By Gloria Hilderbrandt The screen door of Holtom’s Bakery lets the aroma of fresh donuts waft out into the street. The display window is full of goodies, including six varieties of mouth-watering tarts filling seven trays. Outside of Delights, a home décor and gift shop, owner Kate Hale is inviting people with a stroller and a dog inside to browse and meet her two neatly groomed, six-year-old Bichon/Shih-Tzu dogs, Emma and Teddy. They are friendly; scrabbling and barking at the front door, but then behaving sociably when they are allowed to meet passing dogs. Hall has been in business in the village for twenty-three years. There have been plenty of small changes in that time, and she comments "There are more home décor businesses than there ever were." While she says she has always had a strong local following, she also has a lot of pass-through business. "People are on their way to cottages. It’s a busy highway." She adds that coming to Erin is a wonderful day trip. "We have beautiful countryside and many unique and unusual products."
A Steen’s Dairy milkshake is large enough to be a meal in itself. Several teenagers enter and order two to take out and share among themselves. The shake is ice cold, thick and rich. "The milk is processed here and the ice cream is made right here," explains a grandmotherly server. "You couldn’t get it any fresher. People come from all over." She reveals that Fred Steen (92), the founder of the dairy, still lives upstairs and comes down every morning. "And I’m starting my thirtieth year of standing behind the counter. I love it here." The village of Erin is a mixture of tourist attraction and country retail. The west side of Main Street still has several old buildings, now used as gift shops, clothing stores, restaurants, décor stores and more. Many have signs hanging in the windows giving a brief summary of the history of each building, and is appealing to visitors. The east side of the street is the practical, working rural side. A small supermarket, a post office, church, gas station, rural supply store, car service centre, liquor store and hardware store provide everyday services and necessities.
Improvements – Recent construction work involving new water pipes under Main Street has caused a drop in sales for some businesses, but there have been other visible improvements. These include new decorative waste receptacles featuring a shamrock, (Erin’s symbol) benches along the street, a town clock on a pedestal donated by the Rotary Club of Erin, (located on the lawn in front of Club 109) and banners hanging from street lamps. The BIA is planning to install hanging floral baskets. Devonshire says that all the shopkeepers seem to have decorated their storefronts with window boxes or pots of flowers. Annual Events – This year the BIA will be repeating two summer events that were introduced last year. Saturday June 4th will be the second Summer Sale-A-Bration with a village sidewalk sale, a farmers’ market, special events, music and food. Similar activities are planned for Saturday Aug. 6th during, the second annual Village of Erin Sidewalk Sale. On Sunday Aug. 14th the Erin Agricultural Society will sponsor a Demolition Derby at the Erin Fair Grounds. On September 24th and 25th, (the last weekend in September), various local artists will offer the Hills of Erin Studio Tour. The Erin Fall Fair is always on Thanksgiving weekend, and draws crowds to the horse whisperer demonstration, the border collie herdings, the astonishing displays of livestock and spectacular poultry, and the evening demolition derby and country music performances. "It’s a way for the urban and rural communities to get together," says Joanne Gregson, secretary of the Erin Agricultural Society, for the past fourteen years. Gregson’s whole family has been involved with the fair for many years - even the previous generation was active. "Over the last five years there have been from twenty-thousand to twenty-two-thousand people attending the fair." This is an increase from previous years. It’s usually a crisp day for the fair, with good weather for wandering outside sipping hot apple cider and eating homemade fudge, (made famous by Sandra Shamas) who has praised it in one of her theatrical productions.
Directories – The Town of Erin, (the local government over the village of Erin, Hillsburgh and the rural areas), has been working on creating online business and community directories. "The end product will result in a useful tool for residents and visitors to locate the information they need regarding area businesses and churches and sports groups," says Connie Cox, administrative assistant with the Town of Erin. Trails – Another attraction is the Elora-Cataract Trailway, which runs through the Town of Erin and can be reached at Main Street just north of the retail section of the village of Erin. Cyclists and hikers from other municipalities have been known to come to Erin just to enjoy the trail and refresh themselves with food, drink and ice cream along the way. The Town of Erin is considering adding to the Elora-Cataract Trailway with as many as five other trails. The Heritage Trail takes in downtown Erin. The Height of Land Trail involves the prominent water tower and the large hill west of the village. The McMillan’s Mills Trail explores Mill Street, Woolen Mill Lane, the river, and the walking bridge. The Stanley Park Trail passes the Fair Grounds, the pond and stream. A new proposal is the Trillium Marsh Trail, which would go behind Stanley Park and like the other four trails, would meet up with the Elora-Cataract Trailway. These additional trails might bring visitors from the main trail to the village’s downtown area. "Information relating to the status of these trails will be advertised in the local newspapers and posted on the Town web site," says Cox. The town’s site is www.town.erin.on.ca. On a sunny Friday, all the shops are open and people are strolling on the west side. Sandra Shamas is seen popping into Renaissance and picking up some beautiful stout candles. People are happily preparing for a lovely weekend. Erin To state the obvious; we all have a "pride of place!" This "pride of place" can transmute into either the place we were born, the community we grew up in, or the community we finally chose to snuggle up in to raise our families because of the security blanket-like sense of well-being, it provides us with. The town of Erin, straddling Highway 24 (originally the Erin-Eramosa Road), in Erin Township, Wellington County, might well qualify in all the above categories.
