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History of the Township of North Dumfries
North Dumfries is situated on the land traditionally cared for by the Haudenosaunee, Anishnaabe and Neutral Peoples. We acknowledge the enduring presence and deep traditional knowledge and philosophies of the Indigenous People with whom we share this land today. For more information, please visit our Reconciliation page.
The Honourable James Young wrote about the North Dumfries area in "Reminiscences of the Early History of Galt and the Settlement of Dumfries," and it is from his work that the beginnings of this Township were recorded. In it he states that the land later known as North and South Dumfries was deeded to Mr. Philip Stedman on February 5, 1798 from Colonel Joseph Brant of the Six Nations. On the deed the land is described as Block No. 1, comprising 94,305 acres and Mr. Stedman bought it for 8841 Pounds. A few years later, Mr. Stedman passed away and his sister inherited the property, but she sold it in 1811 to Honourable Thomas Clarke. In 1816, unable to continue payments, the land was bought by Honourable William Dickson for 24,000 pounds.
Mr. Dickson came from Dumfries Scotland in 1792, and settled in Niagara or Newark. Mr. Dickson wanted to use this land and build a community, so he enlisted the help of Absalom Shade. In July 1816, Mr. Dickson and Mr. Shade went forth and searched for the perfect area to start a town, and they found it at the junction of the Grand River and Mill Creek. Mr. Dickson soon had the land surveyed, and it is at this point that he decided to call it Dumfries after his place of birth. The first industry in the Township was Shade's Grist Mill, but sawmills started by 1817.
In 1817 the Township had a population of 38 families, which constituted over 163 people.
In 1820, Mr. Dickson employed the services of Mr. John Telfer who went to Scotland to enlist people to buy land and to come live in Canada. From 1825 until early 1832, there was a steady stream of settlers to the area, resulting in a dominance of Scottish persons living in this Township. By 1832 every plot in Mr. Dickson's tract of land was filled, and most of the settlers were Scottish.
The first municipal meeting for the Township of Dumfries North was held in 1819, and these meetings continued until 1836 when the Provincial Legislature passed a new law which let taxpayers of Dumfries to elect three Township Commissioners. In 1842 two District Councillors were elected and their names were Alex Buchanan and Hiram Capron. In 1850 taxpayers were allowed the freedom of electing five councillors to manage the business of the township.
On January 1, 1973 with the introduction of Regional Government Structure, the current form of the Township of North Dumfries was established.
The Township of North Dumfries consists of:
| Ayr |
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The Village of Ayr had its beginnings in 1824 when Abel Mudge erected a saw mill at the junction of Smith and Cedar Creek. Originally, there were two small settlements, Jedburgh and Nithvale and the two constantly competed. This finally ended in 1840 when a post office was established at Mudges' Mill by Robert Wyllie and he renamed the settlements Ayr. Nithvale is in Canada' history books as the place where Mackenzie's followers met before heading off to York (Toronto) for the 1837 Rebellions. The first newspaper in Ayr was started by Mr. James Somerville in 1854, while the Ayr library was built in 1849-50 becoming the Mechanic's Institute in 1856. The Watson Foundry was started by John Watson in 1847, and although he only produced cast iron pots, he was soon able to grow his business and eventually would manufacture stoves and finally agricultural implements. Mr. Watson and all of the other businesses teamed their goods over to the Village of Paris where it was taken onto the train. This went on from 1854 until 1879 when the Credit Railway finally opened in Ayr. The Village of Ayr was incorporated in 1884 and John Watson was appointed Reeve. On January 1, 1973, Ayr was amalgamated with North Dumfries Township in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo. |
| Branchton |
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This village took shape in August 1856 when James Pollock of Galt planned a subdivision. Mr. Rosebrugh became very interested in the project and he soon established a sawmill, flourmill and later a store, tavern and an inn were opened.
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| Roseville |
| The first settlers to the area called it "The Settlement", but it was soon decided that a new name should be chosen. The townsfolk got together and all of the people from Pennsylvania were firm that the name had to end in 'ville' and so they suggested Brickerville, Erbsville and Snyderville. It is said that an English shoemaker by the name of Rose suggested Roseville, and since everyone liked it, they decided to keep that name.
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| Black Horse Corners |
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Black Horse Corners is located at the corner of Cedar Creek Road and Northumberland Street. At one time this thriving settlement had a tannery, fulling mill, pump shop, shingle mill, wagon, shoemaker and a blacksmith shop.
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| Reidsville |
| This little settlement at the intersection of Reidsville Road and Alps Road was started on August 11, 1831 when John Reid bought 50 acres of land and built a sawmill. |
| Clyde |
| The small village was first settled in 1831 by a man named William Anderson, who with his wife lived in a sea of trees until the land was cleared and used for farming. In 1832 two other families moved into the area. On January 1, 1973 with the introduction of Regional Government Structure, the Township of North Dumfries got a portion of Beverly Township, including the Village of Clyde. |
The Crest of the Township of North Dumfries
The crest of the Township of North Dumfries was designed to represent three distinct characteristics of our community:
| Nature |
| The beaver and the graphic representation of wetlands. |
| Industry |
| The gears and cogs and the thistle representing the Village of Ayr where, until recently, most industry in the Township was located. |
| Agriculture |
| The water wheel and the plow representing the traditional agrarian focus of the community. |
Each of these elements are presented as being equal in importance, yet still interdependent on each other forming a coherent whole.