Blackburn Hamlet

Blackburn Hamlet
Community
Blackburn Hamlet within the City of Ottawa
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
City	Ottawa
Government
• City Councillor	Jody Mitic
• MP	Andrew Leslie
• MPP	Marie-France Lalonde
Area
• Total	2.41 km² (0.93 sq mi)
Population (2011)	8,237
• Density	3,417.84/km² (8,852.2/sq mi)

Blackburn Hamlet is a suburban community in Innes Ward, in the east end of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Before the 2001 amalgamation of the city of Ottawa, it was in the city of Gloucester. It is surrounded by rural areas and contains several older and newer areas of settlement. According to the Canada 2011 Census, its population was 8,237. The community took its name from Robert Blackburn, former Member of Parliament for Russell.

Often referred to by the locals as simply "Blackburn," it is one of only two suburban areas (the other being Bells Corners) surrounded by National Capital Commission (NCC) Greenbelt lands as well as Canadian Federal Conservation Authority lands and lands owned by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) which were formerly the National Defence Proving Grounds. Together, these lands form part of Ottawa's "Greenbelt" and provide Blackburn Hamlet residents and visitors with over 250 km of hiking and cross country skiing trails.

Blackburn is represented at city council but there is active community volunteer involvement as well through the Blackburn Community Association (BCA). Many activities, clubs, events and committees are run through the BCA.

The earliest settlers to the area arrived between 1803 and 1811, most of whom were of English or Irish descent.

In the early 19th century, the area was called "Green's Creek" after Robert Green who operated a sawmill on the creek. By 1834, the timber was exhausted and the government lands had been sold to farmers who began to settle in the area. These people had to clear their own land and build their own roads and schools. In 1850, Richard Dagg donated the land for the first school in Blackburn. The area was subsequently called "Daggsville" after three families that settled there.

John Kemp and his family were one of the early settlers of Blackburn. When the first school burned down in 1915, a second school was built on the Kemp property where Blackburn Public School was located. Agnes Purdy and her husband William settled on Lot 9 across from St Mary the Virgin Anglican Church on Navan Road. Four generations of Purdys farmed the land until the NCC expropriated the farm for the Greenbelt. Agnes was significant as a major fundraiser for the church and as school board secretary for 20 years.

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Wikipedia