| return |
Town of Harrison
|
THE FOUNDING OF HARRISTON
In 1854 Archibald Harrison (1818-1877), a Toronto-area farmer, acquired land
here in Minto Township where the Elora and Saugeen Road crossed the Maitland
River. Mills built by Harrison's brothers, Joshua and George, formed a nucleus
of a small settlement and in 1856 a small post-office, Harriston was
established. The hamlet grew slowly, but from 1862 agricultural development
stimulated local trade. By about 1867, with a population of about 150, the
village contained many businesses, including blacksmith shops and wagonworks.
The construction of the Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway, completed to
Harriston in 1871, spurred the community's growth as a prosperous commercial
and farm-implement manufacturing centre. Harriston was incorporated as a
Village with about 500 inhabitants in 1872 and as a Town in 1878.
to view their series of plaques |
© 2000 Wellington County, Ontario GenWeb . All Rights Reserved.