawers married Mary Hague in about 1844 and the two Hague children were raised by the Sawers. In 1835, Walter Crawford had purchased land in Douro, L13-C7 and broken L13-C8, through which Sawers Creek flows (usually misspelled Sawer or Sawyer’s Creek). After the marriage of his daughter Mary, Walter Crawford sold these lots to Augustus Sawers on July 20, 1844. Augustus Sawers built a dam and mill on the creek but it was short lived. Farmers in the surrounding area believed that the flooded land behind the dam was the cause of the increasing incidence of ague (swamp fever). One night they destroyed the dam and that was the end of Sawers’ mill. The Sawers moved on to farm in Smith for about ten years then moved to Peterborough where Augustus founded the Peterborough Examiner newspaper in 1856. He was elected Peterborough’s tenth mayor in 1860 and briefly entertained the Prince of Wales during his one-hour passage through Peterborough in September of that year. Unfortunately, Augustus got a chill waiting for the Prince and developed kidney disease from which he died on August 6, 1861. His death left Mary with four sons and a daughter to look after.

Mary (Crawford) Hague-Sawers soon found a third husband to support her and her family. On April 7, 1864 she married John Whyte, owner of Whyte & Co., Peterborough Foundry and Machine Shop. Her daughter, Eliza Georgina Hague, had died of consumption in 1856. Her Son, James Hague, was not living with the Sawers when Augustus died. He married his cousin, Laura Isabella Crawford, on January 28, 1864 and had two children, Laura Isabella Georgina Hague born on November 8, 1865 and James Patrick Templeton Hague, born on February 23, 1867. When James Hague died on June 8, 1868 of heart disease, age 25, his wife and children went to live with Angus Crawford, Laura’s father and Mary’s older brother who lived in Hamilton Township.

Meanwhile back in Lakefield in the late 1840’s, a consortium of businessmen (James M. Irwin, Alexander Smith, Gardiner Boyd, Roland C. Strickland, Charles A. Boulton, Alfred Passmore Pousette, Robert A. Strickland and John Rodgers) had built a new dam across the Otonabee River which raised the water level of Lake Katchewanooka by 43 inches. This caused permanent flooding of considerable land, particularly much of the Hague farm creating what is now Hague point and the Lakefield Marsh. The Hague children were the heirs to James Hague’s estate, first James Hague junior and, after his death, Laura I. G. Hague and James P. T. Hague. Angus Crawford, grandfather and “next friend” of the under-aged Laura and James P. T. Hague, sued the businessmen responsible for building the dam for damages caused by the flooding of the Hague’s property. The date that the suit was launched is uncertain but on 25 March, 1884 the Ontario Court of Chancery settled the case. It decided that “whereas there is in contemplation or may now be in process of construction a certain public work of the Dominion of Canada known as the Trent Valley Canal or Trent Navigation” the Crown would pay compensation to all landowners whose land or premises were damaged by the increased water levels. The Hague children received $2000 In compensation.

It is clear that the Hague family did not occupy the land after James Hague’s death in 1843. The Lakefield history book, Nelson’s Falls to Lakefield, says it was a favorite camping ground of the Anishinaabeg during the last half of the nineteenth century (page 3). Land records indicate that the south part of the lot adjacent to Eighth Concession Road (now Bridge Street) was sold by the Hague children and the Village of Lakefield included the remainder of the lot in their Plan 15 in 1876. The Village of Lakefield purchased the remainder of the lot from the Estate of James Hague in 1911 for $3,000 (Nelson’s falls to Lakefield – page 177).

The two-page article about Hague Point in the Lakefield history book, Nelson’s Falls to Lakefield, gives a great deal of interesting information about the area after it was acquired by the Village in 1911 which will not be repeated here.

It has been said that a Mrs. Hague claimed that the Hague family gave Hague Point to the Village of Lakefield to be used as a park. This may have been Mrs. Charles Hague (nee Edna May Freeburn) who was born in Smith Township in 1910 and who died in Lakefield on September 22, 1992. She is buried in Lakefield cemetery. While it is possible that her husband was related to the original Lakefield Hague family, no connection has been found. As shown above, both Village records and Ontario Land Records show that the land was purchased and not donated by the Hague family.

(Footnotes appear in the original publication - Thanks to Michael P. Dolbey and Elwood Jones of the Trent Valley Archives.)

The story behind the Lakefield Park purchase by Anita Locke

Katchewanooka Herald, Wednesday, April 4, 1990, p. 18. (reproduced with the permission of the author).

The cottage lot leases at Lakefield Park, also known as Hague Point, have become the centre of controversy once again. There is quite a story behind the initial purchase of the property, and for your interest and enjoyment, here it is:

History on the property, known as Plan 30, Lot 28, Plan 15, part of Block S, and Part of Block T is comprised of 32 acres with 3100 feet of water frontage and is owned by the Corporation of the Village of Lakefield, according to 1983 Lakefield Assessment Records.

