Indiana, Ontario

Indiana is an old village site—a ghost town—north of Cayuga, in Haldimand County, Ontario, Canada. It was located on the north-east bank of the Grand River. It flourished in the mid to late 19th century as a base for the river transport trade, but by 1905 was largely abandoned. Part of the 1,200 acre townsite is now included in Ruthven Park National Historic Site of Canada.[1][2] The site was also referred to as "Deans" as late as 1940-1951.[3]

Settlement history

One account is that the settlement began in 1837 when Thomas Lester settled there. Lester was involved in the lumbering business, with some success.[4] In addition to Lester, another influential builder of the town was David Thompson, who also moved to the area in the mid-1830s.[5]

Thompson was involved in the Grand River Navigation Company, and was also an entrepreneur. Eventually, his holdings in the area included two saw-mills, a carding mill and a gristmill, a cooperage and several stores.[5] By the mid-nineteenth century, there were over thirty industries in Indiana, which was the largest industrial centre in Haldimand County at that time.[5]

Thompson built an impressive Greek Revival mansion in the late 1840s, which is now the centrepiece of the Ruthven Park National Historic Site.[6] The 10,000 square foot mansion is open to public tours year round.[7]

Indiana's development was closely tied to the success of the Grand River Navigation Company, which shipped goods up and down the Grand River from Lake Erie. However, with the development of railways, the Company was gradually forced out of the shipping trade by the railway competition and Indiana declined.[6] One author noted in 1905: "Only the site of Indiana or Dean's now remains. ... Only the older residents of Haldimand remember anything about Indiana."[4]

References
  1. Canada's Historic Places: Ruthven Park National Historic Site of Canada.
  2. Ruthven Park National Historic Site: A Unique Tourist Attraction.
  3. Archives of Ontario: County of Haldimand Map No. 21a – The Southern Part of the Province of Ontario – (Detail) Haldimand Province of Ontario. Department of Lands & Forests. 1950. RG 1-707 Ministry of Natural Resources topographic maps. I0034483.
  4. Rev. Robert Bertram Nelles, County of Haldimand in the Days of Auld Lang Syne (Port Hope, Ontario: Haldimand Old Boys' Association of Toronto, 1905), p. 98.
  5. Ruthven Park National Historic Site: Ruthven Park’s History.
  6. Ontario Heritage Trust: Ruthven Estate.
  7. Ruthven Park National Historic Site: Tours.
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