History shines at Manotick’s Dickinson Days Festival

The Dickinson Days Festival is held every year in early June and celebrates the founder of Manotick, Moss Kent Dickinson, even if few people in Ottawa know who he actually was.

“I don’t think that somebody from Barrhaven would really know who [Dickinson] was, even though they live right next door to us here,” said Brian Earl, a member of the Rideau Township Historical Society.

Dickinson is credited with founding the village of Manotick in 1859, serving as a Member of Parliament for Russel, Ont. and being elected mayor of Ottawa three times.

Earl said there isn’t even a portrait of Dickinson hanging in Ottawa City Hall, where other past mayors have portraits.

“He’s not that well known outside the village here,” he said.

Despite this, Earl said the comments the society gets in the Dickinson House guestbook show people are fascinated. Watson’s Mill, across the road from the house, gets lots of visitors as it still operates once a week. Manotick was amalgamated into the City of Ottawa in 2001.

The festival is important because it helps educate people about their community’s history, Earl said, and celebrates the area. The event features over 50 local vendors, a fishing derby and exhibits on Manotick. Both the Dickinson House and Watson’s Mill are free to visit this weekend during Doors Open Ottawa.

Other parts of the festival are also about showing off the village’s history. Graham Forrester, an Ottawa Firefighter, restored an old fire pump that used to belong to Watson’s Mill.

“The inside liner is lead with tar on it so it was like peeling off history,” he said. “You had to strip off the old layers of paint and tar. Last time somebody used this was in 1859 so it was pretty neat.”

Forrester said it’s the only artifact he’s ever restored and did it purely to give back to the community. He said the Manotick Volunteer Firefighters Association brings it out every year to show it off.

Inside Watson’s Mill, visitors can buy bread baked with flour made at the mill, which was built in 1860. Every week the mill produces 500 pounds of flour, enough for around 500 loaves of bread.

Marissa Waddell, one of the guides at the mill, said it’s nice to carry on the past and show people how the pre-Confederation mill still works.

“Everything’s original, it’s really nice to see people’s reactions about the history and how much it means to everybody,” she said.

The festival runs all weekend and visitors can see Dickinson House and Watson’s Mill until 5 p.m. on June 3.