The property was originally owned by the Crown until May 3, 1832, at which time Elizabeth Misner of the District of London purchased the land. A beach existed as it is referred to in the original patent signing over the land to Elizabeth Misner; there were several limitations to the patent including a) the Crown would retain all mines of gold and silver; b) the Crown would retain all rights to white pine trees that exist or may grow; c) Elizabeth Misner or her heirs or assigns must have erected and built a dwelling house on the property within three years and; d) any heirs or assigns or persons receiving this land must within twelve months take an oath before a magistrate to abide by all regulations of the initial patent.

The property at that time could have been described as a real estate agent's dream; it was sold a number of times within months of each other, with the value of the land increasing dramatically.

For example, Elizabeth Misner held the land for only four days (beginning May 3, 1832). On May 7, 1832, Mr. John Huston purchased the entire parcel for the sum of 50 pounds, and one month later, on June 7, 1832, he sold the land in its entirety to George Boulton for 100 pounds. On July 29, 1833, a little over a year later, Mr. Boulton sold the land for 225 pounds to Mr. Walter Crawford of the Township of Douro. Mr. Crawford retained it for 10 years, selling it on March 31, 1843 to Mr. James Hague for 250 pounds.

A copy-of the deed to this sale stated that "the limitations of the original patent giving over the land from the Crown to Elizabeth Misner still apply." From March 31, 1843 until 1911, the rights to ownership of the land remained in the Hague family.

It would seem that misfortune had befallen the Hague family. James Hague lived only a few short months to enjoy his newly purchased property; he died on May 3, 1843, in a drowning accident - his body was recovered in Little Lake, Peterborough. He was survived by his wife, Mary, and died intestate.

Mary Hague died shortly thereafter, leaving their son James (Jr.) and his wife Elizabeth as beneficiaries. James Hague (Jr.) died on June 8, 1868, leaving his wife and two children as heirs to the property. His wife eventually remarried before the children reached the age of 21. The son, James Patrick Templeton Hague, (who married Margaret Emily), and daughter Laura Isabella Georgina Fairbanks (who married S. B. Fairbanks) were the official owners of the property.

Before the sale of the property in 1911 to the village of Lakefield, an interesting occurrence relating to the property is documented. On March 5, 1884, a sum of $2,000 was paid to Laura Hague and James Hague, then both below the age of 21, from the Trent Valley Canal Corporation. Their property had been flooded when the Township of Smith raised the Lakefield Dam to 43 inches, a level determined by the courts at this time to be too high. This sum was deemed appropriate restitution for damages incurred on their property.

On January 30, 1911, the Corporation of the Village of Lakefield purchased the property from James Patrick Templeton Hague and Laura Isabella Georgina Fairbanks for the sum of $3,000 and endorsed by a bylaw entitled "a bylaw to declare it expedient .... known as Hague's Point, for Park Purposes, and to authorize the Issue of debentures of the Village of Lakefield to the amount of $3,000 for the purpose of raising the sum required therefore providing for the acquisition of the said lands and premises ...." and passed.

The deed further stated that "The Village of Lakefield may not sell the land at any time ('to and for its and their sole and only use forever') and are still subject to the reservations, provisions, and conditions expressed in the original grant previously discussed. This means that the Crown still retains all rights in the Park for mines of gold and silver and white pine trees. In the original deed, however, part of Block T according to Corporate Plan 15 for the Village of Lakefield lying north of D'Eyncourt Street was not Included even though it was part of the property owned by James T. Hague. It was not until June 9, 1933 that the Village received an official deed including this part of the property.

The other title / deed relating to the existing Approved Park lands occurred on January 13, 1960 where the Village of Lakefield granted to George E. Pearson of Lakefield the right to lease Lot 29 commencing May 1, 1956 at a yearly rental of $20.00 per year. The deed states that "this property was part of certain lands secured by the Village of Lakefield for park purposes but are not needed for this purpose now and therefore agrees to lease the land."

Currently, the Village of Lakefield is still under same conditions as were present when they purchased the land from James Hague in 1911 and to the restrictions stated in granting of these lands from the Crown to Elizabeth Misner.

Essentially then, the restrictions for the land were this: that the Village would not be able to sell the land; it must be used for park purposes; and that any mines of gold, silver, or white pine found on the land are property of the Crown. Historically, the land was always owned by the Hague family from 1843- 1911, with the deed to the property passing from one generation to the next as family members passed away.

On January 3, 1911, a vote of the electors for issuance of debentures in the amount of $3,000 was held; there were 109 in favour and 74 opposed. These debentures would be paid once a year on December 31, in the amount of $230.63 for twenty years. At that time, the existing debentures for the Village Lakefield were in the amount of $28,459.31.

Deputy Returning Officers were Mr. A. V. Hill and Geo. B. Hilliard; Poll Clerks were Mr. R. Duff and Mr. Wm. Morrison. Reeve at the time was E. A. Tanner, W. Sherin was the Clerk.