Architecture tour in town

August 8, 2017

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The Equity

A group of architecture aficionados pose for a picture after touring the historic buildings in Portage du Fort. The area is home to a number of unique stone buildings in the area, including what is thought to be the oldest stone church in the Outaouais.

Those who took the walking tour were greeted by a delicious spread prepared by the ladies of the CWL. From left: Leora Venne, Georgina O’Connor and Linda Schminkel take a break from feeding those who were out on the walking tour.

Chris Lowrey
PORTAGE DU FORT
August 5, 2017
A crowd of architecture aficionados could be seen roaming around Portage du Fort on Saturday during the Artistes de la Rivière walking tour of the town.
Onlookers were brought to several of the stone buildings that dot the town as they were told of the history of each building.
One of the last stops was the old stone church which is considered one of the oldest churches in the Outaouais.

The tour was organized by the Pontiac Historical Society and the guests were led by the group’s president Chris Seifried and St. James the Greater Catholic Church Priest Father Basil Tanguay.
“The amount of stone buildings here is unique in the Ottawa Valley,” Seifried said. “This is a really unique concentration of what is called rough-hewn stone.”
Many of the buildings in Portage du Fort were built around the time of the Rideau Canal in Ottawa.
“Some masons could have worked on both the buildings here and the canal,” Seifried said.
Many of the stone buildings harken back to the early days of Portage du Fort, when its place on the river made it a main stop. Unfortunately, a fire in 1914 burned down many of the old wood buildings, meaning the stone buildings are one of the last links to the town’s past.
Much of the stone used to construct the buildings was quarried locally. Interestingly, the region was a hot spot for quarrying as many of the stones for the Parliament buildings were taken from the area.
“We learn a little about the history of Portage and the architecture,” Seifried said. “It’s just interesting.”
After a long walk, and even more information, many of those on the tour stopped at St. James the Greater Catholic Church for a lunch prepared by the local chapter of the CWL.
Lifelong Portage resident and CWL President Georgina O’Connor said she and a few other ladies helped to organize the lunch with the help of food donations from members of the community.
“We’re not a big group,” O’Connor said. “So you have to do double.”
The spread of sandwiches, veggie dips and – most popular – the dessert table had hungry people streaming through it consistently.
In fact, the desserts were so popular that the interview with O’Connor had to move a few feet to provide extra access space to those looking to satisfy a sweet tooth.
“Of course, most of this stuff you can’t buy anywhere,” O’Connor said.

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