On June 26, Heritage Guelph-Eramosa unveiled two plaques at the library here recognizing the La Guayra Settlers.
The La Guayra Settlers provincial plaque, originally erected in Guelph, was moved to the front lawn of the Marden community centre grounds, while the Heritage Guelph-Eramosa’s plaque was installed on the exterior of the Marden library.
Mayor Chris White said the plaques are part of the heritage committee’s commitment to promote local history across the municipality.
“We just thought it would be nice to recognize the heritage and the folks that are still there,” White told the Advertiser.
“And I think they appreciated the recognition.”
Descendants of at least three of the settler families were at the ceremony last week, including the McDonalds, Wallaces and Butcharts.
The site is significant because George Wallace, one of the first La Guayra Settlers, originally inhabited the community centre grounds on what was once an unbroken forest.
The La Guayra Settlers arrived in former Guelph Township in 1827. Some 153 destitute Scottish setters formed part of a group sent in 1825 from Scotland to La Guayra, Venezuela by a British land company.
They were unsuited to the tropical climate and unable to work the poor land. Requesting assistance from the British government, they were transported to New York where they were directed to the Canada Company’s settlement in Upper Canada (Guelph).
John Galt, superintendent of the Canada Company, allotted each family a farm on company land along the Elora Road for a distance of approximately three miles, starting at Woodlawn Road. Descendants of the La Guayra Settlers still occupy the area today.
