Keene

By Guy Scott

Otonabee Township borders on the Otonabee River on the west and Rice Lake on the south. It was the earliest settled township in the county and still contains some of the best farmland. Otonabee Township is primarily a rural township, containing only one village: Keene. Most residents of this area travel to Peterborough City or even Norwood to do their business. Keene was founded in 1824 as a mill site on the Indian River, just upstream from Rice Lake. The founder was Dr. Thomas Gilchrist, an early settler from New Hampshire, who set up a badly needed grist mill 2 miles up river from Rice Lake. The site was originally called Gilchrist’s Mills. When a post office was established, it was called Otonabee. But Dr. Gilchrist wanted the name ‘Keene’ for the post office; in honour of a town in his native New Hampshire, so the name was changed to Keene.

The pioneer hamlet serviced a growing farming community with such services as hotels, general stores, blacksmiths, a wagon maker, shoe makers, etc. The Indian River provided power for several mills. Goods could be shipped by water via Rice Lake. Roads were terrible in the early 1800s, and it was easier to get to Peterborough by water than by land. This changed in 1881, when the Grand Trunk Railway ran a branch line between Peterborough and Norwood. The station ended up two miles north of the village, which required a short trip from town to the station. In its heyday, the Grand Trunk Railway ran 4 trains a day through the area.

After the lumber business declined, Keene relied on the agricultural sector for its prosperity. The grist mill churned out flour. Cheese factories predominated in the township after 1880, and Ontario cheese became famous, especially in the British market. The proximity of Rice Lake also helped the local economy as tourism flourished on the famous waterway. Keene was home to the local militia company and had a drill shed. It also has a Royal Canadian Legion, Otonabee municipal offices and other trapping befitting a township headquarters. A township hall was constructed in 1875, complete with a large clock tower. However, the clock was just a fake and didn’t actually run. Each of the four faces were set for different times as a joke.

The bridge over the Indian River was one of the few covered bridges in the area. The Bank of Toronto set up a branch in 1800s Keene. It was the duty of one clerk to sleep overnight at the bank with a loaded pistol under his pistol. No robberies were recorded! Modern Keene has a sports complex to cater to the recreational needs of the local township.