ABOYNE – Originally built in 1877, the one-time poor house property here has grown into a campus of county services with over 190 acres of trails, buildings, services and green spaces called Wellington Place.
“Much has changed since 1877, but one thing remains constant – the vision, stewardship and development of the land at Wellington Place continues to be in hands of the County of Wellington,” said Warden Kelly Linton in an Aug. 6 press release.
“Located in the pastoral setting of Aboyne, between Fergus and Elora, Wellington Place has been home to the County of Wellington’s services since 1877 when the House of Industry and Refuge was built to accommodate the deserving poor from every municipality in the County.”
Today, over 190 acres of land have become a campus of county services called Wellington Place, including:
– Museum and Archives (National Historic Site);
– Aboyne Library Branch;
– Children’s Early Years Administration;
– Wellington Terrace Long Term Care Home;
– Centre Wellington OPP Operations Centre;
– Wellington Dufferin Guelph Public Health;
– Aboyne Trail;
– Trestle Bridge Trail;
– Wellington Place Child Care and Learning Centre (Grand Opening August 29); and
– New Groves Memorial Community Hospital (May 2020)
“Infrastructure to accommodate the new hospital and future development at Wellington Place began in 2013 and included new streets with names that reflect the history of the county,” said Mary Lloyd, information, heritage and seniors committee chair. “Two of the three new street names honour Wellington County veterans that received the Victoria Cross for their service in the First World War: Frederick Campbell Street and Samuel Honey Drive.”
Charles Allan Way is the third street name at Wellington Place, and it pays tribute to the Allan family that sold some of the land at Wellington Place to the county in 1877 for the construction of the new House of Industry and Refuge. Members of the Allan family were employed as Keeper and Matron at the facility and Charles Allan was a prominent businessman, councillor, county warden, and Member of Provincial Parliament.
The Allan family still resides at their farm on Wellington Road 18, next door to Wellington Place.
New signage for Wellington Place will be installed this summer.
