Debec, New Brunswick
Encyclopedia
Debec is a community in Carleton County
in the Canadian province of New Brunswick
.
Debec was named after George De Beck who settled there in the early 19th century. It is southwest of Woodstock
, and close to the Maine
border. It developed as a railway junction
. Canadian Pacific Railway
trains ran along the north-south tracks from Woodstock to McAdam
, and Debec was a junction for trains running from Woodstock to Houlton, Maine
. The border between Maine and New Brunswick was fluid in the late 19th and early 20th century - at least for people. Men followed the work to Maine, particularly for forestry and railroading. Many young men from Debec and the surrounding areas followed the jobs of the CPR to Brownville Junction, Maine, a mid-point in the CPR route across Maine to Quebec
and Montreal
.
Debec was a prosperous community from the late 1870s through to the end of World War I
. Farming declined after that period as the mechanization of farm operations gradually diminished the viability of farming - the cause - too high a rock content in the soil. Where the horse could prosper, the tractor of that day could not. However more recently farming has made a comeback in some parts of the community with several large operations now growing crops.
Debec once had a branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia. When it opened in November 1919, the village had 6 stores, a grist mill, several potato shipping operations and was one of the busiest points for fright on the CPR rail lines in Carleton County.
The high hopes for success at Debec however were never fully realized. By 1922 the Manager was reporting that "Low prices of farm produce and losses last season in potatoes are the chief causes of the large reduction in current account and savings balances. Farmers were obliged to borrow much more heavily this year than last." Another factor contributing to the poor showing of the branch was the competition from banks in Houlton, where interest rates of 4% were offered on deposits (compared with 3% offered by The Bank of Nova Scotia). Farmers of the area were depositing their money in Houlton banks and doing all their regular shopping there as well." The bank branch was closed in May 1925 and accounts were transferred to the Woodstock Branch. The great depression and tougher times still were just ahead.
Debec is currently home to an elementary school (grade K-5), a Fire Station and Post Office, the Debec General Store and the Carleton County Animal Shelter. Debec has two community halls, one at Trinity United Church, and the other at the Debec Women's Institute Hall. The W.I. Hall was once the village's school house. Generations of children attended there before it closed for good in the 1960s.
The former St. Agnes' Catholic church was closed in the 1980s and has since been torn down. The village once had a large two story hall in the centre of the community but it too was torn down in the early 1970s.
An outdoor community park known locally as "The Field of Dreams" was established in the early 2000s, giving local residents a place to ice skate, play volleyball and baseball. It hosts the annual summer celebration each August, "Debec Days," which is facilitated by the Debec Recreation Council.
Debec also has a Community Access Centre where the public can take advantage of low-cost internet access and educational upgrades, Debec is an incorporated Local Service District.
Debec Elementary School is scheduled to close in the next year or two. It will be replaced by a new school near Woodstock that area children will attend. This will bring an end to schools in the Richmond/Debec area.
When the school was opened in 1952 it was named the Debec Consolidated High School. It served a number of communities in South Richmond as a grade 6-12 school for 15 years - 1952 to 1967.
The youth of that era are now retired or about to and are planning a major celebration of their school, their community and their heritage in 2012. The Debec Area Home Coming will be held from August 3-5 2012 and promises to be a grand event in the long history of the area.
Information is available at www.debec2012.com.
Carleton County, New Brunswick
Carleton County is located in west-central New Brunswick, Canada.The county is located in western New Brunswick, it borders on the west, the State of Maine; on the south, York County; on the north, Victoria County and is bisected by the Saint John River. Potato farming is a major industry...
in the Canadian province of New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
.
Debec was named after George De Beck who settled there in the early 19th century. It is southwest of Woodstock
Woodstock, New Brunswick
Woodstock is a Canadian town in Carleton County, New Brunswick located on the west bank of the Saint John River at the mouth of the Meduxnekeag River, 92 km west of Fredericton and close to the Canada – United States border and Houlton, Maine.- History :Woodstock was settled by Loyalists...
