Douro-Dummer

Douro-Dummer
Township (lower-tier)
Township of Douro-Dummer
Crowes Landing on Stoney Lake
Douro-Dummer Show map of Peterborough County Douro-Dummer Show map of Southern Ontario
Coordinates: 44°27′N78°06′W / 44.450°N 78.100°W / 44.450; -78.100
Country	Canada
Province	Ontario
County	Peterborough
Settled	1830s
Formed	January 1, 1998
Government
• Type	Township
• Mayor	Heather Watson
• Fed. riding	Peterborough
• Prov. riding	Peterborough—Kawartha
Area [1]
• Land	459.46 km2 (177.40 sq mi)
Population  (2021) [1]
• Total	7,632
• Density	16.6/km2 (43/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC-5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
Postal Codes	K0L 2B0, K0L 2H0 & K0L 3A0 & K9J
Area codes	705, 249
Website	www.dourodummer.on.ca

Warsaw Caves, Ontario

Douro-Dummer is a township in central-eastern Ontario, Canada, in Peterborough County along the Trent-Severn Waterway. It was formed on January 1, 1998, through the amalgamation of Douro and Dummer Townships. ^[2]

The township is the site of drumlins known as the Drumlins of Douro, and home of the Warsaw Caves (near the community of Warsaw).

Douro's general store was run by the same family since 1896, Patrick George Towns after moving the store opened in his hometown Peterborough in 1892; however, it closed its doors for the last time in Sunday, September 4, 2016. ^[3] It was reopened as Towns and Leahy Merchantile and Deli in 2017, but it was destroyed by a fire in 2018. ^[4]

Communities

The township comprises the communities of:

• Centre Dummer
• Clarina
• Cottesloe
• Crowe's Landing
• Donwood
• Douro
• Five Corners - referring to convergence of Douro Seventh Line, Nassau Road and Peterborough County Road 4
• Galesburg - south of Clear Lake
• Guerin - along Indian River
• Hall's Glen
• parts of Stony Lake, including McCracken's Landing and Juniper Island
• South Beach
• South Dummer
• Warsaw - south end of Quarry Lake and seat of municipal government
• Young's Point

History

The area was historically inhabited by Mississaugas First Nations. After the Rice Lake Treaty #20 was signed in 1818, in which 1,951,000 acres (790,000 ha) of land north of Rice Lake were surrendered, both Douro and Dummer townships were opened for settlement. Douro Township was named in honour of one of the battles in the Peninsula War. In 1823, Dummer Township was surveyed, and in 1831, 2,000 Irish and English settlers arrived there to begin colonization, who were granted 100 acres (40 ha) of land per family. In 1841, the first post office in Dummer Township opened. By that time, both townships were fully settled. ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Demographics

In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Douro-Dummer had a population of 7,632 living in 2,925 of its 3,601 total private dwellings, a change of 13.8% from its 2016 population of 6,709. With a land area of 459.46 km² (177.40 sq mi), it had a population density of 16.6/km² (43.0/sq mi) in 2021. ^[1]

Canada census – Douro-Dummer community profile

	2021	2016	2011
Population	7,632 (+13.8% from 2016)	6,709 (-1.4% from 2011)	6,805 (-2.1% from 2006)
Land area	459.46 km2 (177.40 sq mi)	458.95 km2 (177.20 sq mi)	458.98 km2 (177.21 sq mi)
Population density	16.6/km2 (43/sq mi)	14.6/km2 (38/sq mi)	14.8/km2 (38/sq mi)
Median age	48.4 (M: 48.0, F: 48.8)	45.5 (M: 45.3, F: 45.7)
Private dwellings	3,601 (total)  2,925 (occupied)	3,434 (total)	3,110 (total)
Median household income	$96,000	$80,352

References: 2021 ^[8] 2016 ^[9] 2011 ^[10]

Historical census populations – Douro-Dummer

Year	Pop.	±%
1996	6,724	—
2001	6,652	−1.1%
2006	6,954	+4.5%
2011	6,805	−2.1%
2016	6,709	−1.4%
2021	7,632	+13.8%
Source: Statistics Canada [1] [11] [10]

Local government

Douro-Dummer is governed by a mayor, deputy-mayor and three councillors. As of the 2022 election, the elected council members are:

• Mayor: Heather Watson
• Deputy Mayor: Harold Nelson
• Councillor at Large: Thomas G. Watt
• Councillors:
  • Ward 1: Ray Johnston
  • Ward 2: Adam Vervoort

Notable people

• Ronnie Hawkins, American-born Canadian musician, Rockabilly Legend (resident 1970-2017)
• Leahy, Canadian folk rock band (family homestead)
• Susanna Moodie 1803-1885, Pioneer, English-born Canadian writer and newspaper editor (former resident 1832-1840)
• Catharine Parr Traill 1802-1899, Pioneer, English-born Canadian writer, naturalist and sister of Susanna Moodie (former resident 1832-1840)

See also

• List of townships in Ontario

References

1. "Douro-Dummer (Code 3515023) Census Profile". 2021 census . Government of Canada - Statistics Canada . Retrieved 2025-07-16.
2. "Municipal restructuring activity summary table - Dataset - Ontario Data Catalogue". data.ontario.ca. Government of Ontario. Retrieved 1 July 2025.
3. "General store near Peterborough closes its doors after 124 years". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
4. https://www.mykawartha.com/news-story/9150802-it-s-been-a-year-since-fire-stole-a-piece-of-douro-with-destruction-of-p-g-towns-and-sons-general-store/l ^{[ dead link ]}
5. Stage 1 & 2 Archaeological Assessment of 1304 Whetung Road, Lot 32, Concession 8, Geographic Township of Dummer, Township of Douro-Dummer, Peterborough County, Ontario (PDF) (Report). Port Hope, Ontario: Northeastern Archaeological Associates Limited. 3 March 2022. P025-0744-2021. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
6. "Douro Township". ontario.heritagepin.com. Heritage Property INdex. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
7. "Dummer Township". ontario.heritagepin.com. Heritage Property INdex. Retrieved 16 July 2025.
8. "2021 Community Profiles". 2021 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. February 4, 2022. Retrieved 2023-10-19.
9. "2016 Community Profiles". 2016 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. August 12, 2021. Retrieved 2019-06-30.
10. "2011 Community Profiles". 2011 Canadian census . Statistics Canada. March 21, 2019. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
11. Statistics Canada: 1996, 2001, 2006

External links

• Official website