The Almonte Medical Triumvirate Part 2: Dr. Metcalfe

Dr. A.A. Metcalfe

One of Almonte’s longest-serving doctors, Archibald Arthur “Archie” Metcalfe was born on November 3, 1869. He grew up on the Clayton Road, the last born of 12 children, and attended Almonte High School. Like Dr. Dunn, he initially worked as a teacher to save money for medical school, teaching in McDonald’s Corners after graduating from the Lanark County Model School in Perth.

When he graduated from Queen’s University in 1896, having taught school during his holiday breaks, he pursued additional training at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Eventually he returned to Almonte to establish his medical practice and married Isabella Mitchell McCallum in 1900.

Dr. Metcalfe in the Power House

As a country doctor, and as a countryman, nothing gave Doctor Metcalfe more pride in his profession and its service to the community than the nigh on three thousand babies whom he brought into the world.

– John Dunn

A formidable individual in civic affairs, he also served as Mayor of Almonte for several terms between 1917 and 1929. As a municipal politician, he worked to pave the streets of Almonte and improve Almonte High School, including the addition of a new gymnasium. He was a member of the Public Utilities Commission and a proponent of hydroelectric power development in Almonte, advocating for the town to own and operate its own power generation.

Celebrating Dr. Metcalfe’s 57 years of practicing medicine, the Toronto Daily Star reported in 1953: “Still active despite his 83 years, Dr. Metcalfe only last week drove his car two miles until it was bogged down on a sideroad, then rode seven miles by horse and buggy and completed his journey by walking two miles on foot to treat a flu-stricken family.”

Dr. Metcalfe met the community’s healthcare needs from birth to death and everything in between. He passed away on February 1, 1962, at the age of 92, after becoming ill in January 1962.  Over the course of a six-decade-long medical practice, Dr. Metcalfe’s was a life dedicated to serving the town of Almonte.