History
The first settlers to the village in 1830 were surnames such as: Adams, Ashton, Roberts, Clark, Grass, Power, Perreman, Wilcoxson and others; of Irish descent were the Howden brothers. The community was first known as English Corners because most of the land was sold to people of some wealth, most of whom were English. When the post office was established in 1847, the community was named Columbus, possibly after the 15th century explorer Christopher Columbus. Its first postmaster was Robert Skirving.
In 1853, the first council for the Township of East Whitby was formed, and the first reeve was John Ratcliffe. From this point in time on to 1870, the village grew to over 300 inhabitants. The village had: a township hall, four churches, blacksmiths, a post office, an Orange Hall, stores, carpenters, shoe shops, tailors, dressmakers, mills, asheries, copper shops, a tannery, a furniture factory, a harness shop, and four hotels.
Electricity first came to the area in 1883, just west of Columbus at the village of Empire Mills. Electricity came to Columbus later in 1919, with street lights added by 1928.
Empire Mills
Just west of Columbus on a branch of the Oshawa Creek at the SE corner of Thornton Rd. and Columbus Rd. existed the largest mill in the entire area. Here, in 1835, the impressive, four-storey woollen mills of Mathewson and Ratcliffe were operated by a crew of 50, which was much larger than the other mills that dotted the landscape.
The men were brought in from northern England to work the mill. They resided in a boarding home and small cottages. In 1850, the company was sold to the Empire Mills Company. The area grew into a village that had a church, a store, a school, wooden sidewalks and by 1883, an electrical lighting system powered by the mill dam. It may have been the first of its kind in the entire area.
When a major railway was built well west near Markham, the company moved. The old mill struggled under new ownership until 1890 when a flood washed out the dam. It was never rebuilt and the village died. A few old century homes survive; two cemeteries from the area survive: the Dryden Baptist Cemetery and St. Paul's Anglican Cemetery.
The 1878 Beers Map shows the village at Lot 16 Concession 6–7 in the former Township of East Whitby just west of Columbus. One mile west of the four corners of Columbus stood St. Paul's Anglican Church which was burned to the ground in 1922. Just by the church stood the woollen mills and a number of houses. Another church just west serviced the village as well. Called the Dryden Baptist Church, it was named after James Dryden, who owned the property across the road from it. This church still stands, but now sits on property across the road from the Nesbitt's.
A famous naturalized American was born here. Walt Mason: 1862–1939. He became an American (originally Canadian). Walt was a newspaper writer and humourist, often called "Poet Laureate of American Democracy". Mason was married in 1893 to Ella Foss, of Wooster, Ohio. His father, a dyer, died in an accident at the Empire Mill when he fell down a shaft line. Walt was just four years of age at the time. He also worked in the same mill when he was older. Walt's home still stands, but was moved a bit west and is now owned by Fred Nesbitt.
Ten other mills operated in the area, one just upstream from Empire Mills (run by John Bickle and H. Hill), one just west by Dryden Cemetery, two in Brooklin, one at Winchester Golf Course (on the old H. Bickle farm), one in Chubtown, two just north of Chubtown at Goodman's Mills (another ghost town), and two just west of Raglan.
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario, approximately 60 km (37 mi) east of Downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of the Greater Toronto Area and of the Golden Horseshoe. It is the largest municipality in the Regional Municipality of Durham. The name Oshawa originates from the Ojibwa term aazhawe, meaning "the crossing place" or just "a cross".
Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. It had a population of 138,501 at the 2021 census. It is approximately 45 km (28 mi) east of Toronto, and it is known as a commuter suburb in the Greater Toronto Area. While the southern portion of Whitby is predominantly urban and an economic hub, the northern part of the municipality is more rural and includes the communities of Ashburn, Brooklin, Myrtle, Myrtle Station, and Macedonian Village.
The Regional Municipality of Durham, informally referred to as Durham Region, is a regional municipality in Southern Ontario, Canada. Located east of Toronto and the Regional Municipality of York, Durham forms the east-end of the Greater Toronto Area and part of the Golden Horseshoe region. It has an area of approximately 2,500 km2 (970 sq mi). The regional government is headquartered in Whitby.
Scugog is a township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, south-central Ontario, Canada. It is northeast of Toronto and just north of Oshawa. The anchor and largest population base of the township is Port Perry. The township has a population of roughly 22,500. A smaller Scugog Township was also a historic municipality and geographic township prior to the amalgamation that formed the current municipality.
Innisfil is a town in Ontario, Canada, located on the western shore of Lake Simcoe in Simcoe County, immediately south of Barrie and 80 kilometres (50 mi) north of Toronto. It has historically been a rural area, but since it is geographically sandwiched between the high-growth areas of Barrie and the York Region, there has been growing residential development in Innisfil.
Beaverton is a community in Brock Township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada.
