Elora, Ontario
The Historic Village of Elora is a community in the township of Centre Wellington in the Province of Ontario, Canada. It is well known for its 19th-century limestone architecture and its geographically, historically, and culturally significant limestone gorge.
Elora is no longer an incorporated municipality in its own right, although it is the seat of the municipal government that succeeded it. The Township of Centre Wellington was formed in 1999 when, on the advice of the Province, the County amalgamated the Town of Fergus; the Village of Elora; and the surrounding townships of Nichol, Pilkington, and West Garafraxa The decision — along with the Ontario government’s role therein — remains highly controversial among Elora’s inhabitants.
In 2011, the village was estimated to have had a population of approximately 7,756.
History
Roman Catholic missionaries first visited the area in the early to mid-1600s, attempting to Christianize the indigenous people, particularly the Neutral Nation on the Attiwandaronk Lands. The first European settlers arrived in 1817, and Roswell Matthews built a home here the next year.Captain William Gilkison founded Elora in 1832. Originally from Ayrshire, Scotland, Gilkison emigrated to North America in 1796, was recently returned from India, and had served in the War of 1812, fighting the nascent United States. He bought 14,000 acres of land on the Grand River and settled on the east side of the river. The plan for the settlement was laid out by Lewis Burwell, deputy provincial land surveyor, late in 1832. By his death in April 1833, Gilkison had opened a sawmill and a general store. The name "Elora" was taken from Gilkison's brother's ship, which was itself inspired by the Ellora Caves near Aurangabad, Maharashtra, India.
Image:A street in Elora, Ontario, after an ice storm, early 1900s.jpg|thumb|A street in Elora after an ice storm; early 1900s.Charles Allan and Andrew Geddes laid out a town site on the west side of the river. By 1848, village lots were being sold, and the settlement was incorporated into a village in 1858. The commercial area was near the grist mill, by the waterfalls, and eventually moved further up the hill.
The Smith's Canadian Gazetteer of 1846 describes Elora as having beautiful waterfalls and a deep channel carved by the river in the limestone rock. At the time, there were only 100 inhabitants but two churches, three mills, and a post office. Otherwise, there were a few tradespeople and a single tavern.
In the 1850s and 1860s, Elora was a major agricultural marketplace. Stores in the downtown area sold a wide range of goods. The flour mill and saw were powered by the Grand River. In 1869, the population was 1,500. By 1870, several other mills, two distilleries, a carpet factory, a tannery, and two furniture factories were operating. While there were some earlier private providers of electricity on a small scale, more extensive provision of power, by Ontario Hydropower, began in 1914.
Elora Mill
The extant five-storey Elora grist mill was built in 1832 and, over its history, housed a sawmill, distillery, and flour mill. In the 1970s, it became the Elora Mill Inn, which closed in 2010. Plans were submitted to convert the building to condominiums and a hotel, and in 2017 a report stated "Elora Mill Inn and Spa, a $120 million project expected to bring a world class resort and 250 jobs to the area when it opens in Spring 2018. Following a $27 million renovation, the Elora Mill Hotel and Spa, owned by Pearle Hospitality, opened in July 2018, employing 170 people and featuring 30 rooms and a restaurant. Construction of the condominium section of the property was to begin in 2019.In February 2020, the property was awarded a Heritage Recognition Award by Heritage Centre Wellington.
David Street (Irvine Creek) bridge
In 2002, the Township of Centre Wellington announced that, for safety reasons, it would demolish the historically significant David Street Bridge over Irvine Creek. The structure and its pier had been built in 1868 by Charles Lawrence, a stonemason. The structure was "the first cantilever bridge in North America". It is described as one of the few remaining open-spandrel concrete arch bridges and is listed in the Ontario Heritage Bridge Program. Concerned about the preservation of Elora's culturally significant architecture, the group Elora Heritage was founded. They received over 1,000 names on a petition. They met with representatives from the town council as well as the provincial and federal governments.It became apparent that the bridge was beyond preservation; however, the council agreed to preserve the pier and build a replica bridge in 2004. The project presented numerous engineering challenges, but was completed. The current structure is similar to the 1921 bridge; the 1867 stone pier was retained as had been planned.
Victoria Street Bridge
Most parts of another bridge over the river, known as the Victoria Street Pedestrian Bridge, had been demolished years ago. Still, it was being rebuilt in 2019 as part of the downtown redevelopment.The first Victoria Street Bridge over the Grand River was built in 1843, again in 1871, and lastly as a Pratt truss bridge in 1899. The latest structure, a non-truss concrete beam pedestrian bridge with decorative railings and stone cladding mimicking an arch below, replaced the previous structure, which was demolished in 2006. Named for Jack R. MacDonald, the new bridge opened in November 2019 and allows for increased pedestrian access into the core.!
