District de Hull in Gatineau in Outaouais, Québec — Central Canada (French-Canadian)
Bienvenue à Wrightstown
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 27, 2024
1. Bienvenue à Wrightstown Marker
L’agriculture Avant Tout
En obtenant la concession du canton de Hull, Philemon Wright projette de créer une communauté agricole autosuffisante. Dans cet objectif d'exploitation agricole et forestière, Wright, ses fils Tiberius et Ruggles et quelques autres partenaires fondent la firme Wright Er Sons. En 1830, ils ont neuf fermes où se pratiquent ta culture de céréales et de légumes et l'élevage de bovins, porcs, moutons et volailles. La ferme Columbia est alors considérée comme une ferme modèle et la plus prospère des fermes des Wright. La maison, encore sise au 376, boulevard Saint-Joseph, est citée immeuble patrimonial en 1988.
Da la Ferme à la Forêt
Au début du XIXe siècle, alors que la Grande-Bretagne est plongée dans les guerres franco-britanniques et connait des difficultés d'approvisionnement en bois, l'industrie forestière canadienne prend son envol. Philemon Wright, en homme d'affaires avisé, utilise et adapte des techniques déjà connues et assemble le radeau de bois équarri « Columbo » pour le faire voyager par la rivière des Outaouais et le fleuve Saint-Laurent jusqu'à Québec, où il vend sa cargaison et les pièces de bois composant le radeau. Il répète le voyage les années suivantes, en augmentant le nombre de radeaux. Le succès de cette entreprise attire nombre d'entrepreneurs forestiers à s'établir près de la chute des Chaudières et est à l'origine du développement industriel, économique et social de tout l'Outaouais.
L’église St. James, Premier lieu du culte de Hull
L'église anglicane St. James, construite en 1823, est la première congrégation religieuse chrétienne à desservir les deux côtés de la rivière des Outaouais. Elle est érigée entre les actuelles rues Leduc et Saint-Jacques, au nord de la rue Wellington. Incendiée en 1865, l'église est relocalisée sur le site qu'on lui connait aujourd'hui. Atteinte lors du Grand Feu de 1900, elle est reconstruite en 1901 dans un style néogothique. En 2011, le cimetière St. James, aménagé en 1820 et rattaché à l'église jusqu'en 2007, est cité site patrimonial par la Ville de Gatineau.
Welcome to Wrightstown
Philemon Wright was born in 1760, in Massachusetts, USA, into a family of farmers. In 1800, taking advantage of the opening of North America to American settlement, Wright moved to Hull Township, accompanied by a few families and workers. As soon as they arrived, they cleared the land and started building a village at the foot of the Chaudière Falls. Initially known as Wrightstown, this village officially became the City of Hull in 1875.
Agriculture Above All
By obtaining the concession for the Hull township, Philemon Wright planned to create a self-sufficient farming community. With this goal of agricultural and forestry development, Wright, his sons Tiberius and Ruggles, and a few other partners founded the company Wright & Sons. By 1830, they had nine farms where they grew grains and vegetables and raised cattle, pigs, sheep, and poultry. Columbia Farm was considered a model farm and the most successful of the Wright farms. The house, still located at 376 Saint-Joseph Boulevard, was designated a heritage building in 1988.
From the Farm to the Forest
At the beginning of the 19th century, while Great Britain was involved in the Franco-British wars and facing difficulties in wood supply, the Canadian forestry industry took off. Philemon Wright, a shrewd businessman, used and adapted already-known techniques and assembled the squared timber raft "Columbo" to float it down the Ottawa River and the St. Lawrence River to Quebec, where he sold his cargo and the individual pieces of wood that made up the raft. He repeated the journey in the following years, increasing the number of rafts. The success of this venture attracted many forestry entrepreneurs to settle near the Chaudières Falls and was the starting point for the industrial, economic, and social development of the entire Outaouais region.
St. James Church, The First Place of Worship in Hull
St. James Anglican Church, built in 1823, was the first Christian religious congregation to serve both sides of the Ottawa River. It was built between what are now Leduc and Saint-Jacques streets, north of Wellington Street. After being burned down in 1865, the church was moved to the site we know today. Hit during the Great Fire of 1900, it was rebuilt in 1901 in a neo-Gothic style. In 2011, St. James Cemetery, established in 1820 and attached to the church until 2007, was designated a heritage site by the City of Gatineau.
