The first town we will be talking about is the town of Churchville.
- Little is known about the corner settlement on the Kerr Sideroad in Aldborough. Churchville got its name from Philip Schmeltz, a bailiff. At that point in time there were three churches and three cemeteries located at the crossroads of the eleventh concession and the Kerr Sideroad, because of this the fitting name of Churchville arose. The settlers who took up land therein Churchville arrived in the late 1840s. They were of Lutheran and Evangelical denominations. Later Roman Catholics arrived. It was only natural for each denomination to want their own house of worship. This resulted in the erection of three separate churches and cemeteries. In 1869, a sawmill was erected on Lot 12, north side of Middle Street. In 1874, the first school in the area was built on the Robert Kerr farm at the corner of Silver Clay and Kerr Road. Prior to the erection of a schoolhouse in Churchville children had to walk several miles to attend school. The first teacher was Ada Lugston. At around the same time a cheese factory was built at Kerr Road and Talbot Street. Another business in the area at that time was a brick factory. Located east of Kerr Road and Middle Street, the brick factory was owned by Wendelin Schnekenberger. The first bricks from the yard were used to build the first brick house of the area, which was owned by Squire Archibald Thompson also just east of Kerr Road. Between the years 1870 and 1880, Frederick Streib and his family, who resided on the southeast quarter of Lot 11, concession 10, Middle Street, made their living by making all kinds of crocks out of clay by hand. The clay was dug out of a bank of a farm, sometimes out of a hill alongside the road. The clay was then put into a self-made grinder, propelled by a team of horses. With the help of his wife, Mr. Streib would leave early in the morning calling at all the towns within a radius of thirty miles. Each trip took two days. His wares consisted of crocks of assorted sizes, jugs of many designs, and flat milk dishes- used for skimming cream to use for churning.
The next vanished village is Fern Dell
- Fern Dell was a small community that came into existence in the 1880s. It grew around a school that was built on a portion of Lot 15 in 1887. This community was located northeast of Rodney on what is now Elgin County Road No. 9. The school was erected by William Haine, who purchased the old McNeil homestead. When William erected the school, his wife named the area Fern Dell because of…you guessed it the profusion of ferns. The first teacher there was Elizabeth MacDairmid, who received a salary of $250.00 per annum and boarded at the school for $1.50 per week. The school was used for seventy-eight years, closing in 1965 and removed from the site. The school was also used as a social and religious meeting place for many years.
Taylor
- Little remains of what was once the busy town of Taylor. Before the coming of the Canada Southern Railway in the 1870s, Taylor was the location of two stave mills. Stave mills produce the narrow strips of wood that compose the sides of barrels. Operated by D. Waugh and R. Whithead. These men hauled their products by wagon to Port Glasgow where they were then shipped out. The railway soon realized this place was important as a fueling stop for the wood-burning locomotives and as a source of gravel and fill for the construction of the railroad beds. Gravel was taken from the ridge. The railway erected a station house on the Lalonde farm, and this was used until a station was built at Muirkirk, named after the president of the Canada Southern company, Mr. Muir. When big locomotives and express units were brought in, a system was designed to pick up water while the steam engine was in motion. Long pans were installed between the tracks so water could be scooped up as the engine went by. A pumping station was erected to keep these pans filled. It was placed under the management of William Nicholson and assisted by H. Keutch and R. Stickler. This innovative system was used until the introduction of the diesel locomotive. At its peak Taylor had a general store, but when the railway shifted to Muirkirk, the town started to fizzle out. For many years mail was picked up at Taylor for Kintyre. Some say this mail service terminated in 1914.
Kintyre
- The little settlement of Kintyre is located northwest of Rodney in Aldborough. The town is centered around a church on the southeast corner of Concession 4 and Black’s Lane. Before the establishment of the church settlers would have to travel many miles by foot to attend service in New Glasgow. This was from 1824-1847. By 1847, Rev. Duncan McMillan was called upon to take over the pastorate and services were held in the old S.S. No. 8 school. The school was known by the townspeople as Maple Grove School and was located north of Rodney. The school was replaced by a brick school which was destroyed by fire in 1944 and rebuilt in 1946. All church services were held here until John Scott built an edifice in 1861. In 1873, the congregation split up, enabling the Kintyre congregation to select their own minister. It was at this time the manse was built south of the church on Blake’s Lane. Six years later this manse would be destroyed by fire and later rebuilt.
