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 / 43.75972°N 80.45694°W / 43.75972; -80.45694
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

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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

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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

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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

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References

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  1. ^ a b "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. Archived from the original on April 19, 2017. 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. ^ a b c d "Local Resident Compiles the History of Cumnock". Arthur Enterprise News. October 7, 2010.
  7. ^ a b Rosenthal, Max (February 1965). "Early Post Offices of the Fergus District" (PDF). BNA Topics. 22 (2). British North America Philatelic Society: 37–39. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-07-03. Retrieved 2017-05-22.
  8. ^ a b "Cumnock". Library and Archives Canada. May 27, 2014.
  9. ^ a b "The Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway". Trainweb. December 30, 1997.
  10. ^ a b c Gazetteer and Directory of the County of Wellington, for 1871-2. A. O. Loomis & Co. 1871. p. 72.
  11. ^ a b 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.[permanent dead link]
  15. ^ "Wellington Walks 2013" (PDF). County of Wellington. 2013.
  16. ^ Day, Frank (1953). Here and There in Eramosa. Leaman. p. 194.[permanent dead link]