Royal Escott

Springfield House, Escott

 This summer long past, when I camped at Charleston Lake Provincial Park, I escaped on several road trips in my little air-conditioned car to avoid the stifling heat...and to commune with the historic buildings of Leeds and The Thousand Islands, and the people who love and preserve them.

This little enclave at a country crossroad lured us in to the most enlightening and welcoming places and people one could hope to find.





This Georgian stone structure hints at the 1830's, but was in fact built in 1871 as a road house and hostelry to support events at the brick structure beside it. Today it houses a bright and efficient  library, and  historical displays on the second floor which we regret not having had the time to visit, it being 3 PM and us on our way to Brockville for lunch.

Front of Escott Township Hall

Lovely adaptive reuse of two worthy historic structures. Suggests 20:20 vision in Leeds County.

 Carved panel reads 'Masonic Hall Erected 5871' for some reason

Historical designation 1979 - well done folks!

And the fine folks who welcomed us, and made us want to stay longer and to return many times? Librarian Nancy, who found just what I was looking for, a walking tour of nearby Lyn (more on Lyn later.)

The pleasant fellow who arrived during our conversation was Pierre Mercier the archivist, who supplied us with handfuls of historic walking tours, showed us around their archival photo digitization project and genealogical resources, and just made us feel most welcome...in the well airconditioned LTI archives.

Above, the historic plaque on the Masonic Hall cum Council Chambers-now-archives. In 1871 when it was built, the building housed the Council Chambers on the main floor and the Masons of Macoy Lodge Number 242 on the second.