While it might not be considered particularly newsworthy to the people who control our print and broadcast outlets, Erin could quite easily be described as a Canadiana vignette. It is a mini-portrait of how small Canadian communities were born, grew, prospered, suffered setbacks, and eventually came to the gritty realization that to survive, the community must look inward for its true strength of self. Some reports suggest that explorer Samuel de Champlain might well have been the first white man to tentatively venture into what we now know as Wellington County. However, Samuel didn’t hang around too long, as he had other canoes to paddle. The 1700’s proved a tumultuous time in Canada, and in Ontario. The 1791 Canada Act (also known as the Constitutional Act), created Upper and Lower Canada, which later became Ontario and Quebec. Wellington County was part of Home District, originally Nassau District, as Upper Canada was sliced hither and yon. There was unrest in the British colony. It soon became apparent that the reins of a centralized British-style governance had to be loosened for the fledgling Canadian colony to survive. This was especially evident after the ill-planned, and some say misguided, Mackenzie-Papineau Rebellion of 1837.
Neighbouring townships such as Albion, (an ancient name for England), and Caledon (for Scotland), were cementing their British roots. Thus the name Erin, reflecting Ireland’s abled past, came about. Ironically, Erin Township and the community of Erin itself were settled for the most part by people of Scottish ancestry. Erin Township settlers were of a curious but hardy mix. Some were United Empire Loyalists, some had fought in the War of 1812, others were British soldiers yearning for a safe haven after duty in the Napoleonic wars, while others had emigrated from Britain and Europe to escape the class systems, which still predominated. The Village of Erin was incorporated in 1879 when a by-law was passed by Wellington County Council. It stated: "By-law to erect the Village of Erin and neighbourhood into an incorporated village by the name of Erin Village." Richard Hamilton was the community’s first reeve. Drifting back in time, however, the founding fathers of Erin Village are recognized as the McMillan brothers. Daniel, Hugh and Charles (Scottish immigrants), settled in Erin Township in 1824. In 1832 they cleared three acres of land, and essentially built the community we now know as Erin. The brothers, with Daniel showing the way, built two sawmills, a grist mill and a flour mill. They also encouraged other area settlers to join with them in building a town in the veritable wilderness.
The original name of the community was MacMillan’s Mill (the intrusive "a" is probably attributed to a bureaucratic error). The name Erinsville was adopted in 1851 and eventually was shortened to Erin. Daniel suffered a tragic and untimely fate in December of 1849. A sliver had pierced one of his fingers. Nowadays this is something we might consider a minor medical mishap. Unfortunately, Daniel developed blood-poisoning and died three days later at the young age of thirty-eight. What is now known as the Erin Pioneer Cemetery was formerly called McMillan’s Cemetery, and contains the headstones of a number of early settlers, including that of Daniel McMillan. The cemetery is located just above Erin on lot 8, concession 9. Alexander McLaughlin, an immigrant from Scotland, operated a tailoring shop in Erin for twenty years. He was a noted Gaelic poet and also a friend of Daniel McMillan. Upon Daniel’s death, McLaughlin penned a poem about his friend. Entitled, " A Backwood Hero". The first few lines are as follows: "Where yonder ancient willow weeps, The Root family has had a predominant presence in both the history of Erin Township and Erin. Of German descent (the family name was originally spelled Rueth), the patriarch, Henry, left what we now know as the United States in 1799.
The Root family also believed in public service. Descendant John Root served as the Wellington-Dufferin MPP, under Premier Leslie Frost in the early ‘50s. He was later appointed to the Ontario Water Resources Commission. It is recorded that a Miss Caldwell opened the first store in Erin in 1836 and that William Cornock, at the urging of Daniel McMillan, opened a distillery in 1839 which also served as the area’s first post office (I’ll get the mail, honey, but don’t wait up!). S.L. Shotter is recognized as opening the first General Store in Erin. In 1851, the village had a population of three hundred, two grist mills, two oatmeal mills, a distillery, a carding and fulling mill, a tannery and a church open to worshippers of all denominations. A trunk railway line, operated by the Credit Valley Railway Company (taken over by Canadian Pacific Railway in 1883), was opened in 1879. It linked the small communities of Erin, Orton, Hillsburgh and Belwood to Elora, and through different branches to Orangeville, Guelph and ultimately, Toronto. It provided valuable market transportation to the communities for both their mill products and farm goods. In fact, the influx of railway workers working on the line and living in the community allowed for Erin powers-that-be to apply for village status based on population size. The railway operated for nearly 100 years in the area, but the improvement of highway infrastructure combined with the astonishing advances in the air industry eventually sounded its death-knell. Deserted rail beds still dot the area, but one in particular has been put to good use. The Elora Cataract Trailway, just skirting Erin, follows an abandoned CPR rail bed! This forty-seven kilometre multi-use facility is open throughout the year. It originates in Elora and ends near the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park. The Grand Valley Trail passes along a section of the Trailway and the Bruce Trail can also be accessed at the Forks of the Credit Provincial Park. As befits, a prosperous and growing community, Erin once boasted five hotels: The Station House destroyed by fire in the early 1900’s; The Queen’s Hotel, destroyed by fire in 1912; the Clark House, which became a butter-making business and home to James Hamilton; the Globe Hotel, destroyed by fire in 1945; and the Busholme Inn. The Busholme Inn is the sole survivor on its original site, but it is now called the Rob Roy. But inevitably times change. Industrial modernization and improvements in industrial capacity, particularly in Great Britain and the United States, eventually shut the mills down because they could not compete. Without the mills to provide employment, quite a number of the community’s workers drifted off to Guelph, Toronto and Hamilton, seeking work.
