Sir Sandford Fleming 1827-1915

There are three plaques about this gentleman.

The first is in the City of Ottawa.
The second is in the City of Peterborough.
The third is in the City of Fifeshire in Scotland.
All can be seen on this page.

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted June, 2009

Photo Source - Wikipedia

Plaque Location

The City of Ottawa
In front of the Dominion Observatory
on Maple Drive south off Carling Avenue
mid-way between Preston Street and Parkdale Avenue

Coordinates: N 45 23.608 W 75 42.853

Plaque Text

Engineer and an ardent imperialist, Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland. In 1845 he came to Canada, where he became survey and construction engineer for the Intercolonial Railway (1863-76) and the Canadian Pacific (1871-80). He foresaw the day when the technologies of steam and electricity would make Canada a great nation within the Empire, and to this end advocated the laying of the Pacific cable as a link in the globe-circling imperial network. A man of wide interests, Fleming designed the first Canadian postage stamp, in 1851, and was an early champion of the idea of standard time. He died in Halifax.

Photo by Alan L Brown - Posted December, 2010

Photo by contributor Wayne Adam - Posted December, 2010

Photo Source - Wikipedia

Plaque Location

The County of Peterborough
The City of Peterborough
On the east side of Fleming Park on Alymer Street North
between Brock Street and Hunter Street West

Coordinates: N 44 18.390 W 78 19.420

Plaque Text

Inventor of Standard Time and pioneer in world communications, Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy, Scotland, and trained in engineering and surveying before emigrating to Canada and settling in Peterborough in 1845. He soon moved to Toronto where in 1849 he assisted in the founding of the Canadian Institute and two years later designed the first Canadian postage stamp. He was the builder of the Intercolonial Railway and as chief engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway (1871-1887) conducted surveys of a transcontinental route. His proposal, presented to the Canadian Institute in 1879, outlining a world-wide uniform system for reckoning time and his advocacy of a cable route linking Canada and Australia earned Fleming universal recognition. He was knighted in 1897.

Photo Source - Wikipedia Commons

Plaque Location

Scotland
Fifeshire
Outside the Kirkcaldy Museum and Library in Kirkcaldy

Coordinates: N 56 06.720 W 03 09.898

Plaque Text

Inventor of Standard Time and pioneer in world communications, Fleming was born in Kirkcaldy and trained in engineering and surveying before emigrating to Canada and settling at Peterborough, Ontario, in 1845. He soon moved to Toronto but retained a lifelong interest in his birthplace which he visited frequently. In 1882 he was made a Burgess and Freeman of the Town. He was the builder of the Intercolonial Railway and as chief engineer of the Canadian Pacific Railway conducted surveys of a transcontinental route. His proposal, presented to the Canadian Institute in 1879, outlining a worldwide uniform system for reckoning time, and his advocacy of a cable route linking Canada with Australia, earned Fleming universal recognition. He was knighted in 1897.

Related Toronto plaque
The Birthplace of Standard Time

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