Ontario Town

Ayr, Ontario

2008-06-24T16:45:00.001-07:00

Ayr, Ontario is on the Nith River in the Township of North Dumfries (2006 pop. 9,063). Shown right is Christ Anglican Church, Ayr established in 1917.

Ayr's earliest industry and settlement, Mudge's Mills, was established in 1824. In 1884, along with Jedburgh (est. 1832 in the east) and Nithvale (est. 1837 in the west) the three settlements were incorporated as the village of Ayr. In 1868, John Watson, a Scottish immigrant, purchased the Abel Mudge property and built the Dam.

In 1865 the John Watson Manufacturing Company (1884) transferred its water rights to the Grand River Conservation Authority and the Village of Ayr, in an overall program of beautification and water conservation. Watson's dam represents one of the important historic features for which the Grand River was designated a Canadian Heritage River in 1994.

Bayfield, Ontario

2008-06-19T10:31:00.000-07:00

Bayfield, Ontario is a community in the Municipality of Bluewater (2006 pop. 7,120) on the shore of Lake Huron, at the mouth of Bayfield River.

In 1832 Carel Lodewijk, Baron van Tuyll van Serooskerken, a Dutch nobleman, purchased large holdings from the Canada Company including 388 acres here. He named the settlement after his friend, Henry Wolsey Bayfield, the British nautical surveyor.

During the next decade an extensive town plot was laid out, grist and saw mills were erected and a community was established. The settlement developed as a centre for the surrounding agricultural community. By 1851 the hamlet contained a wagon and ploughmaking works, two blacksmiths shops, an ashery, a distillery, two tanneries, a brickyard and about 125 residents.

The construction of a harbour during the 1870's spurred further growth, and in 1876, with a population of over 800, Bayfield was incorporated as a village. Bayfield languished until after World War II when it became a popular vacation and retirement community.

Brussels, Ontario

2008-06-14T06:48:00.000-07:00

Brussels, Ontario is a community in the Municipality of Huron East (2006 pop. 9,310) on the Middle Branch of the Maitland River.

In 1854 William Ainley purchased two hundred acres of land. The following year he laid out a village plot which he named Ainleyville. A post office named Dingle was opened in 1856. The community flourished and by 1863 contained a sawmill, a grist-mill, blacksmith shops, a woollen mill and several other small industries. In anticipation of the rapid growth that the expected construction of a branch of the Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway would bring, Ainleyville, with a population of 780, was incorporated as a village and renamed Brussels on December 24, 1872. Within a decade the population had increased to about 1800.

St John the Evangelist Anglican Church, Brussels, Ontario was built in 1947. It is similar in design to the previous church building destroyed by fire and constructed in 1876. The parish had been established in 1860.

Creemore, Ontario

2008-06-10T16:46:00.000-07:00

Creemore, Ontario is a community in the Township of Clearview (2006 pop. 14,088). It lies on the spillway of the Mad River, 20 minutes south of Georgian Bay.

Creemore developed after 1845 when William Nutley and Edward Webster built a mill on the Mad River. Webster divided his land into town lots which he sold to new arrivals. In 1889, there were 753 inhabitants.

A local attraction as well as a thriving business is the Creemore Springs Brewery which as a retail store in the the former May Hardware sbuilding. The brewery produces its beer in small batches in open-fired kettles. It obtains fresh water from a spring just outside of town.

Dresden, Ontario

2008-06-05T10:22:00.001-07:00

Dresden, Ontario is a community in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent (2006 pop. 108,177) located on the Sydenham River.

In 1846 Daniel van Allen, a Chatham merchant, laid out a town plot on land purchased from Jared Lindsley, the first settler (1825) on the site of Dresden. By 1849 the erection of a steam sawmill, and the operation of a grist-mill in the neighbouring Dawn Institute Settlement founded by Josiah Henson, provided the basis for a thriving community in this area. A post office named "Dresden" was opened in 1854. The regions timber resources and the navigation facilities afforded by the Sydenham River fostered industrial growth. A county by-law of 1871 incorporated Dresden as a village with a population of about 750. Ten years later it became a town.

