Stone Mills, Ontario

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Country	Canada
Township of Stone Mills
Province	Ontario
District	Lennox and Addington
Established
Government
- Type	Town
- Reeve	Debbie Thompson
- Governing Body	Corporation of the Township of Stone Mills
- MP	Scott Reid
- MPP	Randy Hillier
Population (2006)^[1]
- Total	7,568
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Postal code span	K0K
Area code(s)	613
Website: Township of Stone Mills

Stone Mills is a township located east of Greater Napanee in Lennox and Addington County, Ontario. According to the 2006 Canadian Census, the township has a population of 7,568.

[edit] Communities

Centreville is bisected by Lennox and Addington County Road 4, with the only commercial venture, a general store and gas station, located on this main thoroughfare. The Centreville Public School educates roughly 150 students in kindergarten to grade 8. A public fairgrounds, complete with a baseball diamond, stables and grandstand, showcases the annual Centreville Fair. The fair opens on the first Friday of September, and closes by the next day. Centreville is also the location of the township's municipal offices.

Croydon is a farming community known for its friendly residents, rich history, beautiful scenery, and small-town charm. In the early and mid 1900s, Croydon was a well developed farming community that featured several hotels, a general store, a church, a post office, a schoolhouse, and a gristmill. Although business and industry are currently non-existent in Croydon, many of the original buildings have been renovated and are serving as family homes. The main attraction is the beautiful Salmon River, which runs through the heart of Croydon. The river is used for swimming, fishing, canoeing, and kayaking.

Erinsville is located on Highway 41. It was founded by Irish settlers in the late 1800s^{[citation needed]}. Its proximity to Beaver Lake (actually two lakes, Beaver Lake North and South) makes it an ideal summer home, and is host to several small cottage communities. The Erinsville area has both the natural beauty of forests and lakes, and is also surrounded by several family-operated farms. Largely due to its low population, Erinsville has only a few commercial business in operation. These include the Erinsville General Store, the Beaver Lake General Store and Gas Bar, the Lakeview Tavern and Restaurant, and to a lesser extent the Chip Truck. Several residents also run small businesses from home, such as bait shops. Erinsville also is the site of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, a Roman Catholic parish.

Newburgh, formerly an incorporated village, retains the status of a designated place in the Canadian census data. The Village of Newburgh, situated on the Napanee River, was first founded in 1822 by Benjamin Files and Wm. V. P. Detlor. It quickly became a thriving community and home to numerous mills. Two saw mills were first built along the river in 1822 and 1825, followed by a grist mill in 1828, two flour mills in 1840, an oatmeal mill in 1861, two carding mills and a woollen mill in 1864. Other businesses such as a tannery, two axe factories, a sash, blind and door factory , a hub and rake factory, three carriage and wagon shops and two cabinet factories were also established. By 1865, Newburgh had a population of 1,200, but that population quickly declined. Railway lines bypassed the village and manufacturers were unable to move goods efficiently to and from Newburgh. The village did not get the Napanee, Tamworth and Quebec Railway line until 1884. Also, contributing to this decline were several major fires, the worst which happened in 1887 and destroyed eighty-four buildings in the centre of the village. In the Canada 2006 Census Newburgh had a population of 725.

Tamworth is home to the first Irish Language speaking area, or Gaeltacht, to be announced outside of Ireland. This is an important symbol of hope for the struggling minority language. Plans for the site include cabins to house upwards of 100 people, classrooms, and a museum. See main article Permanent North American Gaeltacht. Tamworth will also have a Tier II Junior "A" team starting in 2007 known as the Tamworth Cyclones. The team will be a member of the Greater Metro Junior A Hockey League. The population is around 3500.

Other communities in the township include Ballahack, Camden East, Carmanville, Clareview, Colebrook, Curie Station, Desmond, Enterprise, Gull Creek, Hinch, Ingle, McGuire Settlement, Milsap, Moscow, Wesley and Yarker.