Campbellville
Country

Written by Donna Danielli

There's so much to do in Campbellville, that it can seem perpetually busy but it's on weekends that it really comes alive. A rustic setting provides a backdrop for art galleries, restaurants, antique stores and a down home country feeling Campbellville has become known for. 

For Campbellville Area Business Association President Marilyn Goodale, also often found behind the desk at Vincent's Art and Antiques, it's all about the people. "It's great," she explains. "There's a good flow of people. You meet a lot of people that are tourists, because of the 401 and the easy access it provides. You meet U.S. tourists or people from Toronto who come out to get out of the busy hustle of the city to enjoy things like the conservation areas and local farms."

A predominantly rural area, Campbellville was officially founded in 1913 when a deputation of local citizens sought permission from the township to form the police village of Campbellville. In 1914, after the township and County Council granted their approval, the Village of Campbellville officially became it's own entity. It's history however, goes back long before that.

Life in Scotland in 1831 held little for John Campbell, his wife Alexine and their family of three grown sons, one grown daughter and three small children. Looking for a better way of life, they left their island home on Islay and made their way to Canada. In 1832, John Campbell purchased the one hundred acres in Lot 6, Concession 3, Nassagaweya that Campbellville would eventually encompass. In 1825, John Galt and his Canada Co. had purchased 2,500,000 acres of inexpensive land, lots that were scattered across nearly every township in Upper Canada. Galt's Canada Co. promoted sales to settlers rather than absentee landlords and grantees. Settlers like John Campbell and his family.

For three months after the purchase of their land, the Campbell family lived in a crude teepee like structure until a more permanent log cabin could be constructed. Then came the clearing of enough of the land to provide food for the family and their farm animals. Finally, in 1838, John Campbell was able to construct his sawmill. He built a dam in the Sixteen Milecreek that ran through his property and built his sawmill at the eastern end of the pond that was formed. Business at his sawmill grew rapidly. The heavily wooded countryside meant that the pine logs could be rolled down the bank to the pond and then floated down river to the mill. The mill quickly formed a nucleus around which the village that bears John Campbell's name was built. He registered his plan for the village and named the streets after his children.

 In 1854, John Campbell was killed by lightening at the age of 70, his body was laid to rest in the tract of land he and his wife had given to the community to use as a burial ground in 1853. This burial ground can still be found south of the railroad tracks, although the church that was eventually built on it was in 1893 moved across the road by Jack Hornick to be used as a residence. The iron fence surrounding the burial grounds was erected in 1949 as a tribute to the late Thomas Blacklock and a cairn of fieldstone with the cemetery name on it was added at the gate in 1976.

With the sawmill and John Campbell's plans in place, more and more settlers made their way to the area to earn their livelihood. Families like James Menzies and then later, his son Robert C. Menzies kept the blacksmith trade alive from 1857 until 1953. Industry began to grow. A tavern was built by a Mr. Priest in 1848, later William Campbell (son of John and Alexine) established the first Campbellville Post Office in his home in 1852. Other businesses quickly followed, and soon the town could boast a shoe shop, tannery, woolen mill, and brick plant. Then the Canadian Pacific Railway laid tracks through the rapidly expanding town in 1880 and life began to change for everyone. Stagecoaches disappeared and so did the small wayside inns that dotted the countryside. Small businesses were forced to compete with larger manufacturers. Technology began to subtly change the way of life in Campbellville. Young men were able to choose whether to remain on the family farm or work on either the railway or in one of the big plants being established in Milton or in Hamilton. The face of farming began to change as well. Larger barns were built to accommodate the grain and hay needed for an increased number of horses and cattle. Silos began to crop up across the countryside and large wheat fields were evolving into permanent 10 to 12 acre fields that were used for pasture and rotation.

Telephone service became available to the village in 1892. The Bell Telephone Company of Canada built a line for long distance calls between Burlington and Georgetown that ran through Campbellville and Milton.  Businesses operated as a combination of cash and barter system. The general store, open six days a week, stocked fruit and vegetables, shoes, furniture, patent medicines, hardware and almost anything else that was needed. Although the railway made bringing goods to the store easier, sales were still a lot of work. Situated along the railway from Kelso to Milton heights were the Christie Lime Kilns, Robertson Lime Kilns and the Milton Brick  Works. There was no store to serve the large labor force of mostly immigrants that worked these plants, necessitating a sort of store on wheels, which made two or three trips per week, for years, to serve the farmers and their families and the laborers on this route.

In 1890, David Wheelihan, a councilor in Nassagaweya Township from 1882-1888 offered a site on his property for the building of a church. In acknowledgement of his generosity, it was named St. David's Presbyterian Church and still stands today.

The need for banking services in the growing community became apparent and the Metropolitan Bank opened in 1909. The Bank of Nova Scotia took it over in 1915, a banking institution that still serves the needs of Campbellville eighty-five years later.

With progress came electricity. In 1924, electric power became available and streetlights were installed in the village. Boardwalks became replaced with concrete walks along Campbellville's downtown.

The area around which the village is based has remained predominantly rural but access increased with the building of the 401 highway in the 1950's. People began to come from near and far to experience this little piece of the country. Conservation lands such as Crawford Lake Indian Village, Hilton Falls and Mountsberg draw many visitors to the area. Growing up amidst all this splendor strongly influenced businessmen like Sean James, owner and operator of Fern Ridge Landscaping and president of the Horticultural Society. "I grew up surrounded by nature, and that's probably why I went into horticulture," Sean explains. "Campbellville is central but it's rural at the same time. You're twenty minutes to Burlington, 30 minutes to Guelph and yet surrounded on all sides by conservation."

There are still many types of farms within Campbellville, but with the building of Mohawk Raceway in 1963 and it's subsequent evolving into a world class racetrack, the equine industry has a strong base in Campbellville, boosting local economy. The recent addition of slot machines at Mohawk Racetrack has brought an even larger flux of people to the area, people who then visit Main Street Campbellville and enjoy it's restaurants, shopping and unique craftsmanship. Campbellville: truly the best of both worlds. Small, intimate and unique yet still constantly on the go with things to do and people to see. Local historian June Andrews (whose book Nassagaweya: A History of Campbellville and Surrounding Areas was the basis for a great deal of the research for this article) admits, "Though Campbellville is greatly changed over the years, it's still a pretty nice place to live People are friendly and helpful. Everyone's always known everyone else." Campbellville, the place with the small town feel and the big town appeal.