The United Empire Loyalists were the first non-aboriginal people to settle in the Merrickville area. Beginning in 1783, they were forced to leave the United States after the British defeat in the American War of Independence. Most of these settlers were farmers of Welsh, German, Dutch, Scottish and Irish descent. By settling along the Rideau River, they had access to rich soil, a source of fresh water, and a communication lifeline as the river could keep them connected to each other and to other communities along its banks. In 1793, William Merrick acquired a saw mill from Roger Stevens at...

Westport is a village in Eastern Ontario. It lies at the west end of Upper Rideau Lake, at the head of the navigable Rideau Canal system, between Kingston and Ottawa. The first settlers to the Westport area arrived in the period between 1810 and 1820. The land was originally granted by the Crown to a Mr. Hunter, but he never settled in the area and the land was purchased by Reuben Sherwood in 1817. Some of this land was later purchased by the Stoddard and Manhard families. In 1828, Stoddard built a saw mill and in 1829 the Manhards built a saw mill and grist mill. It became known at that time...

Ancaster is a picturesque and historic community located on the Niagara Escarpment within the greater area of the city of Hamilton, Ontario. Ancaster's geography has had a significant effect on human settlement patterns throughout its history. A highly influential geographical formation has been the Niagara Escarpment consisting primarily of limestone formed from ancient fossilized sea organisms that spans from present day New York State through Ontario to Illinois. The escarpment itself created the water power that encouraged early European settlers to gravitate to the area in the late...

Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern Ontario. It was the site of a village of the Mississaugas in the eighteenth century. It was settled by United Empire Loyalists beginning in 1784. It was named Belleville in honor of Lady Arabella Gore in 1816, after a visit to the settlement by Sir Francis Gore and his wife. It is known as the "friendly city" because it offers big city amenities along with small town friendliness, and a pleasing mixture of the historic and modern. Belleville became an important railway junction with the...

Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern Ontario. It was the site of a village of the Mississaugas in the eighteenth century. It was settled by United Empire Loyalists beginning in 1784. It was named Belleville in honor of Lady Arabella Gore in 1816, after a visit to the settlement by Sir Francis Gore and his wife. It is known as the "friendly city" because it offers big city amenities along with small town friendliness, and a pleasing mixture of the historic and modern. Belleville became an important railway junction with the...

Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern Ontario. It was the site of a village of the Mississaugas in the eighteenth century. It was settled by United Empire Loyalists beginning in 1784. It was named Belleville in honor of Lady Arabella Gore in 1816, after a visit to the settlement by Sir Francis Gore and his wife. It is known as the "friendly city" because it offers big city amenities along with small town friendliness, and a pleasing mixture of the historic and modern. Belleville became an important railway junction with the...

Belleville is a city located at the mouth of the Moira River on the Bay of Quinte in southeastern Ontario. It was the site of a village of the Mississaugas in the eighteenth century. It was settled by United Empire Loyalists beginning in 1784. It was named Belleville in honor of Lady Arabella Gore in 1816, after a visit to the settlement by Sir Francis Gore and his wife. It is known as the "friendly city" because it offers big city amenities along with small town friendliness, and a pleasing mixture of the historic and modern. Belleville became an important railway junction with the...

Goderich is located on the eastern shore of Lake Huron. The town was laid out in 1828. The unique layout of Goderich's core encompasses eight primary streets radiating from an octagon bounded by eight business blocks. This civic square, with a park at its center, is popularly known as "The Square." Four streets intersecting at right angles - Victoria, Nelson, Waterloo and Elgin - form the outer edges of the core with the octagon in the center. The Square reflects a vision of a town center of classical design and elegance. From the 1840s to the 1890s, the growth of Goderich centered around the...

Erin is a picturesque town in Wellington County about eighty kilometres northwest of Toronto. Erin is an amalgamated town, composed of the former Villages of Erin and Hillsburgh, and the hamlets of Ballinafad, Brisbane, Cedar Valley, Crewson's Corners, Ospringe, and Orton, as well as the former Township of Erin. There are rolling countryside, meandering rivers, small settlement areas and quaint village settings. The first sawmill was built by the Trout family in 1826, at the lower dam at Erin. They opened a small store, and made potash, used in soap-making. The sawmill was later taken over by...