The Cultural Heritage Landscapes of Centre Wellington

Elora Cataract Trailway

The Elora Cataract Trailway is a recreational trail that runs in a generally east-west direction between Elora and Belwood, through Fergus, following the railbed of the former Credit Valley/Canadian Pacific Railway and continues beyond the Township to the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park at Cataract. The trailway is primarily valued for its historical associations with the Credit Valley Railway and later the Canadian Pacific Railway which supported the growth and development of major industries and agriculture in the area and for its conversion to recreational use. 

Salem

Salem is located between Wellington Road 7 and the Irvine River at the north end of James Street. Founded in 1845 by Sem Wissler, the village supported many nineteenth-century industries which took advantage of the location on the Irvine River for power. The area is valued for the high degree of aesthetic appeal which represents it nineteenth-century origins in the topography, rural quality of the unpaved, curbless roads, and the triangular road pattern forming the village core.

Elora Municipal Cemetery & St. Mary's Roman Catholic Cemetery

The Elora Municipal Cemetery and St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Cemetery adjoin each other and are located at 365 Wellington Road 7 and 343 Wellington Road 7, Elora. The Elora Union Cemetery was established in 1864 and is now known as the Elora Municipal Cemetery. St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Cemetery (also known as the Saint Mary and Saint Joseph Catholic Cemetery) was established in 1873. Both include re-interments from earlier cemeteries in the area and represent some of the earliest settlers to the area. These cemeteries are valued together by the community members and parishioners of the area. 

Elora Gorge

The Elora Gorge is a section of the Grand River located downstream from and just west of Elora. The Grand River and its glacial predecessors slowly dissolved the soluble limestone bedrock here over thousands of years to form a gorge as deep as 28 metres in places (Dahms 2008:13). The Gorge is nearly three kilometres long and includes the Elora Gorge Falls and Islet Rock, a juncture with the Irvine Gorge, and the Elora Gorge Conservation Area. The Elora Gorge Conservation Area is owned and managed by the G.R.C.A. The Elora Gorge is valued as a unique and exceptional geological feature and as a conservation area, public park, and tourist destination. 

Victoria Park and Victoria Crescent

Victoria Park and the Victoria Crescent Neighbourhood are located northwest of downtown Elora at the point where the Elora and Irvine Gorge meet. The residential neighbourhood was laid out as part of the New Survey in 1857 and the park was created in the 1870s. The area has design and physical value as a unique example of a nineteenth-century residential neighbourhood and park laid out in response to the distinctive natural features of the Elora and Irvine Gorges. It is valued for its associations with Charles Allen, the local natural conservation movement, and as a defining feature of the picturesque character of Elora and the Elora and Irvine Gorges.

Elora Historical Village Core

The Elora Historical Village Core is comprised of the downtown business and industrial district of Elora and the residential areas which developed around it through the nineteenth and early twentieth century. Elora was founded in 1832 by William Gilkison and the settlement grew on the south and north side of the Grand River. The historical core of Elora today retains a high number of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century commercial, industrial, civic, institutional, and residential buildings, many of them stone. The village is a tourist destination, known for its nineteenth-century character, picturesque views, and its thriving arts community. The area is valued as an outstanding example of an Ontario village set on the Grand River. 

Elora Quarry

The Elora Quary is a former limestone quarry now used as a swimming hole, located on the north bank of the Grand River, on the eastern edge of Elora. Limestone extraction was prevalent in the area in the second half of the nineteenth century for use as a building material, to produce lime for mortar, in steel and paper production, and in agriculture. The quarry and lime kiln were established sometime after 1900 and operated until 1932. Shortly after the closure, with pumps no longer keeping the pit dry, the site became a favourite spot for swimmers. The Quarry is associated with Elora’s industrial history and is the single largest artifact that expresses this history. The Elora Quarry Conservation Area is owned and managed by the G.R.C.A. As part of the Grand River's Canadian Heritage River designation, the Elora Quarry is provincially significant as a representative section of the Guelph Formation. 

