Column courtesy of Mapleton Historical Society
150 Facts – Part 2
It is hard to imagine today, but in the 1800s Maryborough Township contained 54 per cent upland forest, 32% lowland forest, 12% swamp and 2% marsh.
The upland forest was mainly covered in sugar maples, beech and elm trees, along with some hemlock, basswood, birch and black cherry trees.
The lowland forest contained soft maples, white elm, balsam fir, hemlock, black cherry and yellow birch trees. It is interesting to note two trees named the Balm of Gilead and the Canada Plum were only identified in Maryborough Township. The Balm of Gilead is a balsam popular found in more northly areas. This information is taken from The Flora of Wellington County by Dr. Richard Frank, published in 2009. This book also contains a section on the “First People’s uses of Plants and Trees.”
Maryborough Township received its name in 1840 from William Wellesley-Pole, first Baron of Maryborough, Queen’s County, Ireland. The area, surveyed in 1849 by Patrick Callaghan, contained 56,775 acres of land.
Originally the land was set aside as a Clergy Reserve or the “Queens Bush” (land set aside and held by the government of Upper Canada). In 1854, the Reserves were abolished and the lots were surveyed into farm lots of 200 acres and put up for sale.
Three quarters of the township is watered by the Conestogo River and its watershed.
Incorporated in 1851, Maryborough Township has more bridges than any other township in Ontario. Many of the early settlers came from the British Isles. By 1881 the township population peaked at 4,551 people. The 1998 population was 2,564.
Moorefield was settled by Reverend Richard Moore in 1852. He built a log cabin in the area that is now 18 Robb Street. Richard Moore’s son, Reverend George Moore, was given a parcel of land by the Crown in 1866. When it was determined that the railway was coming that way, George agreed to donate four acres to the railway station on the condition that the area be named Moore’s Field. Over time the ‘s’ was dropped and the name became one word. The 1905 train schedule for Moorefield had trains leaving to go east at 8:44am, 1:25pm and 4:28pm, and west at 12:03, 4:40 and 7:22pm.
In 1883, Moorefield had four churches, two blacksmiths, three hotels, two general stores, two grocery stores, two shoe stores, two harness shops and one each of a hardware store, cooperage, bakery, drug store, tailor, paint shop, delivery stable, and wagon shop.
John Murray of Moorefield bought his first car, a new Model T Ford costing $610, in 1913. This car, the second car in the area, had carbide lights that were lit with a match. Rough country roads in the area meant Murray needed to buy 21 new tires in two years.
In 1933, the Moorefield Post Office burned down. Local boys figured out where the coin drawer would have landed through the burned-out floor, and went digging through the ashes for the drawer.
Colonial Apartments in Moorefield began as the Collinson Hotel in 1872. It was a licensed facility until 1910, when Prohibition made it illegal to sell liquor in Maryborough Township.
A Temperance Society was formed to operate the hotel, and lodgers stayed for one night or long term. A dentist from Palmerston tended to patients in the hotel twice a week.
Without liquor sales, the hotel lost money and in 1940 the building was sold and renovated to house a chick hatchery. After a number of years, the building was sold and converted to eight apartments.
Moorefield Park was established 120 years ago. In 1925 the park was wired for electricity at a cost of $92. Floodlights were installed in 1951 and the Community Centre was built in 1967. The lower addition was constructed in 1976, funded by a Wintario grant. For decades, couples would have to book the hall a year in advance for wedding receptions.
The Mapleton Historical Society would like to encourage anyone interested in the history of Maryborough Township to locate copies of the two history books on the township for more information. These random, unrelated tidbits have been taken from the two books. Anyone with pictures or stories on the township is asked to contact Liz Samis at 519-669-9209 or Deb Oxby at 519-638-2769.
Submitted by Liz Samis
