History of Carlisle

Dec 19, 2006 12:12:11

The population grew to about 2500 in the mid 1800's because the Grand River was an important commercial route. There were locks constructed at Indiana just north of Cayuga. However when the Welland Canal was completed, quickly the Grand became an obsolete route. Further, an impassable Dam was built down river from Cayuga at Dunnville. Although originally part of the Welland Canal, the purpose of the Dam and a canal at Port Maitland is to keep the level of the Welland Canal constant. Presently the population of Cayuga has recovered to approximately 1500 after being around 1000 for almost 100 years. Just north of Cayuga is Ruthven Park. This is a 1500 acre (6 km²) Canadian National Historic Site centred by the Thompson Mansion. This was the summer home of the Thompsons who owned the steamship lines on the Grand River when it was a commercial route. It is a magnificent Greek Revival style mansion which is open for tours in the summer. Cayuga is located about 20 minutes from Lake Erie approximately across the lake from Erie, Pennsylvania. It is 30 minutes from Hamilton and consequently it has some cottages and recreational properties in the area. In the past there was some light industry but it now largely forms a satellite community for Hamilton. It has the local district detachment for the Ontario Provincial Police. Previously the New York Central Railroad went through Cayuga but the track has been torn up. One of the termini for the Underground Railway was St. Catharines, Ontario which is about 45 minutes north east of Cayuga. Harriet Tubman's nephew Lorne Barnes was the barber in Cayuga and was held out to the still enslaved as an example of the success to be found by escaping to Canada. Cayugans are overwhelmingly British by national background but many can trace there roots to an original German settlement near Cayuga in the 1800's. There was also a large Dutch migration to the area after the Second World War. There is a national bank and a credit union in town along with a United Church of Canada (Presbyterian, Methodist and Congregational), an Anglican Church and a Catholic Church.