May 24, 2017


The new Railway Heritage Walkway in Sharbot Lake is a series of twelve informative signs at historic spots along the former trackbed through the village, from the site of the old Road 38 railway overpass, to the "Wye" south of the causeway (where trains could do a three-point turn.) On Saturday, June 3 at 11:00 AM, an Inaugural Walk will be held along the Walkway, starting at the caboose in Railway Park.

The group tour will be led by Gene Kirkham, a former resident of Sharbot Lake, and will pass signs recalling former landmarks such as the water tower, the Union Hotel, and the spot where the Kingston & Pembroke tracks headed north to Renfrew.

The project was undertaken by the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage Society, and the cost of printing the signs and fabricating and installing the steel signposts was funded by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Many hours of research went into searching for photos and verifying the information on each sign. One challenge was sorting village lore from historical fact, and some details may never be verified.

Was the original railway station (across the street from the beach) turned into a store, or did it burn down before the new station was built in 1884? Other stories included on the signs are factual but not widely known, such as the story behind Benton's Cut, between the Medical Centre and the causeway.

The rock cut is named for Chancy Benton, a young K & P foreman who was crushed to death at that spot in 1877 when he fell off a car loaded with rails. The Inaugural Walk will leave from the caboose, rain or shine, and take up to one hour to reach the causeway, where rides will be available back to Railway Park.

The new Railway Heritage Walkway in Sharbot Lake is a series of twelve
informative signs at historic spots along the former trackbed through the
village, from the site of the old Road 38 railway overpass, to the "Wye"
south of the causeway (where trains could do a three-point turn.)
On Saturday, June 3 at 11:00 AM, an Inaugural Walk will be held along the
Walkway, starting at the caboose in Railway Park. The group tour will be
led by Gene Kirkham, a former resident of Sharbot Lake, and will pass
signs recalling former landmarks such as the water tower, the Union Hotel,
and the spot where the Kingston & Pembroke tracks headed north to Renfrew.
The project was undertaken by the Central Frontenac Railway Heritage
Society, and the cost of printing the signs and fabricating and installing
the steel signposts was funded by a grant from the Ontario Trillium
Foundation.
Many hours of research went into searching for photos and verifying the
information on each sign. One challenge was sorting village lore from
historical fact, and some details may never be verified.  Was the original
railway station (across the street from the beach) turned into a store, or
did it burn down before the new station was built in 1884?
Other stories included on the signs are factual but not widely known, such
as the story behind Benton's Cut, between the Medical Centre and the
causeway. The rock cut is named for Chancy Benton, a young K & P foreman
who was crushed to death at that spot in 1877 when he fell off a car
loaded with rails.
The Inaugural Walk will leave from the caboose, rain or shine, and take up
to one hour to reach the causeway, where rides will be available back to
Railway Park.

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