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• Fergus Curling Club, The
  The oldest continuously operating curling club in Ontario, the Fergus Curling Club was formed in 1834 by Scottish immigrants. At the organization's first formal meeting two years later Adam Fergusson, a founder of Fergus, was chosen president and the rules of play were established. Curling matches between local players and against rival clubs were held out of doors until 1879 when a covered rink was opened. No longer the exclusive preserve of Scots, curling became...

• Charles Clarke 1826-1909
  A leader in the radical reform movement in 19th century Ontario, Clarke was born in Lincoln, England. In his youth, he developed a keen interest in politics and, after emigrating to Upper Canada and settling in Elora in 1848, he joined the ranks of the province's radical reformers. In 1851, Clarke played a prominent role in drafting the "Clear Grit" platform, which included such policies as representation by population, universal male suffrage and the secret...

• David Boyle 1842-1911
  Born in Scotland, Boyle came to Canada in 1856 and settled in this area. As a local school teacher, he began an extensive collection of native artifacts and became an archaeological authority. Boyle moved to Toronto in 1883 and three years later was appointed the first Curator of the Provincial Archaeological Museum, then housed in the Canadian Institute Building. Dedicated to the study and retention of artifacts within Ontario, he initiated an active program of...

• Founder of Elora, The
  Captain William Gilkison (1777-1833) was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, and emigrated to North America in 1796. He served with the British forces in the War of 1812 as an assistant quartermaster-general and, in 1832, purchased some 14,000 acres of land in Nichol Township. He selected this area at the falls of the Grand River as a town site for his proposed settlement and named it Elora. It was laid out by Lewis Burwell, deputy provincial...

• Founders of Fergus, The
  Adam Fergusson (1782-1862) first visited Canada in 1831 to investigate emigration for the Highland Society of Scotland. In 1833, in partnership with a fellow Scot, James Webster (1808-69), he purchased over 7,000 acres of uncleared land in Nichol Township. Attracted by the abundant water power they laid out the town site of Fergus, Webster took up residence here and supervised the settlement's early development. The first house of this predominantly Scottish community was erected in...

• St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church
  Prominently sited on a hill-top overlooking Fergus, St. Andrew's was the dominant visual landmark as well as the religious focus of this Scottish community during the second half of the 19th century. It was erected in 1862 to serve a congregation established almost 30 years before and replaced an earlier church which stood on the site. Designed by David Murray of Guelph and built of locally quarried stone, this attractive Gothic-Revial structure is distinguished by...