The main tourist attraction is Uncle Tom's Cabin historic site operated by the province. The 5-acre site includes an interpretive centre, 3 historic buildings, including Josiah Henson's house, barn (shown), 2 cemeteries, extensive artifacts and a gift shop.

Dunnville, Ontario

2008-05-31T07:57:00.001-07:00

Dunville, Ontario is a community in the city of Haldimand County (2006 pop. 45,212) on the north shore of Lake Erie.

The construction of a dam and canal designed to feed water from the Grand River to the new Welland Canal fostered the development of a settlement here during the late 1820s. A town plot, named Dunnville after John Henry Dunn, Receiver General of Upper Canada, was laid out and, following the opening of the Feeder Canal to navigation in 1829 the community thrived as a transshipment point and industrial centre. By 1832 it contained three store houses, a grist, fulling and carding mill and three saw mills. After the completion of the Second Welland Canal in 1845, Dunnville gradually lost its position as an active Lake Erie terminus for that waterway, but it continued to prosper and in 1860 assumed the status of a village.

In 1940, a Royal Canadian Air Force Service Flying Training School on 400 acres outside Dunville opened. From then until the school closed in 1944, 2436 pilots were trained. 47 were killed in training and they are memoralized by a Harvard Mark II airplane.

Today, Dunville is promoted as a retirement and tourist community with condominiums and marinas along the river.

Elora, Ontario

2008-05-24T07:58:00.001-07:00

Elora, Ontario is on the Grand River, about 20 km northeast of Kitchener-Waterloo. It was incorporated as a village in 1858. In 1999, it was amalgamted with several other communities, including Fergus, Ontario, into the new Township of Centre Wellington (2006 pop 26,049).

Elora was founded by Captain William Gilkison (1777-1833) who was born in Irvine, Scotland, and emigrated to North America in 1796. He was a cousin of John Galt, founder of Guelph and Goderich, Ontario. In 1832, Gilkison purchased some 14,000 acres of land. The town site for his proposed settlement was laid out by Lewis Burwell, deputy provincial land surveyor, late in 1832, and the following year Gilkison established a sawmill and a general store.

Today, Elora attracts tourists with its music festival, limestone architecture, river rafting and boutique shopping.

The mid-summer four-week Elora Festival, established in 1979, features classical choral music and jazz/blues.

Exeter, Ontario

2008-05-16T07:08:00.001-07:00

Exeter is the largest community in the municipality of South Huron (2006 pop. 9,982). South Huron was formed in 2001 when the townships of Stephen and Usborne were amalgamated with Exeter in 2001.

Exeter was laid out in 1855. The earliest settlers had been the families of James Willis and William McConnell who had come to the area in 1833. Within a year, McConnell had erected mills on the banks of the Aux Sables River near which a community known as Francistown developed. South of the mills near Willis's location on the "London Road", Isaac Carling opened a store and tannery in 1847 and James Pickard a general store in 1851. By 1860, Exeter had become the chief market centre of the district. In anticipation of the growth that the London, Huron and Bruce Railway would bring, Exeter and Francistown were amalgamated and incorporated as the village of Exeter on March 29, 1873.

Trivitt Memorial Church, Exeter, Ontario was opened in 1883 replacing the first Anglican Church built in 1860. Its design is based on a portion of Exeter Cathedral in England. Thomas Trivitt, Justice of the Peace in Huron County, paid for the church after he had inherited a substantial estate.

Fergus, Ontario

2008-05-09T12:00:00.001-07:00

Fergus, Ontario is located 25km north of Guelph on the Grand River. It is the largest community in the Township of Centre Wellington (2006 pop. 26,049).

Fergus was founded by Adam Fergusson (1782-1862) and named in his honour. He first visited Canada in 1831 to explore colonization possibilities for the Highland Society of Scotland. In 1833 in partnership with a fellow Scot. James Webster (1808-69) he purchased over 7,000 acres of uncleared land in Nichol Township.

Attracted by the abundant water power they laid out the town site of Fergus. Webster took up residence and supervised the settlement's early development. The first house of this predominantly Scottish community was erected in 1833, a hotel the following year and a sawmill, grist-mill, church and school in 1835. Though Fergusson lived near Waterdown, and Webster moved to Guelph in 1852, the founders continued to foster the growth of their settlement.