Metcalfe Badley Bridge
The Metcalfe Street Bridge is the main vehicular bridge with direct access into town. The Parker Through truss bridge has been assessed as being in a poor state and would be closed for repairs or replacement. The new bridge will not be a truss bridge to accommodate vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians. The scope of the Victoria St. project was described as:Construction of the bridge deck concrete topping and side curbs, masonry pilasters, steel framing and arched masonry stone side skirts along the bridge, steel railings, electrical, lighting and the finished piazza concrete slab, retaining wall, storm sewer extension and planting beds.
A report in April 2020 indicated that benefits included "wider traffic lanes and sidewalks, two new bike lanes, an expanded observation deck, enhanced lighting, limestone gateway piers". The reconstructed bridge opened on 18 December 2020.
From "poorhouse" to museum
In 1877, the County opened the Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, or Poorhouse as it was called, on Wellington Road 18 between Fergus and Elora. Over the years, approximately 1500 "deserving" poor, including those who were destitute, old and infirm, or suffering from disabilities, were housed here. The sixty-bed house for "inmates" was surrounded by a 30-acre "industrial" farm with a barn for livestock that produced some of the food for the 70 residents and the staff, and also provided work for them. Others worked in the House itself. According to a 2009 report by the Toronto Star, "pauperism was considered a moral failing that could be erased through order and hard work". A hospital was added in 1892. A nearby cemetery has 271 plots for those who died. In 1947 the House was converted into the Wellington County Home for the Aged and in 1975 the building reopened as the Wellington County Museum and Archives.A historic plaque was erected at the museum, indicating that the "government-supported poorhouse" was "the shelter of last resort for the homeless and destitute, who traded spartan accommodations for domestic or agricultural labour".
Raceway and slots controversy
In 2000, a proposal was made to build a standardbred horse racing track with slot machines in Elora, creating the Grand River Raceway. The plan became the subject of much debate. The Centre Wellington Citizens Coalition was formed in opposition to the race track, primarily because of the inclusion of gambling facilities. The township council voted 4–3 to approve the opening. It ended in a 3–3 tie, and the mayor at the time voted in favour. The Grand River Raceway eventually opened in Elora in 2002, with Slots At Grand River Raceway offering 200 slot machines operated by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.Grand River Raceway is owned and operated by the Grand River Agricultural Society, a not-for-profit corporation, incorporated under the Agricultural Societies Act of Ontario and operated by a volunteer board of directors. The Society operates the racetrack and other facilities. It leases space to the OLG for the slot machines; the OLG is the operator and employer for the slot operation. In 2009, the business paid $1.6 million in taxes, and the OLG paid the Township an additional $1.78 million, being a share of the profits.
A plan for substantial expansion, approved by the Township Council in February 2017, will include gaming tables and many additional slot machines. Some councillors were strongly opposed to the plan. The rationale for the majority decision was the revenue benefit; since the slots opened, the Township has received over $22 million from the currently small operation.
Tourism
Many tourists visit Elora on day trips, drawn by the town's historic character or the Grand River Raceway, which hosts horse racing and slot machines. It has many small shops, pubs, cafés, restaurants, and art galleries. These are often in buildings built in the mid-19th century. The Gorge Cinema is Canada's oldest continuously running repertory theatre. The annual Elora Festival & Singers event is particularly popular.The Elora Gorge and its Conservation Area are at the edge of town. The park offers canoeing, paddleboat rentals, hiking, campgrounds, fishing, and picnicking. Some of the limestone cliffs are 12 metres high. At the eastern end of the village is the Elora Quarry Conservation Area, a scenic former limestone quarry, which is now a popular swimming area.
Image:Elora Ontario 2013 p3.jpg|thumb|Restored buildings on Mill St. line the Grand River in the downtown area.
In 2001, a group of citizens organized an arts and cultural centre, the Elora Centre for the Arts, at the site of a century-old school whose headmaster, at one time, was David Boyle, well known as an educator in the late 1800s.
The township of Centre Wellington has an active historical society and operates the Wellington County Museum and Archives in a historic stone building in Aboyne, halfway between Elora and Fergus, Ontario. This two-storey Italianate-style stone building was the oldest known state-supported poorhouse or almshouse in Canada, called the House of Industry and Refuge when it opened in 1877. The museum opened in 1975, and the building was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1995.