Mount Albion, Ontario

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Mount Albion was a village located in the County of Wentworth. It was situated near Albion Falls at the north end of the Red Hill Creek Valley, in what is now east Hamilton, Ontario. Mount Albion was an important community in its area throughout the 19th century, as it featured a grist mill, blacksmith shops, taverns, a church and a general store.

[edit] Early History

Mount Albion owed its existence to William Davis (1741-1834), a United Empire Loyalist, and his family. Residing at a large plantation estate in North Carolina, USA during the American Revolutionary War (1775-1791), Davis was loyal to the UK and gave shelter to British soldiers. Following the British defeat, and after enduring prolonged abuse, Davis and his family were forced to leave their home. In 1721 the decision was made to re-locate to the British colony of Upper Canada where their friend John Graves Simcoe had recently become Lieutenant-Governor. Following stops in Rochester, New York and Newark (Niagara-on-the-Lake), Upper Canada, the family eventually settled on 2000 acres of land in Saltfleet Township near the brow of the Niagara Escarpment. It is here that Davis built "Harmony Hall", an elaborate house built to resemble the Davis' plantation home in North Carolina.^[1]

In order to draw in settlers to this area, Davis constructed a church called the "Auld Scotch Kirk". Soon after the Davis' arrival in the area, a saw mill was constructed along-side nearby Albion Falls, although it is not known exactly who built the mill. The earliest known owner of the mill is John Secord, who purchased it around 1812. Gradually, a small settlement began to form. It was originally named Albion Mills, Albion being the poetic name for Britain.