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As one of the earliest settled areas in Ontario, the area comprising Frontenac County has evolved through every stage of municipal growth in over two hundred years of recorded history. The Loyalists settled in the first municipal areas, survey units called townships. As it was necessary to provide for the maintenance of law and order and the settlement of minor disputes, a number of magistrates, by an ordinance of 1785, were given limited civil jurisdiction The Loyalists, however, were accustomed to a substantial amount of great local automony. To satisfy these concerns and to provide for a rudimentary judicial and administrative system for the new settlers, Lord Dorchester, the Governor-in-Chief, divided the area into four Districts (Luneberg, Mecklenburg, Nassau and Hesse). At the same time he appointed judges of the Court of Common Pleas, justices of the peace, a sheriff, a clerk for the Court of Common Pleas, and of the sessions of the peace, and coroners in each district.

As early as 1800, certain townships -- for example, Amherst, Simcoe, Wolfe and Howe Islands, were added to the Frontenac County responsibilities. From time to time, certain townships were withdrawn and administered by other county jurisdictions. With the Act of Union in 1841 municipal government was established in Canada. Thus, from 1842 the Midland District Municipal Council administered this area of present-day Ontario. The Council consisted of twenty members. John Bennett Marks became the first Warden of the Midland District Council. This system of municipal government remained in effect until the passage of the Municipal Act of 1849 which is commonly called "the Baldwin Act."

In 1850 the United Counties of Frontenac, Lennox and Addington came into being. The first Council Meeting of the new United Counties met on January 28, 1850. The sixteen-member Council appointed David Roblin from Richmond Township as the first Warden.

This system of municipal government remained in effect until September 7, 1864 when the separation of the Counties of Frontenac and Lennox and Addington occurred. The first session of the Council of the new County of Frontenac was held on January 24, 1865. D.D. Calvin, the Reeve of Wolfe Island, was elected the first warden of the newly separated County. Since then Frontenac County has consisted of the following townships: Barrie; Bedford; North and South Canonto; Palmerston; Clarendon and Miller; Hinchinbrooke; Kennebec; Kingston; Loughborough; Olden; Oso; Pittsburgh; Portland; Howe Island; Storrington; and Wolfe Island.

The same basic structure remained until amalgamation was ordered by the Provincial Minister on January 7, 1997. The City of Kingston was joined with two townships (Pittsburgh and Kingston), and the 14 remaining townships were incorporated into four newly alligned municipalities (Central Frontenac, North Frontenac, South Frontenac, Frontenac Islands). The amalgamation became effective as of January 1, 1998. The County of Frontenac no longer exists as an administrative body but has been replaced by the new municipalities.

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James Milton Courtright, former Vice-Principal (Development and Information) at Queen's University, was born in North Bay, Ontario and raised in Ottawa. He was a graduate of the University of Ottawa and Queen's University. Courtright was an Engineer with Shell Canada, and was a member of the Canadian Olympic Team Berlin 1936, and a Gold Medal javelin thrower in the British Empire Games, Sydney in 1938.

William Coverdale (1801-1865), son of Christopher Coverdale, came to Kingston in 1832 or 1833. There is conjecture that the family came to Lower Canada about 1810 from England. The first two children of Catherine and William Coverdale were born at Île aux Noix, Lower Canada, the remainder in Kingston. The earliest mention of Coverdale in Kingston appears in the St George’s Church parish register, recording the birth of a son on 23 Sept. 1833.

Coverdale became the “master builder” at the penitentiary in June 1834 and held the post 14 years. During that time the main building and gatehouse were slowly constructed, mostly with convict labour. In 1848, a bill introduced by Henry Smith, son of Warden Henry Smith of the penitentiary, passed parliament; the bill cut the architect’s salary and increased that of the warden. Coverdale resigned and, because of the constant difficulties he had experienced with the warden, refused reappointment when the salary was restored.

In 1859 Coverdale also became the architect – the term he had used to describe himself after 1842 – for the asylum in Kingston and continued on this project to his death. The building he planned was erected mainly by convict labour and took over eight years to finish; the centre and the east wing were formally opened in March 1865.

The penitentiary and asylum buildings, both still standing, mark the beginning and end of Coverdale’s work in Kingston. Between his activities on these two massive works, he designed and built every manner of structure. The residences he planned ranged from workmen’s cottages to country mansions. Although his account book lists a few commissions in an area extending from Prescott to Port Hope and up to Perth, most of his work was in Kingston.

In 1844 Coverdale took over the superintendence of the building of Kingston’s magnificent town hall from George Browne. When the rear wing burned in 1865, he prepared plans for its rebuilding, but was unable to complete the project, passing away in 1865. The work was carried out after his death by his son, William Miles Coverdale (1828?-1884). W. M. Coverdale had trained under his father, and in addition to rebuilding City Hall he completed a number of building and restoration projects on his own before becoming City Engineer, a post he held until his death on 11 June 1884.

William Hugh Coverdale (1871-1949), son of William Miles Coverdale, was a collector of Canadiana and President of Canada Steamship Lines, 1922-1949. W. H. Coverdale is recognized as one of the first collectors to take an interest in objects reflecting the traditional culture of French Canada.

William Hugh Coverdale, collector of Canadiana, and President of Canada Steamship Lines, 1922-1949.

D.R.G. Cowan was a student at Queen's University.

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