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Span of trestle bridge over river

History

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A visit to St. Marys will transport you back to the 19th century while still offering you the modern amenities and conveniences of the 21st century. Our town is shaped by our history and we are excited to share it with you during your visit.

The first European settlers arrived in St. Marys in the early 1840s, attracted by the area's natural resources. At the new town site, Trout Creek met the Thames River and cascaded over a series of limestone ledges, providing the power to run the first mills.

In the riverbed and along the banks, limestone was close to the surface and could be quarried for building materials. Many 19th century limestone structures still remain including but not limited to churches, commercial blocks, and private homes. They have given St. Marys its current nickname: Stonetown.

The arrival of the Grand Trunk Railway in the late 1850s spurred growth and soon St. Marys became a centre for milling, grain-trading and the manufacture of agriculture-related products. The railway connected the town to the rest of the world and framed the local landscape with its two large trestle bridges on limestone pillars across the waterways. 

In the late 1800s as the town prospered and social, educational and cultural facilities expanded. The established churches built beautiful new places of worship, their steeples visible for miles around the countryside. The Opera House opened in 1880. A new Town Hall was built in 1891 and a beautiful Carnegie Library in 1904.

St. Marys today retains its 19th century flavour while offering all the attractions of a modern and friendly small town. In the downtown Heritage Conservation District, the streets are flanked with century-old buildings. Although the old mills have vanished, a community walkway follows the old millrace along the river. Limestone is no longer quarried for building blocks but it is still an essential to production at the St. Marys Cement Company, a major local industry. A limestone quarry abandoned in 1930 is now a municipal swimming facility. The Opera House still stands as a feature to our downtown but operates as an apartment building today.

St. Marys residents are proud of their community's heritage and look forward to sharing it with you. 

Photo Gallery: History will appear here on the public site.
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