The river is lined by a walkway and park. Shown are the Templin Gardens, restored in the 1970s.

Fergus celebrates its Scottish heritage by hosting Highland Games on the second full weekend in August. Begun in 1946 it now attracts over 30,000 people each year.

Today, Fergus is a thriving service centre with diverse industry. With its excellent access to Toronto and the Golden Triangle it is a growing residential community.

Goderich, Ontario

2008-05-03T07:53:00.001-07:00

Goderich, Ontario (2006 pop. 7,563) is located on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. In 1841 Goderich became the administrative and judicial centre for the newly created Huron District. Nine years later, with a population of about 1,000, the community was incorporated as a town.

In 1826 the Canada Company, a newly chartered colonization firm, acquired a large block of land known as the Huron Tract. The following year William "Tiger" Dunlop, appointed Warden of the Forests by the Company's first superintendent, John Galt, established his base here in the western part of the Tract. Named Goderich after the Colonial Secretary, Viscount Goderich, the site was initially marked only by "The Castle", Dunlop's residence, but a settlement gradually developed. By 1829 the Canada Company had surveyed a town plot, opened the Huron Road from Guelph, and established an office.

The building shown has been the town hall since 1961. It was built in 1890 as a post office and customs house and was designed by Thomas Fuller, architect (with Chilion Jones) of the Centre Block of Parliament.

Sifto Canada, Inc operates the largest salt mine in the world underneath Goderich's harbour extending 5 km under Lake Huron.
Another company operating in Goderich is Volvo that operates a road grader manufacturing plant.

Listowel, Ontario

2008-04-29T16:58:00.000-07:00

The first permanent settler of Listowel, Ontario, John Binning arrived in 1852. Within four years David Davidson Hay, one of the most enterprising early settlers, had erected a sawmill and a settlement called Mapleton developed.

When a post office was opened on June 1, 1856, it was named Listowel after the town in Ireland. The community, with a population of 200, contained taverns and a general store operated by William H. Hacking. Ten years later the population had increased to 800 and the settlement became an incorporated Village. The arrival of a branch line of the Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway hastened the Village's development and it became a Town with a population of 2,054 in 1875.

In 1998, it was the largest community amalgamated into the new Municipality of North Perth (2006 pop. 12,254).

The town has a frozen, foodservice and specialty food plant owned by the Campbell Soup Company. It has just been announced after 48 years, the planr will close within a year, laying off 500.

Lucan, Ontario

2008-04-22T16:30:00.000-07:00

Lucan is located 22km northwest of London, Ontario. It was incorporated as a village in 1871. Since 1999 it has been part of the Township of Lucan Biddulph (2006 pop. 4,201).

Lucan was founded in anticipation of the construction of the Grand Trunk Railway to Sarnia, projected in 1854 and built 1855-59. The first settlers had been members of the Negro Wilberforce Colony in 1830-35. One of this group, Peter Butler Sr., had by 1855 acquired the western part of the site of Lucan. The eastern part was acquired jointly by the Hon. Donald and John MacDonald, and the first village lots were sold in 1855. The majority of the settlers were Irish Catholics.

The name of the village was suggested by a resident who had been coachman on the estate of Lord Lucan in Ireland. The notoriety of the village comes with the killing of 6 of the Donnelly family on a nearby farm in 1880 as a result of a feud originating in Tipperary, Ireland.

Today, Lucan has prospered as a dormitory community for London, Ontario.

Meaford, Ontario

2008-04-15T16:55:00.001-07:00

Meaford, Ontario (2006 pop. 10,948) is on southern Georgian Bay in Grey County. It was incorporated as a town in 1874.

In 1837 inhabitants of St. Vincent Township petitioned the government requesting that land at the mouth of the Bighead River be reserved as a landing place. The land was set aside, a town plot of "Meaford" laid out in 1845, and lots subsequently offered for sale. As early as 1841 a sawmill and a grist-mill had been built on adjoining land, several roads constructed to the landing and a post office called "St. Vincent" established. In 1865 this post office was renamed "Meaford", which by that time had become a flourishing community, connected by steamer and road with the railhead at Collingwood.