, and close to the Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
border. It developed as a railway junction
Junction (rail)
A junction, in the context of rail transport, is a place at which two or more rail routes converge or diverge.This implies a physical connection between the tracks of the two routes , 'points' and signalling.one or two tracks each meet at a junction, a fairly simple layout of tracks suffices to...
. Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
trains ran along the north-south tracks from Woodstock to McAdam
McAdam, New Brunswick
McAdam is a village located in the southwestern corner of York County, New Brunswick, Canada. The village covers and has a population of 1,404 as of 2006.The area was first settled in the mid-to-late 19th century as a group of small lumber camps...
, and Debec was a junction for trains running from Woodstock to Houlton, Maine
Houlton, Maine
Houlton is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, on the United States – Canada border, located at . As of the 2010 census, the town population was 6,123. It is perhaps best known as being at the northern terminus of Interstate 95 and for being the birthplace of Samantha Smith...
. The border between Maine and New Brunswick was fluid in the late 19th and early 20th century - at least for people. Men followed the work to Maine, particularly for forestry and railroading. Many young men from Debec and the surrounding areas followed the jobs of the CPR to Brownville Junction, Maine, a mid-point in the CPR route across Maine to Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
and Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
.
Debec was a prosperous community from the late 1870s through to the end of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. Farming declined after that period as the mechanization of farm operations gradually diminished the viability of farming - the cause - too high a rock content in the soil. Where the horse could prosper, the tractor of that day could not. However more recently farming has made a comeback in some parts of the community with several large operations now growing crops.
Debec once had a branch of the Bank of Nova Scotia. When it opened in November 1919, the village had 6 stores, a grist mill, several potato shipping operations and was one of the busiest points for fright on the CPR rail lines in Carleton County.
The high hopes for success at Debec however were never fully realized. By 1922 the Manager was reporting that "Low prices of farm produce and losses last season in potatoes are the chief causes of the large reduction in current account and savings balances. Farmers were obliged to borrow much more heavily this year than last." Another factor contributing to the poor showing of the branch was the competition from banks in Houlton, where interest rates of 4% were offered on deposits (compared with 3% offered by The Bank of Nova Scotia). Farmers of the area were depositing their money in Houlton banks and doing all their regular shopping there as well." The bank branch was closed in May 1925 and accounts were transferred to the Woodstock Branch. The great depression and tougher times still were just ahead.
Debec is currently home to an elementary school (grade K-5), a Fire Station and Post Office, the Debec General Store and the Carleton County Animal Shelter. Debec has two community halls, one at Trinity United Church, and the other at the Debec Women's Institute Hall. The W.I. Hall was once the village's school house. Generations of children attended there before it closed for good in the 1960s.
The former St. Agnes' Catholic church was closed in the 1980s and has since been torn down. The village once had a large two story hall in the centre of the community but it too was torn down in the early 1970s.
An outdoor community park known locally as "The Field of Dreams" was established in the early 2000s, giving local residents a place to ice skate, play volleyball and baseball. It hosts the annual summer celebration each August, "Debec Days," which is facilitated by the Debec Recreation Council.
Debec also has a Community Access Centre where the public can take advantage of low-cost internet access and educational upgrades, Debec is an incorporated Local Service District.
Debec Elementary School is scheduled to close in the next year or two. It will be replaced by a new school near Woodstock that area children will attend. This will bring an end to schools in the Richmond/Debec area.
When the school was opened in 1952 it was named the Debec Consolidated High School. It served a number of communities in South Richmond as a grade 6-12 school for 15 years - 1952 to 1967.
The youth of that era are now retired or about to and are planning a major celebration of their school, their community and their heritage in 2012. The Debec Area Home Coming will be held from August 3-5 2012 and promises to be a grand event in the long history of the area.
Information is available at www.debec2012.com.