Erected by Ville
this page online
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Industry & Commerce • Religion & Religious Structures • Settlements & Settlers • Waterways & Vessels. A significant historical year for this entry is 1800.
Location. 45° 25.508′ N, 75° 43.122′ W. Marker is in Gatineau, Québec, in Outaouais. It is in District de Hull. It is on Promenade du Portage just east of Rue Saint-Jacques, on the right when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 55 Promenade du Portage, Gatineau QC J8X 2J9, Canada. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Ottawa Metropolitan Area and in the Outaouais & Eastern Townships. It is also in Central Canada. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Great North Woods, the Western Hemisphere, and the Western World. Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony, the Viceroyalty of New France, the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, and Rupert’s Land.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, Collection de la famille Wright
2. Marker detail: Philemon & Abigail Wright, nee Wyman, vers 1810.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Philemon Wright
Also see . . .
1. Philemon Wright (Wikipedia).
Excerpt: Philemon Wright was a farmer, lumberman and entrepreneur who founded the Ottawa River timber trade in 1806. He was also founder of what he named Columbia Falls Village, mostly known as Wright's Town, Lower Canada (or Wrightstown) and Wright's Village to others, the first permanent settlement in the National Capital Region of Canada. Wright's Town, later became incorporated(Submitted on June 11, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)in 1875 and renamed Hull, Quebec, and then in 2002, as a result of a municipal amalgamation, it acquired its present name of the City of Gatineau.Gatineau Valley Historical Society3. Marker detail: La maison de la Ferme-Columbia, 1950.La maison de la Ferme-Columbia, située sur le boulevard Saint-Joseph, en 1950.• • • The Ferme-Columbia house, located on Saint-Joseph Boulevard, in 1950.As a pioneer and an entrepreneur, Wright had few equals. He was the point man for every builder, land speculator and government project in the region. Although he and his family spent their lives as lumber barons, Philemon Wright was always a farmer at heart. He was a strong advocate for "scientific farming" and selective breeding, and he was the first person to import prize Devon and Herefordshire cattle to the Ottawa Valley.
2. Église Saint-James (Répertoire du patrimoine culturel du Québec).
Excerpt: L'église Saint-James date de 1900-1901; elle succède aux deux premiers temples de la paroisse anglicane Saint-James (fondée en 1823), incendiés en 1865 et en 1900. Lieu de culte de la plupart des premiers colons anglophones de Hull, l'église abrite, à compter de 1977, la communauté chrétienne multiethnique de langue française, Saint-Bernard-de-Clairvaux.(Submitted on June 11, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)[English translation] Saint James Church dates back to 1900-1901; it replaced the first two churches of the Saint James Anglican parish (founded in 1823), which were destroyed by fire in 1865 and 1900. It was the place of worship for most of Hull's early English-speaking settlers, and since 1977, it has housed the French-speaking multiethnic Christian community of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada, Collection de la famille Wright
4. Marker detail: Train de bois flottant sur la rivière des Outaouais, 1899.
Train de bois flottant sur la rivière des Outaouais avec te parlement en arrière-plan, en 1899. Photo James William Topley. • • • Log raft floating on the Ottawa River with the parliament in the background, in 1899. Photo by James William Topley.
Ville de Gatineau, Collection iconographique de la Ville de Hull
5. Marker detail: L’église St. James en 1830, avant le premier incendie qui la détruit en 1865.
St. James Church in 1830, before the first fire that destroyed it in 1865.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 27, 2024
6. Bienvenue à Wrightstown Marker
Looking south across Promenade du Portage. The historic 1900 St. James Church building is partially visible in the right background.
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, May 27, 2024
7. Église Saint-James historique de 1900 / Historic 1900 Saint James Church
Aujourd'hui, ce bâtiment abrite les bureaux de Gatineau de l'entreprise canadienne de développement de logiciels SPIRIA. • • • Today this building houses the Gatineau offices of the Canadian software development company SPIRIA.
Credits. This page was last revised on June 15, 2026. It was originally submitted on June 8, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 10 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on June 11, 2026, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
