Few people are aware of the existence of a railway tunnel under the city of Brockville. Even fewer know it to be the oldest in America.
Its cornerstone was laid with great ceremony on September 16, 1854, a memorable event in Brockville, then a town of 4,000. Throngs of people came from the surrounding area for the ceremony. As it was arranged that the stone would be laid under Masonic auspices, Brother Adiel Sherwood, Sheriff of Leeds and Grenville, was deputized by the Provincial Grand Master to represent him. A Band, the Firemen, Sons of Temperance, Knights of Jericho, Oddfellows, Freemasons, as well as the directors of the railway company, the contractors and engineers. the mayor and council and many citizens, formed a procession to march through the streets to the site of the tunnel. The ceremony was marked by a salute of fifteen rounds, fired by the Brockville militia artillery.
