Written By Kathryn Shailer, Friends of Campbell Park
The story of the Campbell family of Alvinston is the history of Scottish settlement in SW Ontario in the mid 19th century. The life of Archie Campbell with his dedication to conservation is emblematic of the early vision and determination of Ontario farmers who understood their role as stewards of the land for future generations; they not only worked the land for the benefit of family, friends, and neighbours, but became the driving force behind the founding and development of the Ontario Conservation Authorities, among the earliest environmental movements in Ontario and the country.
Three years after the death of his father in 1854, Neil Campbell, at age 27, emigrated from Argyllshire on the west coast of Scotland to Canada with his mother and other family members. The extended family was now putting down roots in SW Ontario. By the time of the 1861 census, Neil had built a log home in Brooke Township near the village of Alvinston and was living there with his mother and several siblings. In 1862, Neil married Isabella Walker of Metcalfe and then secured a Crown Land grant. Anticipating the Dominion Lands Act of 1872, the Crown land grant system in Upper Canada required the recipient to clear the land for farming and build a homestead. While the small log cabin fulfilled the homestead requirement, even if only temporarily, clearing land for crop planting was a larger issue. Using only manual labour meant a long and arduous task, with only two to five acres coming into production each year. Meanwhile, barns and shelters were built to house livestock.
While the livestock remained housed near Morrogh Creek, spring floods drove the family to seek higher ground for their permanent homestead and in 1867 the board and batten farmhouse, known as the House on the Hill and later just Campbell House, was built on the hill with a lovely view of all the surrounding countryside. When a kitchen was later added to the homestead, a space to accommodate a cold cellar was dug under the new addition, to store preserves for the growing family to use during the winter months. The kitchen served as the centre of activity for the entire family throughout the fall, winter, and spring, while the front rooms (dining room, parlour, and guest room) in the main house were reserved for special occasions and guests. Three unheated second-floor bedrooms plus the large hallway accommodated the sleeping needs of the growing family. The kitchen, with its wood stove, was the coziest place to hang out, except in summer when the large, separate summer kitchen came into use.
While still living in the small log cabin, Neil and Isabella brought their first three children into the world. After moving into the House on the Hill, there followed between 1869 and 1888, nine additional children. Archibald W. (Archie) Campbell was born in 1888, the last of Neil and Isabella’s 12 children and the last to live in the farmhouse and work the land. He attended the Alvinston Continuation School, a hilly three-mile walk from the farm over a swaying bridge that crossed the Sydenham River. His education “instilled in him a love for reading, good conversation, and political activities.”
According to one researcher, “the house on Campbell farm became a meeting place for many young folks in the community where they were able to discuss important topics of the time, as well as sing Gaelic tunes around the family organ.” Archie’s political interests drew him into the political wing of the United Farmers of Ontario (UFO) and he later worked with William Aberhart to draft the Canadian Social Credit Party’s constitution. In his later years, he built on his interests in public service and conservation to assist in the founding of the Sydenham Valley Conservation Authority (predecessor of the St. Clair Region Conservation Authority, SCRCA) and served on its board.
Archie Campbell clearly wanted the conservation authority to take possession of his property. Upon his death in 1965, he willed them the right to purchase the 308-acre farm for a nominal sum and the A. W. Campbell Conservation Area was born. For 35 years, cooperative efforts of the SCRCA, municipalities of Brooke-Alvinston and West Middlesex, service organizations, and dozens of volunteers created and maintained a thriving recreational area for hiking, boating, picnicking, community events, and camping, as well as a restored and furnished house museum. But in 2001, following a break-in and theft of valuable items, the Campbell House was closed to the public. Efforts of concerned citizens between 2022 and 2024 were unable to bring it back from the brink and with a demolition permit in hand, the Campbell House was demolished in January 2026.