The Erin Agricultural Society was formed in 1850 and continues uninterrupted into the twenty-first century, with its annual Fall Fair scheduled for Thanksgiving weekend. The Erin Women’s Institute was organized in 1905 and is still thriving. The Erin Horticultural Society was organized in 1922 and is still going strong. The Erin Legion, Branch 442, Royal Canadian Legion, received its charter on February 19, 1947, with the Ladies Auxiliary receiving its charter in 1958. The Wellington Masonic Lodge in Erin, first established in the 1890’s, is still providing its good services to the community and area. The Erin District Lions Club received its charter on April 26, 1951, and pardon the cliché, "is still going strong!" All of these organizations promote respect for the individual and respect for the community. Sports and other life-defining experiences are geared to the youth of the community, and also to the community as a whole. Although somewhat of a latecomer to the community, Fred Steen might well epitomize what dedication to the community is all about. At a hale and hardy 89 years, he is both the owner and scion of Steen’s Dairy. Call the dairy almost any time, and 90 percent of the time Fred will answer the phone. His work week has never been counted in hours or days, but in what has been accomplished. Relative newcomers, the Steen family arrived in Erin Township in 1915, having trekked from Streetsville to take up farming.
He immediately changed its name to Steen’s Dairy and both the Dairy and Fred have, in a sense, come to represent Erin’s resilience and its will to survive. Steen’s Dairy employs twenty-eight people and services businesses throughout south and southwestern Ontario. Fred’s son, Tom, is in charge of sales, and son, Ken, schedules the truck routes. Fred is a charter-member of the Erin Lion’s Club, serving as its first treasurer and he has also served a term as its president. Time, as some wayward philosopher once noted, is yours to use or abuse. With its surrounding hills, vales, glens and greenery (borrowing from its Scottish founders), and indicative of its Irish name, it is an emerald to be discovered! The shops in and around the community offer a veritable cornucopia of treasured goods. The Theatre at Erin Centre 2000 offers productions worthy of Toronto stage sets. Erin is a community with a strong inner core. That is what has allowed Erin to survive! It’s this same strong inner core in small communities that has been Canada’s backbone, it is also what has allowed Canada to survive. |
There’s also Steen’s Dairy, an Erin fixture since 1944. Regular as well as organic milk is processed in the rear plant, but it’s the small dairy bar at the front that draws people in. The worn wooden curved counter is well populated on a Friday at noon. Three generations of females, are having lunch and chatting with a worker on a break. A teenaged boy and girl are having cheeseburgers and glasses of milk. An older man is reading a paper. 
"We’re trying very hard to attract tourists, but we want to keep Erin the quaint village it is and keep the local residents coming as well," says Audrey Devonshire, Chair of the Business Improvement Association (BIA) and owner of both Minerva’s Aesthetics Salon and Tintagel’s Tea Room.
On the weekend after Remembrance Day in November, the village shops host their Window Wonderland, at which time a church bell rings while blacked-out windows are unveiled to reveal new Christmas wares. A Christmas tree is lit, carols are sung, hot chocolate is served, and the Christmas shopping season officially begins.
Located close to the Credit River, some still refer to Erin as a village. But with an encompassing population hovering around four thousand, the designation of "town" might be more accurate.
Wellington County Council, with epresentations from the various townships including Erin Township, met for the first time on January 23, 1854, at the Guelph Courthouse. As the story goes, Erin was the name adopted for the township to give a more well rounded British flavour to the area.
When new settlers moved into the community, the McMillan brothers helped in putting up houses.
His son John settled in Erin Township in 1826, and John’s oldest son Robert developed the property with painstaking care. The Root family has kept up this tradition. Robert Root established a wagon shop in Erin in 1852.
A falling tree killed Fred’s father, Waldie Steen, in 1929. The farm had to be sold, but Fred had an alternative. He had been working part-time at what was then known as Erin Creamery, and playing hockey as a centre for the creamery which was at that time owned by Charlie Overland, Stan Leitch, Tom Forster and Russell Elgie. This was basically what we would now call Intermediate "B" hockey. Fred continued working at the creamery as it changed hands. Bob Lang had the Creamery until his death in 1940, then Ob Wright made it Wright’s Creamery. Fred bought the establishment in 1943.