| The Community of Astorville |
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The village of Astorville was founded in 1885 by Joseph Alphonse Levesque. He named the area "Tete du Lac," or "Head of the Lake." In 1901, the area was renamed Levesqueville and in 1904 it was renamed yet again, this time Nosbonsing. This old Astorville church was nearly destroyed by a strong windstorm. In 1905, in honour of the first missionary in the area, the village was renamed Astorville after Father Antonin Astor. Father Astor helped the community through the difficult years following the withdrawal of the J.R. Booth Company from the area. A true leader, he taught the people of the community agricultural skills and encouraged residents to market their products in North Bay. In 1904, Astorville's church caught fire and burned to the ground. Once again, Father Astor and the community of Astorville rose to the challenge and by the following year they had constructed a new church. It was in that year, 1905, that the name of the village was changed to Astorville. There have been four churches built in Astorville since Father Astor's day. The first was torn down. The second burnt to the ground. The third (pictured right) was torn down to build the current church (pictured left). |
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