The 1832 grist Mill of the old stone Colonial town of Elora Ontario, built by Scottish settlers. 1.5 hr drive from Toronto
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elora,_Ontario
The Historic Village of Elora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington (Wellington County) in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and its geographically, historically, and culturally significant limestone gorge.
Elora is no longer an incorporated municipality in its own right, although it is the seat of the municipal government which succeeded it. The Township of Centre Wellington was formed in 1999 when, on the advice of the Province, the County amalgamated the Town of Fergus; the Village of Elora; and the surrounding townships of Nichol, Pilkington, and West Garafraxa (along with the northwestern part of Eramosa.)[2] The decision — along with the Ontario government’s role therein — remains highly controversial among Elora’s inhabitants.
In 2011, the Village was estimated to have had a population of approximately 7,756.[1]
History
Roman Catholic missionaries first visited the area in the early to mid 1600s attempting to Christianize the indigenous people, particularly the Neutral Nation on the Attiwandaronk Lands. The first European settlers arrived in 1817, and Roswell Matthews built a home here the next year.[3][4]
Captain William Gilkison (1777–1833) was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, and emigrated to North America in 1796. He served with the British forces in the War of 1812 as an assistant quartermaster-general, and in 1832 purchased some 14,000 acres of land in Nichol Township. He selected this area near the falls of the Grand River as a town site for his proposed settlement and named it Elora. It 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. The founder of Elora died in April, 1833, before the full results of his foresight and enterprise were achieved.
The 1832 grist Mill of the old stone Colonial town of Elora Ontario, built by Scottish settlers. 1.5 hr drive from Toronto
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elora,_Ontario
The Historic Village of Elora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington (Wellington County) in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and its geographically, historically, and culturally significant limestone gorge.
Elora is no longer an incorporated municipality in its own right, although it is the seat of the municipal government which succeeded it. The Township of Centre Wellington was formed in 1999 when, on the advice of the Province, the County amalgamated the Town of Fergus; the Village of Elora; and the surrounding townships of Nichol, Pilkington, and West Garafraxa (along with the northwestern part of Eramosa.)[2] The decision — along with the Ontario government’s role therein — remains highly controversial among Elora’s inhabitants.
In 2011, the Village was estimated to have had a population of approximately 7,756.[1]
History
Roman Catholic missionaries first visited the area in the early to mid 1600s attempting to Christianize the indigenous people, particularly the Neutral Nation on the Attiwandaronk Lands. The first European settlers arrived in 1817, and Roswell Matthews built a home here the next year.[3][4]
Captain William Gilkison (1777–1833) was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, and emigrated to North America in 1796. He served with the British forces in the War of 1812 as an assistant quartermaster-general, and in 1832 purchased some 14,000 acres of land in Nichol Township. He selected this area near the falls of the Grand River as a town site for his proposed settlement and named it Elora. It 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. The founder of Elora died in April, 1833, before the full results of his foresight and enterprise were achieved.