Christ Church, Meaford, Ontario has six stained glass windows created from shards of Cathedral windows shattered in the Second World War. The church's rector went to England in 1942 as chaplain to the Canadian Fusiliers. He spent his spare time collecting and identifying remnants of windows from bombed churches across Britain. A window-maker in Brighton then created the six windows from those fragments.

Mitchell, Ontario

2008-04-08T16:37:00.000-07:00

Mitchell, Ontario was incorporated as a village in 1857 and in 1874 with a population of some 2000 it became a town. On January 1, 1998, the town amalgamated into the new Municipality of West Perth (2006 pop. 8,839).

In 1836 the Canada Company sold town plots. Within a year John Hicks, one of the earliest settlers, had erected a frame building for a hotel. Although settlement proceeded slowly at first, a sawmill was in operation by 1842. Following the opening of the Mitchell-Blanshard Road in 1845 stores and other mills were built and in 1851 the population had reached 150. The arrival of the Buffalo and Lake Huron Railroad in 1857 greatly stimulated the development of Mitchell.

Hall of Fame hockey player, Howard William Morenz (1902-1937) was born here. He died from complications of a multiple fracture broken leg suffered in game against the Chicago Blackhawks. In 1950 Morenz was voted the outstanding hockey player of the half-century by Canadian Press.

Today, the town's major employers include Parmalat Canada, makers of dairy products, and Cooper Standard Automotive, the Canadian centre for the company's automotive parts research and development program.

Neustadt, Ontario

2008-04-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

Neustadt, Ontario was founded in 1856 by David Winkler. In 2000, the Village of Neustadt amalgamated with the Townships of Bentinck, Glenelg and Normanby to form Municipality of West Grey (2006 pop. 12,193).

David Winkler dammed Meaux Creek in 1857 and erected a sawmill, gristmill and flour mill. 2 years later, German immigrant, Henry Huether built a brewery. By 1901 the population was 466 and the village was firmly established as an agricultural service center.

John George Diefenbaker, Canada's 13th Prime Minister, was born here in 1895. He moved to the Fort Carlton region of the North-West Territories with his family in 1903.

The brewery was closed in 1916. The building became a creamery then for many years remained empty. In 1997, the brewery was reopened as Neustadt Springs Brewery. They currently brew 4 brands of beer and have an on-site retail store.

Paisley, Ontario

2008-03-25T16:19:00.000-07:00

Paisley, Ontario is in Bruce County. It was incorporated as a village in 1874. Since 1999 it has been part of the Municipality of Arran-Elderslie (2006 pop. 6,747).

In 1852, shortly after the region was opened for settlement, the government reserved land for a town on the Elora and Saugeen Road, at the confluence of the Teeswater and Saugeen Rivers. Already settled on the site were Simon Orchard and Samuel Rowe and later that year John Valentine built a saw-mill. The townplot, named Paisley, was surveyed in 1855 and within two years a community of about 150 had developed. By 1867 additional industries, including a foundry and a woollen mill had been established and the village's handsome buildings reflected its prosperity. The Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway was completed through the community in 1872.

Paisley is in a major beef-producing area of Ontario and remains an important rural service centre. It is also a centre for campers, anglers, kayakers and canoeists. A large portion of its residents are now employed in outfitting, artistic occupations and retail sales.

Paris, Ontario

2008-03-22T08:03:00.001-07:00

Paris, Ontario (2006 pop. 11,177) is on the Grand River in Brant County. In 1999, its town government was amalgamated into the City of Brant (2006 pop. 34,415).

In 1829, Hiram Capron came to the Forks of the Grand and founded the settlement of Paris. In 1850, it was incorporated as a village, with Capron as reeve. In 1856, Paris was incorporated as a town, with H. Finlayson as its first mayor. For the next 142 years, Paris ran its own affairs, with its own mayor, council and control over local services.

Paris was named for the nearby deposits of gypsum, used to make Plaster of Paris.

