A Short History of
Rawdon Township and Stirling

by Lewis Zandbergen
President, Stirling-Rawdon Historical Society

W. Hambly first described Rawdon Township in his diary of 1794; he was the person hired to survey the area. However, the name Rawdon already appears on a map outlining the Crawford Purchase of 1783, and appears (along with Huntingdon, Hungerford, Sidney and Thurlow) on a map of Upper Canada dated April 12, 1800. An official date of the naming isn't known.
Rawdon Township was named in honour of Francis Rawdon Hastings, 1754 to 1826, "a gallant soldier, an eloquent senator, and a popular statesman." Upon his father's death in 1793 Francis added the titles 2nd Earl of Moira and Baron Rawdon of Rawdon, York County, after his name. Upon his mother's passing in 1808 he also assumed the Baronies of Hastings, Hungerford, Botreaux and De Moleyns. A complete account of the life of Francis Rawdon can be found in the history of the Rawdon Family compiled by Stan Rawdon in 1990. A copy of this fascinating history can be found in the Stirling-Rawdon Public Library's Local History and Genealogy Room.

Lord Francis Rawdon, Marquess of Hastings A biography by Glenn F. Cartwright is available here.

Rawdon Township and the village of Stirling shared their history until 1858 when the village became incorporated as a separate entity. The settlement of Stirling was made possible through the abundant water supply from a creek (now called Rawdon Creek) which powered early mills. In 1797 John Bleecker and Caleb Gilbert were granted Lot 11 Concession 1 in Rawdon Township. In 1803 Joshua Goldsmith was licensed to operate a still with a capacity of 53 gallons. Samuel Rosebush became the second still owner and was licensed in 1804; in 1804 Rosebush was listed as the only distiller in the county. The summer of 1805 must have been a dry one for little hay was harvested. Farmers grew rye instead to feed their animals, severely impacting the availability of rye for distilling purposes. However, by 1806, after a recovery in hay crops once again allowed the growing of rye wheat destined to produce the amber nectar, several distilleries were in full production. At this time the cluster of dwellings and businesses around the creek on the border between Rawdon and Sidney Townships was known variously as Rawdon Mills, Fidlar Mills (after Edward Fidlar, a prosperous mill owner), and even Seldon Mills for Seldon Hawley, a lumberman.


Throughout the early years of the 1800s settlers continued to arrive in Rawdon Township. By 1821 the population stood at around 200. By 1829 it had jumped to 329. Houses and small farms began dotting the countryside of Rawdon Township. Descendants of United Empire Loyalists moved north as the lands to the south filled; in the 1830s immigrants from Scotland, England and Ireland arrived escaping famine and unrest in their home countries boosting the numbers of settlers; between 1830 and 1835 the population of the township had almost doubled from 335 in the former to 625 in the latter. By 1839 residents of the township numbered 1,067. Upon the severance of village and township in 1858 the population stood at around 4,000.

Stirling as a Village

Stirling is nestled in the hills of Sidney and Stirling-Rawdon Townships; as a matter of fact, Stirling's Front Street straddles the border between the two. The history of Stirling and Rawdon Township have been closely twined from the very start.


But the village is rich in its own history too; it's been a settled community for almost 200 years and its residents are proud of the many historic storefronts and homes lining the streets, some virtually unchanged from the way they looked a century ago. Because of several disastrous fires little of the original shopping district remains. Although there are several exceptions, most buildings in the downtown area west of North Street date to around 1883. A disastrous fire that year burned out most of the buildings from Henry Street to Rawdon Creek and from Meiklejohn Hardware at 40 Front Street West eastward and around the corner as far as the Masonic Hall. Similarly most of the buildings on the north side of Mill Street bear the date 1908. Most were rebuilt after the great fire of that year.

The first landowners were Captain John Walden Meyers (also the founder of Belleville) and John Richard (Squire) Bleecker. By 1806 Joseph Rosebush owned Lots 19 and 21 south along what is now Front Street West and Samuel P. Cummings owned land surrounding the mill pond. Early settlers included members of the Horton family whose burying ground lies just behind the Creekside Centre at the east end of town.

