Cumnock, Ontario

Cumnock is an unincorporated rural community in Centre Wellington Township, Wellington County, Ontario, Canada.[1][2] Cumnock was part of Nichol Township until 1999.[3][4]

Cumnock, Ontario
Unincorporated rural community
Highway 6 in Cumnock
Highway 6 in Cumnock
Cumnock, Ontario is located in Canada
Cumnock, Ontario
Cumnock, Ontario
Cumnock, Ontario is located in Ontario
Cumnock, Ontario
Cumnock, Ontario
Coordinates: 43°45′35″N 80°27′25″W
CountryCanada
ProvinceOntario
CountyWellington
TownshipCentre Wellington
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
GNBC CodeFAUXS[1]

The settlement is located on Highway 6, 9 km (5.6 mi) northwest of Fergus.

Once a thriving rural community, little remains of the original settlement.

History
The Fergus stage coach, which carried both mail and passengers, stopped in front of the general store and post office in Cumnock (circa 1890)[5]

James Samson, a Scottish immigrant, purchased 7,367 acres (2,981 ha) of land in the area in 1852. Samson built a general store and tavern along the Owen Sound Road (now Highway 6), and named the settlement after his hometown of Cumnock, Scotland.[6][7] A post office was established in Samson's store in 1855, with Samson as postmaster.[8]

In 1855, Richard Gluyas laid out Gluyasville a short distance north of Cumnock. Gluyasville was eventually absorbed by Cumnock.[7]

The Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway built a line through Cumnock in 1871, and a station was built there.[9][10] That same year, Cumnock was noted as having a saw mill, a wagon maker, and two hotels (the British Hotel and the Red Lion).[10] The Red Lion Hotel was owned by Scottish immigrant John Muir, who "went back to Scotland several times to bring back wives to Cumnock".[6]

The Cumnock Methodist Church was built in 1877.[11]

Cumnock was noted as having a cheese factory in 1880.[12]

Decline

At its peak, Cumnock had a population of 200, though by 1908, the settlement had one hotel, two stores, two churches, and a population of 86.[6][13]

The post office closed in 1915, and the Methodist church closed in 1924.[8][11]

An author writing in 1933 described the northern boundary of Nichol Township "where Cumnock used to be",[14] and by 1969, Cumnock was no longer listed on provincial maps.[6]

The railroad line through Cumnock was eventually taken over by Canadian National Railway, and was abandoned in 1983.[9][10]

Cumnock Tract

In 1964, the County of Wellington purchased two parcels of forested land at Cumnock for recreational use. Located within the westernmost parcel is the Cumnock Tract, a 1.5 km (0.93 mi) walking trail.[15]

Notable people

References
  1. "Cumnock". Natural Resources Canada. October 6, 2016.
  2. "Centre Wellington". Statistics Canada. November 2, 2016.
  3. "Restructuring Flashnews Municipal Restructuring Summary Table". Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  4. The Province of Ontario Gazetteer and Directory. Robertson & Cook. 1869. pp. 126.
  5. "Cumnock General Store/Post Office". Wellington County Museum and Archives. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
  6. "Local Resident Compiles the History of Cumnock". Arthur Enterprise News. October 7, 2010.
  7. Rosenthal, Max (February 1965). "Early Post Offices of the Fergus District" (PDF). BNA Topics. British North America Philatelic Society. 22 (2): 37–39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  8. "Cumnock". Library and Archives Canada. May 27, 2014.
  9. "The Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway". Trainweb. December 30, 1997.
  10. Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Wellington, for 1871-2. A. O. Loomis & Co. 1871. p. 72.
  11. Russell, Ken (July 12, 2002). "Cumnock Methodist Church". Rootsweb.
  12. Report of the Commissioners [and Appendices A to S]. Vol. 2. Ontario Agricultural Commission. 1880. p. 632.
  13. Lovell's Gazetteer of the Dominion of Canada (PDF). John Lovell & Son. 1908. p. 418.
  14. Templin, Hugh (1933). Fergus: The Story of a Little Town. Fergus News-Record. p. 27.
  15. "Wellington Walks 2013" (PDF). County of Wellington. 2013.
  16. Day, Frank (1953). Here and There in Eramosa. Leaman. p. 194.
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