Trestle Bridge Trail

The Trestle Bridge Trail is a 3.5 km trail connecting Fergus and Elora. The trail follows a portion of the railbed of the former Wellington Grey and Bruce Railway (later the Grand Trunk Railway and then the Canadian National Railway). The railway was constructed between 1867 and 1870. This section of the line operated until 1988 and has since been converted to public recreational use. The trail is valued for its associations with the railway companies which operated the line and with the growth and development of industries in the area which relied on freight connections. 

Allan Farmstead

The Allan Farmstead is a nineteenth-century farmstead located between Fergus and Elora at 378 Wellington Road 18. The property is listed on Centre Wellington’s Heritage Register. The property was assessed in association with the former village of Aboyne located immediately south of the Allan Farmstead. It was found that the former village of Aboyne does not have historical integrity while the Allan Farmstead has cultural heritage value, historical integrity, and community value for its associations with the Allan family who have been significant in the establishment of Elora and in the ongoing development of the community.

Beatty Brothers Factory & Residential Areas

The Beatty Brothers Factory and Residential Areas is located at the western edge of Fergus, north of the Grand River. The area developed around the former Beatty Brothers Hill Street Plant, constructed in 1911, and expanded to include a model farm and company housing for its workers and supervisory personnel. Brock Avenue was designated as a Heritage Conservation District in 1998. Beatty Brothers Ltd. was a major employer in Fergus and the surrounding area for almost a century and is valued for its contributions to the economic and social development of the town.

Fergus Historical Village Core

The Fergus Historical Village Core is comprised of the historical downtown business and industrial district of Fergus and the residential areas which developed around it through the nineteenth and early-twentieth century. Fergus was founded in 1833-34 by Scotsmen Adam Fergusson and James Webster. Milling and manufacturing developed along the Grand River, the downtown residential area was built by skilled Scottish masons who made use of the abundance of local limestone, and the town was laid out to highlight St. Andrew’s Church. The area is valued as an outstanding example of a late nineteenth-century Ontario village sited on the Grand River, with its high concentration of cut-stone buildings expressing the rich natural resource of the area. 

Churchill Crescent Neighbourhood (Wartime Housing)

The Churchill Crescent Neighbourhood is located in Fergus north of the former Canadian Pacific Railway line. The neighbourhood is a residential area constructed prior to 1954 in the Victory housing style, a type of wartime housing constructed during and after the Second World War, centred on Webster Park. The neighbourhood is a unique example of a Victory housing neighbourhood in Centre Wellington. 

Ferrier Estate & Union Street East

The Ferrier Estate is located in Fergus on the south side of the Grand River along a central axis of Union Street East. The Ferrier Survey originated with A.D. Ferrier’s settlement on 100 acres of land in 1834 where he built his home. Today the area includes Confederation Park, Ferrier’s home, Union Street East, and Belsyde Cemetery. The area is valued for its associations with Ferrier as an early settler and leader in the community, as an important area in the urban development of Fergus, and for its connections to the Grand River. The area has been identified by the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation as holding significance as an historical place. 

Belsyde Cemetery

Belsyde Cemetery is located at 250 Albert Street, Fergus. The cemetery was established in 1863 and continues in active use. It is valued for its associations with A.D. Ferrier and is also part of the Ferrier Estate and Union Street East cultural heritage landscape. The oldest part of the cemetery is laid out in a Celtic cross, reflecting the Scottish heritage of many settlers in Fergus.

Victoria Park, Fergus

Victoria Park is located between Tower Street South and St. David Street South, south of Albert Street in Fergus. It is noted by the community as historically being the premiere park for town events. The park originated as a privately-owned racetrack which was made public in 1883 and renamed Victoria Park in c. 1900. Victoria Park has long been known as a local landmark.

Belwood Historical Village Core

The area comprised of the village of Belwood, the Shand Dam and Belwood Lake is situated at the eastern end of the Township on the Grand River between West Mill Street and Victoria Street. The nineteenth-century village of Belwood was dramatically impacted by the construction of the Shand Dam and reservoir, known as Belwood Lake, between 1939 and 1942 when the south end of the village on the north side of the Grand River was flooded. Shand Dam and Belwood Lake are valued as an early example of conservation reservoir. The dam was the first large-scale multi-purpose dam in Canada and the first of a series of dams in the Grand River Watershed. The resulting lake has created a tourism and summer resort industry which supports the continuance of the village of Belwood.