On August 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell received the first long distance telephone call at what is now retail store The River Lily, 91 Grand River St. North, Paris. The call was made by Alexander Graham Bell's father from downtown Brantford, Ontario.

Port Burwell, Ontario

2008-03-14T08:20:00.001-07:00

Port Burwell, Ontario is named after Mahlon Burwell who laid out the community in 1830. It is now part of the Municipality of Bayham (2006 pop. 6,727).

The Port Burwell lighthouse was constructed in 1840. It was used to aid navigation and commercial shipping of local timber on Lake Erie. Its fixed, white light was visible for 19 kilometres. The lighthouse closed in 1962 when the Canadian Coast Guard began decommissioning light stations. In 1965, the Village of Port Burwell acquired the structure. It is the oldest wooden lighthouse on the Canadian shore of Lake Erie and one of the oldest surviving lights in Canada.

Trinity Anglican Church, Port Burwell, Ontario was constructed as a result of the interest and substantial financial assistance of Lieut-Col. Mahlon Burwell.

Port Stanley, Ontario

2008-03-07T07:49:00.001-08:00

Port Stanley, Ontario is on the north shore of Lake Erie in Elgin County. The founder of the community Lieut-Col. John Bostwick (1780-1849) was granted 600 acres here in 1804. Port Stanley is now part of the Municipality of Central Elgin (2006 pop. 12,723).

Col. Bostwick gave the land for Christ Anglican Church, Port Stanley, Ontario in 1826. A ferry service between Port Stanley and Buffalo was established in 1832. The London and Port Stanley Railway began operations in 1856. Its main business was shipping coal from Pennsylvania and carrying tourists to and from the lakeshore. In the early 1900s, Port Stanley was the main tourist attraction on the lake.

St Jacobs, Ontario

2008-03-01T07:38:00.001-08:00

St Jacobs, Ontario is a community of about 2,000 on the Conestoga River just north of Kitchener-Waterloo. It is part of the Township of Woolwich (est. 1973, 2006 pop. 19,658), which includes Elmira with a population of about 10,000.

St Jacobs was founded in 1847 by Jacob C. Snider who built a sawmill, woolen mill and blacksmith shop. The surrounding area had been settled by immigrants from Germany and Mennonites from Pennsylvania and St Jacobs grew as an agricultural service centre. In 1880, it had a population of 500, which declined to 350 by 1900. The community grew very slowly after that.

By 1975, the mill and the last grocery store had closed. The Shantz family then opened a restaurant that became the catalyst for the unprecedented growth and development of St Jacobs. The Shantzes and their associates eventually bought, renovated or restored almost all of the commercial properties in the village and encouraged indigenous arts and crafts. For years, some tourists had come to see the old-order Mennonites who had come to town by horse and buggy to shop. The 20 new tourist-oriented businesses established between 1975 and 1983 made St Jacobs a thriving tourist destination.

St Marys, Ontario

2008-02-26T07:43:00.001-08:00

St Marys, Ontario (2006 pop 6,617) is northeast of London, Ontario. In 1854 the community was incorporated as a village and separated from the surrounding Perth County. It became a town in 1864.

When opening Blanshard Township for settlement in 1839, the Canada Company made an arrangement with Thomas Ingersoll, a brother of Laura Secord, to build mills at "the Little Falls" of the Thames. In 1841-43 he erected a sawmill and a grist-mill and in return obtained 337 acres of land in this vicinity. The mills formed the nucleus of a settlement named St. Marys. The building of railways, 1857-60, stimulated development and it became the centre of lumber and limestone quarry industries and the adjacent prosperous agricultural region.

In 2007, the Mayor Jamie Hahn announced the Wonders of St Marys, the seven sites of most interest to visitors and the seven sites important to the residents, including was the library (above right). The library was built in 1905 from local limestone after Andrew Carnegie donated $10,000. It was expanded in 1988.

Seaforth, Ontario

2008-02-23T08:01:00.001-08:00

Seaforth, Ontario is in Huron County. It was incorporated as a village in 1868 and as a town in 1875. In 2001, Seaforth was amalgamated with Brussels, Grey, McKillop and Tuckersmith to form the Municipality of Huron East (2006 pop. 9,310).