By 1807 Samuel Rosebush had built a mill on the north side of Rawdon Creek near the present James Street bridge. The rushing waters of the creek provided power for the many mills which followed.

Edward Fidlar was a prosperous mill owner and for a time the hamlet which sprang up around the mills was known as Fidlars Mills. As stated previously, the village has been known by several other names. Eventually it was decided to call the village Stirling because, as the story goes, the area reminded the first Scots settlers of their former home in Scotland-Stirlingshire. Stirling was incorporated as a village in 1858.

Parker's Mill Presently known as King's Mill, this building was constructed circa 1850 by Robert Parker. The original dam is shown on the right of the photo. Photograph courtesy of Janet Miller

During the decades to the 1830s, large numbers of Scots settlers came into the area and Edward Fidlar, who came from the Orkney Islands, was among the earliest. His further development of the established mills in the village did much to encourage settlement. Another early Scot was Robert Parker who came from Ayr, near Stirling, Scotland. He arrived in 1821 to monitor family interests in the Marmora Mine. This necessitated travel on horseback from Marmora to Kingston a journey of some 50 miles as the crow flies but about 75 to 80 if the trails were used. However, Kingston was the location of the nearest bank in what was then Upper Canada.


After the mines proved unsuccessful, Parker became involved in the timber trade. He built a mill at Wellmans Comers, about eight miles northwest of Stirling and exported timber down the St. Lawrence River by way of the Deer and Trent Rivers. Edward Fidlar's invitation to move to Stirling in the late 1830s resulted in Parker's operation of a tavern in the village. It is through the work primarily of these two men that Stirling received its name.


The first body officially to govern the area at a local level was that of Rawdon Township. The first municipal government was formed in 1850 and a town hall which also served as a church and community meeting place was erected on Village Lot 47 of Lot 10, Concession I, Rawdon Township; the lot was purchased for about sixty-one dollars. For the next eight years the village and the township affairs were run from those offices which early maps show as having been located on the triangle formed by Edward, Mill and Victoria Streets.


In 1858, Stirling was officially incorporated and declared a village. Boundaries were set and Rawdon Township had to begin a search for new offices. The building which had served village and township was sold for $1,000. Stirling's second town hall is still standing although not in its former glory. It has become a seed and feed store and mill.


Development of the village and township was steady; by the dawning of the 20th century Stirling had a population of about 1,000; today's population stands at about 2,000 (total of 4,500 including the former Rawdon Township population). Many of the early industries, most tied to farming, have disappeared with time and the village serves as a picturesque bedroom community for people working in Belleville and Trenton.


Since 1858 we have gone from pioneer settlement to modern flourishing town; but we are lucky that several homes and buildings from almost any era in Stirling's history remain to remind us of our rich heritage.


Today the village and the township have been reunited. Stirling is an enchanting village with tree-lined streets, limestone buildings, magnificent Victorian architecture and turn-of-the-century storefronts. A thriving arts community includes painters, woodworkers, writers, a flourishing theatre, and regular musical venues.


The rural area of Rawdon still features many fine farms set amid rolling hills. Communities such as Harold, Spring Brook and Bonarlaw dot the stretch of highway between Stirling and Marmora.

"Downtown" Harold These buildings still stand in a crossroads community that has dwindled to a wide spot in the road at Harold. The picture dates to about 1915. From the right are the Rawdon Township Municipal Hall built 1863; the building that for many years was the Harold Store; barns on the corner of Highway #14 and the side road to Harold Cheese Factory. Photograph courtesy of Betty Bailey

The Crowe River cuts a wide swath across Concessions 12, 13 and 14; many secondary creeks and streams criss-cross the countryside. Miles of former railbed provide seasonal sports delights. Country schools and churches still dot many of the rural corners and although the schools no longer ring with children's laughter, many have been preserved either as summer or year-round homes.

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Stirling-Rawdon Historical Society email address -
history@stirling-rawdon.com