Memorable Manitobans: Duncan McRae (1813-1898)

Stonemason, architect.

Born at Stornoway, Scotland in 1813, while still in Scotland he entered a contract with the Hudson’s Bay Company to build Upper Fort Garry and Lower Fort Garry. It took him ten years to build the two forts, the stones for which were quarried and hauled from St. Andrew’s. After his marriage he lived in a log house at St. Andrew’s for fifty years and was responsible for the design and construction for numerous buildings in the region, all of which were executed in stone in early Gothic style. In 1847, he married Mary Smith at Lincolnshire, England and they had 12 children. One of his daughters married John Matheson and another married George Rolph. He died at Red River on 3 February 1898 and was buried in the Little Britain Presbyterian Cemetery.

Some of the buildings that he designed or constructed:

Building

Location

Year

Status

St. Andrew’s-on-the-Red Anglican Church

RM of St. Andrews

1845-1849

 

Kildonan Presbyterian Church

201 John Black Avenue, Winnipeg

1852-1854

 

St. Peter Dynevor Anglican Church

RM of St. Clements

1853-1854

 

St. Andrew’s Rectory

RM of St. Andrews

1854

 

Miss Davis’ School / Twin Oaks

RM of St. Andrews

1858

 

St. Peter Dynevor Anglican Rectory

RM of St. Andrews

1862-1865

 

Little Britain Presbyterian Church

RM of St. Andrews

1872-1874

 

Sources:

Death registration, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Pioneers and Early Citizens of Manitoba, Winnipeg: Manitoba Library Association, 1971.

Dictionary of Manitoba Biography by John M. “Jack” Bumsted, Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 1999.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 9 April 2017

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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