Crinan
- The town of Crinan was settled mainly by Scotch and German settlers. A greater percentage were Scottish who arrived in Canada shortly after the separation of church and state in 1843. Crinan was named by Peter McNeil, one of the early settlers, after his hometown in Scotland. As time progressed, the need for a school and a church became urgent. The settlers erected a log school on Lot 21, Concession 1, in 1855. In this building the first religious ceremonies were also held. In 1860, the people of Wardsville and Crinan united to form one congregation. The original Argyle Church was built in Crinan the following year. Rev. Neil McKinnon became the first minister. Sunday school was held even before the church was built, the first being held in 1857. The church was eventually remodeled in 1885. The manse was built in 1872 and was located on Concession 2 on what is now the Douglas McMurchy farm. The manse was sold in 1903. On June 4, 1859, the Crinan Post Office opened with Duncan McIntyre (who was also a tailor) appointed postmaster. It was located on Lot 19, Concession 1. 108 years later the office would close. Mail would come from Wardsville. During the winter, if roads became exceedingly bad, Duncan had to occasionally carry the mail on his back and travel the long distance. When Duncan died in 1889, his son John took over. During this time, mail was picked up from Dutton three times a week. By WW1 the office had moved further down Concession 1 Road to its present location. In 1906, the business section of Crinan consisted of a blacksmith shop, general store, tailor shop, and a cheese factory. The cheese factory was first established in 1873 by R.S. McMillan, the blacksmith shop was operated by A. Young, and the shoemaker was Donald McCall. The children of Crinan had to first attend school on the northeast side of the Thames River in Ekfrid Township. Records do not state how the children crossed the river. Settlers had to ford the Thames for several years before the wooden bridge was built. It is logical to assume the children crossed by footbridge. Once the children crossed, they had to walk blazed trails, as roads were nonexistent. A school was built close to Crinan on Lot 21, Concession 1, in 1855. The first teacher was Jane Grant. In 1864, a new frame school was erected on Lot 21, Concession 2, built to serve the area between Concession 1 and 7. The school did not become a free school until 1865. In 1872, the school was moved to the present site north of Crinan. In 1890, this school was then replaced by a brick school. Since then, it has been converted into a house. One extremely exciting town advance was the first threshing machine. The machine was run by horse and was used by Peter D. McCallum before 1867.
Clachan
- The name Clachan is derived from the description of the topography of the area. The land is gravelly in nature and is a by-product of the glacial periods. The first group of settlers came in 1820, all native to Scotland. In the early days, the settlers would float logs down the Thames River to Chatham to be sold. The sales helped tide the families over till they had built their log farmhouses, barns, and cleared the land. These log buildings were erected without the use of nails, as nails were scarce and expensive. The area of Clachan was without a school until the year 1852. Daniel Campbell built a log school on Lot 5 on Martin’s Knoll. It had one door, three windows, and a fireplace and chimney made of clay and stone. Inside were wooden benches without backs or desks. The average attendance was twenty pupils. The log school eventually became abandoned when more settlers with large families arrived. A large frame school was erected to take in the rising numbers on Black’s Lane in 1863. The school became known as “Oak Grove School” as it was surrounded by oak trees. According to records of John McLeod, 152 pupils attended the school in 1881. The frame building was later replaced by a two-story brick schoolhouse in 1891. Late in the 1870s, a steam-powered sawmill was established in Clachan. There were two general stores located at the corners. According to the 1865 directory, Clachan had a wagon-maker and blacksmith by the name John Campbell, and a blacksmith’s shop and general store run by William Gill. The first post office was established in 1858, on the west side of the road north of the general store. There has been much discussion and confusion as to where the post office originally stood. On the 1864 Tremaine map, the post office was located on Lot 10, Concession 3. The 1877 Page map of Aldborough Township shows the post office at the intersection of the third concession and the town line road. While in an essay written in the 1890s, Angus McLean claims the first post office was located on Lot 4, Concession 2.
New Glasgow
- Colonel Richard Airey, nephew of Colonel Thomas Talbot, drew the origins plans for New Glasgow in 1870. At the time he owned ⅓ of the entire township of Aldborough. Airey used the names of three battles in the Crimean war as street names, Balaclava, Inkerman, and Alma. Many settlers immigrated from Scotland and instead of staying in the Rondeau area, they approached Col. Talbot and were granted land around New Glasgow. Donald Currie arrived in 1831 and held classes in various homes until a school was built in the area in 1832. The school was also used as a post office with Currie being the first postmaster. New Glasgow’s business section in 1865 was booming. The town had shoemakers, a general store, wagon maker, blacksmith, saw and grist mill, township clerks, justice of the peace, and a hotel. In 1872 the business section had the following: two shoemakers, presbyterian church, commercial hotel, and blacksmith. In 1837, a rebellion started with all able-bodied men forming a militia. The men brought their own weapons, which ranged from axes, spears, clubs, pitchforks, swords, and muskets. The men marched to Amherstburg to take part in the conflict. This militia was under the leadership of Col. George Munroe. The men stayed in Amherstburg for about a month before marching home. The first Presbyterian church was built in 1828, west of Sixteen-Mile Creek on Lot 4, Concession 12. The present church was built in 1854 and has served for over 150 years. Since the arrival of the Canada Southern Railway and later the 401 highway, the population of New Glasgow dwindled and dropped to about 40 residents.
Kintyre
- The little settlement of Kintyre is located northwest of Rodney in Aldborough. The town is centered around a church on the southeast corner of Concession 4 and Black’s Lane. Before the establishment of the church settlers would have to travel many miles by foot to attend service in New Glasgow. This was from 1824-1847. By 1847, Rev. Duncan McMillan was called upon to take over the pastorate and services were held in the old S.S. No. 8 school. The school was known by the townspeople as Maple Grove School and was located north of Rodney. The school was replaced by a brick school which was destroyed by fire in 1944 and rebuilt in 1946. All church services were held here until John Scott built an edifice in 1861. In 1873, the congregation split up, enabling the Kintyre congregation to select their own minister. It was at this time the manse was built south of the church on Blake’s Lane. Six years later this manse would be destroyed by fire and later rebuilt.