Introduction . . .Selkirk is situated west of Souris in
Lot 42. The community was named for Thomas Douglas (177-1820), the 5th. Earl of Selkirk. It appears on an 1874 map. The Armadale school district was established here in ca. 1872 and was served by the Armadale post office from 1876 until 1969.
A brief history . . .
There were many businesses in Selkirk. On the west side of the road was MacIntyre's Store and the Post Office. The store was opened in 1925 by Michael MacIntyre and closed down in 1960. The Selkrik School was next to MacPhee's Blacksmith Shop, a forge and woodworking shop, owned by Hughie Roddie MacPhee. It was in operation in the 1920's and 1930's. The CO-OP store that was there had three previous owners. The first was Angus McCormack, the second was Ronald J. MacAdam, who was running it during the time of the First World War. In later years a group of resident's acting as a cooperative, took over the store and hired A.J. MacAdam as bookkeeper and manager. In 1942, the CO-OP went under. John Roddie MacPhee and Art Cahill, two Co-op members, purchased the contents and made their own store at Mr. MacPhee's home. There was a warehouse was built to house goods for the store by the MacAdam's, the store owners at the time. It was located north of the store. MacAdam's also owned a steam mill, which was located about 100 yards west of the store. Water was pumped from the West River to provide steam for this steam-powered sawmill. This mill operated previous to the mid to late 1920's. Its start up date in unknown.
On the east side of the road stood MacPhee's Store. This store was opened in 1942 by John Roddie MacPhee and Art Cahill after the closure of the CO-OP. It was a general store selling anything from sugar to animal feed and was part of the MacPhee home, located at the front of the house. Near it was Oakin's Store. This store was operated during the early 1900's and was believed to have closed before 1921 or 1922. The owner was a Mr. MacEachern who was nicknamed Oakin hence the name Oakin's store. Like the MacPhee store, this store was attached to the front part of the house. Larkin's Mill was previously Big Archie MacCormack's Mill. It changed hands twice before becoming Larkin's Mill in 1937, the owners being Gabriel MacDonald in 1920 and Albert Quigley in the 1930's.
Interesting individuals associated with the community . . .
Rev. Wendall MacIntyre was born and raised at Selkirk, and resided in Charlottetown until his passing in 2005. He was a Roman Catholic Priest, university professor and writer. For many years, he was editor of the Abegweit Review. He has also organized other useful books for researchers to use when learning about P.E.I. He also helped organize the return and the restoration of the old chapel in St. Andrews at the Bishop MacEachern National Historic Site.
Today . . .
In The Red FarmPeterton Farms
Images from the Past & Present . . . |
Confederation Trail photo set |
Copyright
Waldron H. Leard
