MANOTICK
Dickinson Square
Description of Historic Place
Dickinson Square consists of Watson’s Mill, the Dickinson House and an out-building all of which are located on Mill Street in the heart of Manotick. Watson’s Mill is a two-storey limestone structure while the Dickinson House is a two and a half-storey house in the Classical Revival Style and the out-building is a one-storey clapboard structure. Watson’s Mill was constructed in 1859 by Thomas Langrill while Dickinson’s House and out-building were constructed in 1868. These three buildings recall the early economic and social development of Manotick.
The City of Ottawa (former township of Rideau) recognizes Dickinson Square for its heritage values in By-Law 32/79 on March 1, 1979.
Heritage Values
The associative values of Dickinson Square, located in the Village of Manotick, lie with its founder and namesake, Moss Kent Dickinson. Moss Kent Dickinson had the area surveyed and registered in 1862 and was subsequently an important figure in the early development of the village. Dickinson is noted as the founder of Manotick and also served as the Mayor of Ottawa between 1864 and 1866. Dickenson was a local entrepreneur in the area. In 1863, Dickinson developed the Dickinson Line, allowing him to dominate steamer traffic on the Rideau. He also had close links with the Conservative Party of Canada, as he hosted Sir John A. MacDonald’s political campaigns in his residence several times.
The historical and social value of Dickinson Square lies in its position as the earliest hub of economic and industrial activity in the area. Dickinson Square encompasses Watson’s Mill, the Dickinson House, and an out-building around which the Village of Manotick developed in the latter half of the 19th century. Watson’s Mill, was constructed by Thomas Langrell in 1859 and officially opened in 1860 and lay at the centre of a group of related industries. The construction of Watson’s Mill, then known as Long Island Milling Enterprises, was explicitly connected to the construction of the Rideau Canal, as the construction of a
dam in the area created a new head of water flow, which Dickinson and a business partner promptly harnessed. At the time of opening, Watson’s Mill was the largest of its kind in Eastern Ontario could grind 100 barrels a day and employed twenty men. By 1862, a saw-mill and woolen mill had been added to the industrial complex.
The Dickinson House, located adjacent to the mill, also embodies historical and social value. It was constructed in 1868 and served as an office, general store, family house and the village’s first post office. Both Watson’s Mill and the Dickinson House are important indicators of early economic and social development in Manotick.
Dickinson Square is a good example of nineteenth century mill architecture in eastern Ontario and the Classical Revival style home.
Sources: City of Ottawa By-Law 32/79; Rideau Township Archives L.A.C.A.C. Files; City of Ottawa Files XD001-XMM3200/0003406
Character Defining Elements:
Character defining-elements that reflect the architectural value of Dickinson Square as a good example of nineteenth century mill complex include:
The Mill
- Locally quarried limestone exterior
- Symmetrical five-bay front façade
- Broken-range stone and courses with quoins building
- Plain rectangular double door with transom
- Brush-hammered stone window sills
- Twenty-paned casement windows
- Gable roof
- Bonded sheets of Cornish tin covering the roof
- Overhanging eaves
- Two chimneys
Character defining elements that reflect the architectural value of the Dickinson House as a good example a classically-inspired house include:
- Symmetrical five-bay front façade
- Low, slope-roofed porch with square piers and capitals at the rear of the house
- Rectangular four over four double-hung windows with shutters
- Front door with rectangular transom and side-lights
- Flat canopy above the front door, supported by decorative brackets
- Clapboard exterior
- Vertical wainscoting below the ground floor windows