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WHEN HGRWOOD WAS KEELER'S KILLS Dr. Eoole, who lived in Borwood from 1£56 to 1565 in a house in the terrace near the War Eemorial (according to Maitland Grover) was a faithful historian of early Asphodel. He Knew the people personally and his accounts are considered more reliable than those of the Rev. Charles Ielham Mulvany, whose history often contains information given‘ to him by people who paid him to include them in his voluminous work. You have probably read Dr. Poole's account of the first settlement of Asphcdel, when he recorded that soon after the first settlers began to find their way northward across the Trent River and Rice Lake, a little mill was erected at Norwood by Joseph Abbott Keeler, son of Joseph Keeler of Colborne. That was the origin of Norwood's first name - Keeler's Mills. Later on Norwoud and Westwood were used to des- cribe the settlements at the north and West ends of the great forest that once covered the entire township of Asphodel. (This explanation also came from Maitland Grover). It was a spot that saved the lives of untold numbers of settlers who were thus spared the long journey south as far as Eyersburg or Cobourg or Colborne. Before the grist mill could be built a saw mill had to be set up, and shomehow the Keelers managed to transport the machinery from ' their base at Colborne. The state of the roads at that time was indescri- able. Probably the teaming was done in winter - either across the ice of the Trent River for the first bridge was not built till 1826, or at a narrow place a mile above the present bridge at Hastings. The Hastings Star of January 11th, 1893 records that Joseph Andrews - then 93 years of age - had cut a way along Colborne Street for the first yoke of oxen to travel through. This might have been the means of bringing in the first machinery for the saw mill. The grist mill was improved by 1836, and thriving by 1837. The militiamen of Asphodsl were mustered by Major Richard Birdsnll and Captain Walter Scott on January 8th, 1838. At that time Peter Pearce â€" miller â€" was 58 years of age, his son Peter was 22 and living with his father, Fat McGuire was living with them and James Foley, who opened the first store in a small house in the mill yard was 28. A Norwood man, Nathan Drury, who had been a miller at Keeler's Mill was the only recruit left at Grooks' Rapids (now hastings) as all men had left the work on the dam and locks beceuse of the outbreak of the Rebellion of 1837. Benjamin Drury, also a miller, had run the Crooks' Rapids mill. The first church services were held in a frame structure by an Episcopal minister named Johnston. This was recorded by a-Robert Harrison in a paper given to the Feterhorough Review October 25, 1901. The first council of Asphodel was probably held at Keeler's hills (according to Robert Harrison) in 1825 with Richard Birdsall the first reevs, John Fitzpatrick the first assessor and Thomas Murphy the first treasurer. He also stated that the first Roman Catholic services were celebrated by Father Crowley on lot 15 Com. 7 in a smell log house near the old Walter Scott homestead. before that he had said mass at the homes of parisboners among the Zeter Robinson settlers. I have often heard of this church, near the first cemetery, from early Leroy Township settlers â€" the NcGuires, Lajoie and others who walked there from their homes on the Cobourg Rd. or at Crooks' Rapids. Theg would cross the Trent River at a shallow place near the mouth of the creek that runs alonL flew St. and follow txc old road north.