Highlight of the City of Pembroke

 

The City of Pembroke is one of the oldest urban centres in Renfrew County, located where the Muskrat River meets the Ottawa River. Founded in the 1820s and incorporated as a town in 1878, Pembroke grew as a lumbering and transportation hub. Its strategic location made it a key site for steamboat travel, later augmented by the arrival of the railroad.

Pembroke’s development included formal town surveys, waterfront industrial lots, and a downtown core planned around civic institutions and rail corridors. Subdivisions expanded steadily through the 20th century, leading to a complex layering of survey plans.

For land surveyors, Pembroke is a mosaic of legal descriptions: registered plans, Crown patents, rail easements, and municipal street dedications. Surveying here often requires reconciliation between old plans, encroachment patterns, and infrastructure modifications. The Muskrat River’s historical shifts have also impacted riparian boundaries.

Adam Kasprzak Surveying Ltd. maintains the ONLY archived catalog of survey records of Renfrew County. We are the caretakers of over 150 years worth of numerous Land Surveyors records (plans, fieldnotes and other records) . This includes records of Pembroke, and the many other interesting parts of this corner of Ontario.

Historic survey records are essential for an Ontario Land Surveyor to form a boundary opinion. Without proper research, a Surveyor cannot accept one piece of evidence and reject another. A full understanding of the sources of evidence, the reasoning of its origin, and sources for error; all of the why - who - when - where - how must be evaluated. With access to all of the available records of past surveys in the County, we have the privilege of gaining these valuable insights.

Do you have any questions about our records, and how we carry out surveys that are built on the legacy of these historic records?

Contact Us anytime, or Walk in today. We are happy to consult on all things Land.

Adam Kasprzak Surveying Ltd. - Local Knowledge is what we offer.