Port Perry is a community located in Scugog, Ontario, Canada. The town is located 84 kilometres (52 mi) northeast of central Toronto, north of Oshawa, and east of Whitby. Port Perry has a population of 9,553 as of 2021. Port Perry serves as the administrative and commercial centre for the township of Scugog. The town is home to a 24-bed hospital, Scugog Township's municipal offices and many retail establishments. Port Perry serves as a hub for many small communities in the Scugog area, such as Greenbank, Raglan, Caesarea, Blackstock and Nestleton/Nestleton Station. The Great Blue Heron Charitable Casino is a major employer. Located at the basin of the Trent-Severn Waterways is Lake Scugog, one of Ontario's largest man-made lakes.
Elizabethtown-Kitley is a township in eastern Ontario, Canada, in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville. Its southern border lies along the St. Lawrence River and it extends north into many rural hamlets and villages. The township was created on January 1, 2001 by the amalgamation of the former Township of Elizabethtown and Township of Kitley.
Ontario County was the name of two historic counties in the Canadian province of Ontario. Both counties were located in approximately the same area and existed on-and-off between 1792 and 1974. Their primary modern successor is the Regional Municipality of Durham, though certain parts of them were transferred to other surrounding regions.
Durham Region Transit (DRT) is the regional public transit operator in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada, east of Toronto. Its headquarters are at 605 Rossland Road East in Whitby, Ontario, and there are regional centres in Ajax, Whitby, and Oshawa. It was formed by the merger of Ajax/Pickering Transit, Whitby Transit, Oshawa Transit, and Clarington Transit.
Brooklin is a community in the town of Whitby, Ontario, Canada, north of central Whitby, at the south junction of Ontario Highways 12 and 7. While Brooklin proper is confined to a specific area, people in the surrounding area largely identify their location as "Brooklin" rather than "Whitby".
Courtice is a community in Ontario, Canada, about 60 km (37 mi) east of Toronto, within the Municipality of Clarington. Adjacent to Oshawa, it is west of Bowmanville, which is also part of Clarington. Courtice Road connects with Highway 401 at Interchange 425, providing arterial access to the community. Darlington Provincial Park is located just south of Courtice.
The Township of Norwich is a municipality located in Oxford County in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. At the centre of the Township of Norwich is the Town of Norwich. The preferred pronunciation of the town name is NOR-witch, which differs from the pronunciation NORR-ij used for the city of Norwich, England. The origin of Norwich, Ontario, is more likely Norwich in upper New York State, the area from which the pioneering families emigrated in the early 19th century, where the community was known as Norwichville.
Walsh is a medium-sized hamlet in Norfolk County, Ontario, Canada.
Hagerman's Corners is a dispersed rural community in Markham, Ontario, Canada. Located at 14th Avenue and Kennedy Road, the former farm lands have disappeared and given way to homes and commercial parks. It is geographically located between the communities of Milliken Mills and Unionville, within the city of Markham.
Pickering Village is a former municipality and now a neighbourhood in the town of Ajax, within the Durham Region of Ontario, Canada. The Pickering Village derives its name from the former Pickering Township, which included the present-day town of Ajax and the city of Pickering. A small portion of the original settlement is now part of the Village East neighbourhood in the city of Pickering.
Cashel, Ontario is a small hamlet situated in Unionville, Ontario located at the intersection of Elgin Mills Road and York Regional Road 67. Originally it was called Crosby Corners after John Crosby, the village's first store owner, who came originally from New York State. The name was changed to Cashel in 1851 with the opening of its first post office. It was likely named after Cashel in Ireland. In 1851 the community had a sawmill, cobbler shop, blacksmith shop, wagon shop, inn and tavern, Masonic Lodge, and Presbyterian church. In 1890 Peaches United Church was built on land from farmer Thomas Peach at 10762 McCowan Road. The church is a historic site and not operating since the 1960s to 1970s, but cemetery remains in active use. The east west sideroad along the church was locally called Peaches (Peach's) Sideroad or otherwise known as Elgin Mills Road.
The Township of Mariposa was a municipality located in the southwest corner of the former Victoria County, now the city of Kawartha Lakes, in the Canadian province of Ontario. The other municipal neighbours of Mariposa are Ops and Fenelon on the east, Eldon on the north, Brock on the west, and Scugog on the south, with the latter two located in the Durham Regional Municipality. The former township includes the communities of Little Britain, Manilla, Mariposa, Valentia, and Oakwood. Today, most of the former township is represented in the City of Kawartha Lakes by the Ward 8 Councillor, John Pollard, and Ward 4 Councillor Andrew Veale.
Norfolk County in the Canadian province of Ontario consists of a long list of communities. Its four designated population centres are Simcoe, Port Dover, Delhi, and Waterford.
Lemonville is a hamlet in York Region, Ontario, Canada, in the town of Whitchurch–Stouffville. The hamlet is centred at the intersection of McCowan Road and Bloomington Road, in the geographical centre of Whitchurch-Stouffville.
