The Land 37

Thomas Stone in 1847. And it is at the shore of this property below what is now Centennial Park that a small wharf was built near a spring in the early days. It was referred to at various times as Stone’s Wharf and McLauch- lan’s Wharf but in more recent times was called simply, “The Factory Wharf’ ’. The lobster factory on it burned 1940 and there is little, if any, trace of the wharf left today.

John MacDonald Farm

The farm owned by John MacDonald, better known in this century as the Ernest Dingwell farm and today as the Industrial Mall was never known as the John MacDonald farm because there were always too many Johns of that name. This John, a brother of Neil MacDonald of Norris Pond, was a bachelor and may have lived with relatives most of the time because the site of his farm home has not been located. The farm eventually came into the possession of Donald Beaton, the merchant, who helped finance John MacDonald in the building of a vessel which did not prove a financial success.18

Edward Keays Farm

Edward Keays, born on the north side of the Island, lived on the adjoining farm. He was married to Mary Maclnnis of North Lake around 1827 and came to Souris at that time. The Keays well, perhaps the oldest in continu- ous use in Souris, may be seen near John Scott’s home on Breakwater Street, marking approximately the site of the first Keays home which was likely a log structure. A second Keays home was built further north on the post road

to East Point after John Knight bought the shore front of this property about 1840.19

Widow MacPhee Farm (1784-1867)

The MacPhee name lives on in the road that runs through the next choice cove farm that included half the point now known as Knight’s Point. Margaret MacLean came out from Scotland in 1808 at age 24 accompanied by her three brothers: William, Donald and Alexander, and three sisters: Ann who married Donald, son of Squire James MacDonald of Kingsboro (her daughter, Amelia, became John Knight’s second wife), Elizabeth who married Duncan Stewart and Jane who married John Stewart. All three girls settled at West River, now called Kingsboro.

Margaret married John McCoy by whom she had two daughters. (Mar- jorie married Alexander Cameron of East Point.) After the death of her husband, Margaret married John MacPhee of Big Pond and together they farmed the Souris property and raised seven children. He, too, died before 1835 and Margaret, who lived to be 83, was known as Widow MacPhee. Hers is one of the founding families important to the history of Souris. She emerges from the musty pages as a pioneer who, in spite of many tragedies and setbacks, continued resolute and steadfast. Her obituary describes her as “one of the oldest and most respected inhabitants of Souris.”20

To the east of widow MacPhee and beyond the present Town limits, Neil MacDonald and brothers Alex and Donald MacAulay had large farms.