Thomas McKay* (September 1, 1792 – October 9, 1855) was a prosperous Canadian businessman who was one of the founders of the city of Ottawa, Ontario. He was born in Perth, Scotland and became a skilled mason. He emigrated to the Canadas in 1817 where he settled in Montreal, Quebec. Jump to: navigation, search September 1 is the 244th day of the year (245th in leap years). ... Jump to: navigation, search 1792 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search October 9 is the 282nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (283rd in Leap years). ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... This article is about the capital city of Canada. ... Perths location in Scotland Perth (Peairt in Scottish Gaelic) is a town in central Scotland. ... A mason is a worker in brick or stone, now primarily involved in building walls, but previously also arches and vaults. ... 1817 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... This article needs cleanup. ...

He became partners with John Redpath and their firm did the masonry work on the Lachine Canal near Montreal, they then went on to build the locks on the lower section of the Rideau Canal, between the Rideau River and the Ottawa River at Bytown. McKay also built two stone spans for the Union Bridge, which was the first bridge across the Ottawa River between Hull, Quebec and Bytown. The Commissariat building built by McKay in 1827 during the construction of the Rideau Canal now serves as home to the Bytown Museum and is the oldest surviving stone building in the city of Ottawa. John Redpath (1796–March 5, 1869) was a Scots-Quebecer businessman and philanthropist who helped pioneer the industrial movement that made Montreal, Quebec the largest and most prosperous city in Canada. ... The Lachine Canal in 1920 The Lachine Canal is a canal passing through the southwestern part of the Island of Montreal, Quebec, Canada, through the boroughs of Lachine on land originally granted by the King of France to the Sulpician Order. ... Canal locks in England. ... A portion of the worlds largest skating rink The Rideau Canal, also known as the Rideau Waterway, connects the city of Ottawa, Ontario on the Ottawa River to the city of Kingston, Ontario on Lake Ontario. ... rapids on the Rideau River opposite Carleton University The Rideau River is a Canadian river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. ... This is about the river in Canada. ... Bytown is the former name Ottawa, Canada. ... Hull is part of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Bytown Museum The Bytown Museum is a small museum in Ottawa located on the lower locks of the Rideau Canal at the Ottawa River just below Parliament Hill. ... {{Hide = {{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Motto: {{Unhide = {{{Disable Motto Link}}}}} Advance Ottawa/Ottawa en avant City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada location. ...

McKay was one of the few business leaders to remain in Bytown after the canal project was finished. He bought land at the intersection of the Rideau River and Ottawa River and laid out a town, which he named New Edinburgh. McKay built a sawmill and a gristmill on land there. He encouraged Scottish immigrants to come to the area and it became a prosperous industrial centre. He was an Elder and Trustee of St. Andrew's congregation of the Church of Scotland, and partly responsible for the acquisition of The Glebe lands for St Andrew's. In 1840, he attempted to persuade the Church of Scotland Canada Synod to erect their College in Bytown, but in 1841, Queen's College was started in Kingston, Canada West. rapids on the Rideau River opposite Carleton University The Rideau River is a Canadian river which flows north from Upper Rideau Lake and empties into the Ottawa River at Rideau Falls in Ottawa, Ontario. ... This is about the river in Canada. ... New Edinburgh is a small neighbourhood in Ottawa, Canada. ... This article or section should include material from Saw mill A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards. ... Gristmill with water wheel, Skyline Drive, VA, 1938 Gristmill hopper, Skyline Drive, VA, 1938. ... Jump to: navigation, search Royal motto: Nemo me impune lacessit (Latin: No one provokes me with impunity) (Scots: Wha daur meddle wi me) Scotlands location within the UK Languages with Official Status1 English Gaelic Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow First Minister Jack McConnell Area - Total - % water Ranked 2nd UK... St. ... The Church of Scotland (CofS sometimes known as the Kirk) is the national church of Scotland. ... The Glebe is a neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... The Church of Scotland (CofS sometimes known as the Kirk) is the national church of Scotland. ... A synod (also known as a council) is a council of a church, usually a Christian church, convened to decide an issue of doctrine or administration. ... Bytown is the former name Ottawa, Canada. ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Queens University, or simply Queens, is a coeducational, non-sectarian university located in Kingston, Ontario, Canada, on the edge of Lake Ontario. ... Jump to: navigation, search Kingston, Ontario, with a population of approximately 146,8381 people, is located in the Quebec City-Windsor Corridor at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, where the lake runs into the St. ...

McKay and McKinnon cloth mill, Rideau Falls near Ottawa
Source: Library and Archives Canada, C-003853

Thomas McKay became quite wealthy and in 1837 he bought 1100 acres (4.5 km²) east of the village. On the western edge of this new land he built a mansion for himself, which he named Rideau Hall, which is today home to the Governor General of Canada. He also built Earnscliffe to house his daughter and son-in-law. The remainder of McKay's lands would later become the village of Rockcliffe Park. McKay also brought the first railroad to the Ottawa area with the Prescott and Bytown Railway that had its terminus at a station on Sussex Drive on the northern edge of New Edinburgh. Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links ThomasMckayMills23. ... Jump to: navigation, search Image File history File links ThomasMckayMills23. ... 1837 was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Jump to: navigation, search Rideau Hall is the official residence of the Governor General of Canada, and is the place of residence of the Monarch of Canada when visiting Ottawa. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Governor General of Canada (French: Gouverneur général or Gouverneure générale) is the representative of the Canadian monarch. ... Rockcliffe Park is the wealthiest neighbourhood in Ottawa, Ontario, and is one of the most prosperous enclaves in Canada. ... The Bytown and Prescott Railway was a railway built to join Prescott, Ontario, on the Saint Lawrence River, with Ottawa, Ontario, then called Bytown, on the Ottawa and Rideau rivers. ... Sussex Drive is a major street in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. ...

McKay entered politics serving on Bytown's city council, and then the legislature of Upper Canada from 1834 to 1841. From 1841 until his death in 1855, he served in the legislature of the united Canadas. Upper Canada Village in Morrisburg, Ontario Upper Canada is an early name for the land at the upstream end of the Saint Lawrence River in early North America – the territory south of Lake Nipissing and north of the St. ... 1834 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1841 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Note: for information about Canadas present-day provinces, see Provinces of Canada. ...

On his passing, Thomas McKay was interred in the Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa. In New Edinburgh, the MacKay United Church (Ottawa) is named in his memory. Beechwood Cemetery in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada is a 160 acre (647,000 m²) cemetery designated as a National Historic Site in 2001. ... MacKay United MacKay United Church is a United Church of Canada church in the New Edinburgh neighbourhood of Ottawa, Canada. ...

• It should be noted that during his lifetime he spelt his name McKay, but for unexplained reasons those things named after him are normally spelt MacKay.

External links

• Biography at the Dictionary of Canadian Biography Online