Written By Carol Small, Middlesex Centre Archives
The Municipality of Middlesex Centre comprises the former Middlesex County townships of London, Lobo Delaware and part of Westminster. Among those townships, no less than 49 hamlets or villages have existed. The former London Township has hosted 32, Lobo 14 and Delaware 4. The communities were often established along waterways where mills could be built. Many of these communities were given the name of the early settlers’ home villages in the Old Country while others by the post office naming process. Some were changed over time to new names; but, only two, Komoka and Delaware, retained their Indigenous names. Over time, some disappeared because of better transportation and communications systems. Others became part of the city of London with its massive annexations over the years. Others continue to exist and are called home to many. Let’s have a closer look at what used to be and what is now.
Former London Township Communities
Annexed Communities
As stated, London Township was home to 31 of the communities. Fourteen have become part of the City of London–including Crumlin, Ealing, Fanshawe, Geary Corners, Hopeville, Hyde Park, Lilly’s Corners, Kensington, Petersville, Masonville, Pottersburgh, the Gore and the Grove. Some you may recognise as they retained the community name. Others are long forgotten.
Forgotten Communities
Some hamlets and villages experienced growth but as time passed, they became ghost towns. It is important to recognise that these places did exist and did play an important role in our past.
Devizes, named for the home village of the Bisbees, one of the first settlers from Wiltshire, England, is one of those hamlets. Located at the intersection of Prospect Hill Road and Ebenezer Drive, the hamlet had several schools (including Swamp College), a post office that opened in 1859, plus brickmaker, general store, shoe factory, cheese factory and several brass bands. Today, Devizes Cheese Factory, now on Highbury Avenue and Fourteen Mile Road, is the only place the name still exists.
Ettrick, located at the corner of Hyde Park and Medway Roads, was named for a village in the Scottish Border area. The post office opened in 1877 and closed in 1947. In 1875, the London, Huron and Bruce Railroad built a stop here. Ettrick housed several blacksmiths, two sawmills, a store and a brick and tile yard. Today, even the rail line is gone. An Ettrick rail sign was rescued and still exists today.
Maple Grove, originally named Maple Hill, was at the corner of Fifteen Mile Road and Adelaide Street, but stretched as far as Highbury Avenue. Thomas Bunn took over the original blacksmith business from Andrew McDonald, and built a cottage and planted a grove of maple trees west of the shop, and thus Maple Hill had its name. A log school, SS#3, was erected. Bunn later built a new frame shop with a woodworking shop and shoemaking business upstairs. A bell on top was rung on special occasions. The shop later became a general store. Other business in the hamlet included a machine shop, carpentry shop and a doctor’s office. In April 1881, the post office opened and the name changed to Maple Grove. With the advent of the automobile, Maple Grove business community diminished.
Silverwood, located on the corner of Richmond Street North and Twelve Mile Road, was named for the silver poplars growing by the intersection. By the 1840s, it was a prosperous community with a steelmaker, tailor, shoemaker, blacksmith, weaver, grist mill, temperance hall and three hotels needed for travellers heading north. The Blue Jay Hotel remained in business the longest. Silverwood succumbed to the larger village of Birr, one road to its north.
Southgate, located at the intersection of Wonderland Road North and Fourteen Mile Road, consisted of a school, a blacksmith shop, a cheese factory, and a sawmill, along with a Foresters Lodge that hosted many social functions. Today, Southgate has a cemetery and some residences. To the north at Fifteen Mile Road, an early church was built as well as another church at Sixteen Mile Road and Wonderland Road, also known as Holy Corners. Built in 1879, this church was the “union” church, as Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists and Roman Catholics all worshipped here.
Telfer, located at the corner of Denfield and Nine Mile Roads, was named for the Telfer family from Northumberland County, England. A Presbyterian Church and a school were built here. In 1860, the congregation moved to their new church at Vanneck. Telfer post office opened in September 1857 with a store and shoemakers in the hamlet. Today, Telfer Cemetery remains at the corner and the school is a residence.
Truthville, located at the southeast corner of Thirteen Mile and Denfield Roads, reportedly got its name from the exaggerated tales told around the stove in the local store. The hamlet had a store, blacksmith shop, hotel, shoemaker shop, a school and at least seven residences. When the railroad bypassed Truthville, it disappeared. After its demise, old foundations, abandoned wells, a rhubarb patch, lilac bushes and pear tree could be seen. Today, the corner is clear of any markings from its past.
Union Hill, located at the intersection of Nine Mile and Prospect Hill Roads, had a post office from 1870-1879 and a school that closed in 1967. A post office at Salmonville (near corner of Prospect Hill and Ten Mile Roads) existed from 1907 to 1914 with James and Levi Salmon as postmasters.
This is Part One of a series. The next articles will examine the both the forgotten communities, the existing communities and border communities of the former townships. What has been presented is only a sketch of these villages and hamlets. To learn more about them, their people and their history, visit the Middlesex Centre Archives. The rich history of our communities can be discovered in our many collections.
Source: London Township a Rich Heritage 1796-1997 Volume 1
