Then we headed south toward Oxford Junction and Collingwood Corner (not north which takes you to Oxford). A short distance past the turn-off to Spring Hill we located the River Philip United Church on the left hand side of the road at 2808 Wyvern Road. After admiring the Classic Revival architecture of the church and wandering through the cemetery nearby, recognizing names very familiar from earlier research, we spotted a boulder and several gravestones in a grove of trees about 50 metres south of the church. This proved to be the location of the Yorkshire Land Grant Plaque and the grave of George Oxley, the first settler to have died in the area. I've updated the Yorkshire Land Grant page on this website with photos taken of the church, the plaque, and George Oxley's grave. On the agenda for a future trip is a visit inside the church to see the history recorded there.
I had been quite keen to find George Oxley's grave which, according to the inscription on the new gravestone, was located on his Lot 19 from the Yorkshire Land Grant. Since the Ripley grants are at Lots 16 and 17, locating George's Lot 19 would be very helpful in determining their location. When I mentioned this to Susan Hill, she relayed the disappointing information that an Eleanor Ripley B-something, a resident of River Philip, had told her that George Oxley's remains had previously been buried elsewhere and relocated to the church. I was able to determine Eleanor's last name by asking around town and I'll follow up on that lead before my next trip.
Heading south toward Collingwood Corner, we attempted to match up the meanderings of the River Philip with the markings on land grant map number 60 which I had brought along. This was more than a little iffy because it depended on the road being in the same place and the course of the river unchanged since 1785. However, we did find one section where the river did run exactly parallel to the road before veering sharply away as it did on Robert Ripley's Lot 17. I think the reasonable solution to this is a guided flyfishing trip on the river with a guide who knows it well. For example, Danny Ripley at Riptide Flyfishing in Amherst. I didn't see any rising fish but the River Philip is a sweet little river with great-looking lies for trout and it looks reasonable wadable. Property deeds may also be available for the area.
In Collingwood Corner, we pulled over to view a lovely pool in the River Philip where locals were swimming to cool off in the heat and nearly tripped over a Ripley Number 4 Road sign lying in the ditch. Flagging down a truck just coming off that road, we learned that the road continued for quite some ways but we were warned that it was fairly rough and we shouldn't attempt it in our rental car. We contented ourselves with wading in the River Philip and reading the rules for fishing etiquette as the swimming hole turned out to be a favourite salmon fishing pool. I've updated the Lots 16,17 page of the website with photos of the River Philip area.
We finished the trip with lunch at the Timmy's in Oxford (Tim Horton's was a new experience for my American friend Gail). We took photos with the giant blueberry and bought fresh-picked strawberries from a roadside stand, a gift for Art and Rachel Ripley whom we planned to visit that afternoon. Along with flyfishing, picking blueberries happens to be a favourite activity of mine. I'd certainly say yes to 500 acres on the River Philip.