During 1850-53, Christopher and George Sparling acquired most of the present site of Seaforth anticipating the construction of the Buffalo, Brantford and Goderich Railroad through the region. George laid out a subdivision in 1856 and Christopher sold most of his land in Tuckersmith Township to a syndicate headed by James Patton of Barrie. Patton is said to have procured a railway station and named it Seaforth. Situated on the Huron Road and the railway, and a shipping point for wheat, Seaforth had a post office by December 1859.

In 1984, Seaforth's Main Street was designated as a Heritage Conservation District. Its distinguished late 19th century architecture is composed mostly of two storey brick buildings. The 5-store Cardino Block, built in 1877, is at the centre of Main Street. It has central tower with a four-faced clock that was one of the most lavish clocks of its day.

Stratford, Ontario

2008-02-19T16:46:00.001-08:00

Stratford, Ontario (2006 pop. 30,461) became a town in 1854 and was incorporated as a city in 1885 with a population of 9,000.

In 1832, some three years after company surveyors had erected shanties, the Canada Company initiated the development of 'Little Thames' as the market centre for the eastern Huron Tract. By 1834 a tavern, sawmill and grist mill existed here and a year later a post office called Stratford was opened. Settlement was slow until the early 1850s when the advent of the railway and the designation of Stratford as county town transformed the village into a thriving administrative and commercial centre.

Expansion of the community was accelerated after 1871 when railway repair yards for steam engines were located here. For 80 years railways were the principal employer. When diesels replaced steam Stratford ceased to be a divisional point in the 1950s and the city lost 2000 jobs.

Since 1953, the city has hosted the Stratford Festival. The drama festival now runs from April to October at 4 theatres with the largest being the Festival Theatre seating 1826.

Walkerton, Ontario

2008-02-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

Walkerton, Ontario was proclaimed the county town of Bruce County in 1866, and was incorporated as a Town in 1871. On January 1, 1999, Walkerton became part of the Municipality of Brockton (2006 pop 9,641).

In 1850 Joseph Walker came here to the Durham Road where it crosses the Saugeen River. He built an inn and contracted to build two bridges and a part of the road. He and his son William were in 1851 granted free lots and later allowed to buy adjoining property. Joseph Walker built a sawmill in 1852 and added a grist-mill the following year. Two stores were opened and the Brant Post Office was established. Subdivisions were registered by Joseph Walker and others in 1857 when the name of the post-office was changed to Walkerton.

In 2000, 7 people died and 2,300 became ill after Walkerton's water supply became contaminated with manure spread on a farm near the town. The 2002 judicial inquiry found the owner of the farm followed proper practices and could not be faulted. The inquiry found the scope of the outbreak would very likely have been substantially reduced if the Walkerton Public Utilities Commission operators had measured chlorine residuals daily, as they should have. The PUC operators for years, had engaged in a host of improper operating practices they knew were unacceptable.

Wallaceburg, Ontario

2008-02-12T17:20:00.000-08:00

Wallaceburg, Ontario became a village in 1875 and a town in 1896. In 1997 Wallaceburg was amalgamated into the municipality of Chatham-Kent (2006 pop. 108,177).

The Chippewa surrendered their lands in the area by treaty in 1796. The first European presence in this area was Lord Selkirk's nearby Baldoon Settlement, founded in 1804. It failed because of its poor location, but some of the settlers relocated here at the forks of the Sydenham River. Laughlan McDougall, the first arrival, built a trading post and tavern at "The Forks" in the early 1820s. When a post office opened in 1837, the hamlet was named Wallaceburg after Scottish patriot Sir William Wallace. In subsequent decades the community prospered as the hub of the area's lumber trade and as a market town and industrial centre.

The photo shown was taken at the Wallaceburg Antique Motor Boat Outing, an event held since 1988 that attracts about 30,000 to see antique boats, cars, motorcycles, airplanes, fire trucks, tractors, and other various antique vehicles.

St James Anglican Church, Wallaceburg, Ontario is the town's oldest church, founded in 1864.