Photo: JFVoll · CC BY-SA 4.0

0historic places on the registers

History of Erin · Canada’s heritage registers

1879: the year the railway came to Erin

Within 50 km of Erin there are 32 designated places; Rockwood Academy, at 18 km, is the closest. The closest top-tier heritage is in Fergus, 26 km from here. 9 people on record were born in Erin before 1914, James Kirkwood the earliest.

Historic places within 50 km

10 of the highest designation

Nearest historic place

18 km

Rockwood Academy

Homes built before 1961

24%

typical town: 18%

Born here before 1914

the earliest in 1845

How it began

Erin’s early dates, from 1820

The tracks reached Erin in 1879. In Wikidata’s entry, the municipality of Erin dates from 1820; that can mean a founding, a charter or a merger.

How it began: Wikidata (CC0); dates read from English Wikipedia’s article “Erin, Ontario”, revision 1380931995 (CC BY-SA 4.0), and stated in our own words.

The age of the area

Most of what stands within 50 km of Erin dates from the decades after Confederation

The area here stretches to 50 km around Erin: each historic place by the first construction date it records.

British North America 1760–186611

After Confederation 1867–191313

Wars and Depression 1914–19455

Since 1946 1946 on0

The earliest is Joseph Schneider Haus in Victoria Park, begun in 1816. The chart rests on 29 dated places within 50 km. Before Confederation: 11.

Around the town

Within 50 km of Erin: 32 places on the registers

Wellington County House of Industry and Refuge, 27 km off, is the nearest of 10 top-tier places. They are spread over 17 towns, including Guelph, Cambridge and Waterloo. Joseph Schneider Haus, 49 km off, is the oldest: 1816.

The 12 nearest, within 50 km

Rockwood AcademyOntario Heritage Trust property · 1850 · 18 km away, in Rockwood

VIA Rail/Canadian National Railways Station, Georgetown, OntarioHeritage Railway Station · 1855–1857 · 18 km away, in Georgetown

Wellington County House of Industry and RefugeNational Historic Site · 1876–1878 · 27 km away, in Fergus

Former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail/GO Transit) Station, Brampton, OntarioHeritage Railway Station · 1907–1908 · 27 km away, in Downtown

Boston Presbyterian ChurchDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 1868 · 27 km away, in Georgetown

Former Canadian National Railways (VIA Rail/GO Transit) Station, Guelph, OntarioHeritage Railway Station · 1911–1912 · 28 km away, in Guelph

Guelph City HallNational Historic Site · 1856–1858 · 28 km away, in Guelph

ArmouryRecognized Federal Heritage Building · 1906–1908 · 28 km away, in Guelph

Our Lady of the Immaculate ConceptionNational Historic Site · 1876–1889 · 28 km away, in Guelph

The BoathouseDesignated heritage property (part IV) · 1930 · 28 km away, in Guelph

McCrae HouseNational Historic Site · 1850–1861 · 29 km away, in Guelph

Former Elora Drill ShedNational Historic Site · 1865–1866 · 29 km away, in Fergus

Homes by age

A town of older homes: 24% of Erin’s were built before 1961 (18% is typical)

From 2016 on, Erin built 3.3% of its homes, near the typical 4.1%. Erin’s largest group of homes, 34%, went up from 1961 to 1980. Count back from today and half of Erin’s homes are older than 1981.

24%

Before 1961

34%

1961–80

26%

1981–2000

12%

2001–15

3.3%

2016–21

ErinTypical town

2021 Census, private dwellings by period of construction (Statistics Canada); the typical town is the middle Canadian town of 2,500 or more.

Born here

From 1845 to 1908: lives that began in Erin

At 93, Otto Buchanan Elliott outlived the rest, dying in 1979. There are 9 people born here before 1914 with an article to show for it. Fame, by Wikipedia: Wilfred White first, in 6 languages. Most of them, 5 of 9, came into the world in the years before Confederation.

James Kirkwood

Joseph Oliver

Peter Duncan McCallum

James Thomas Hammill Regan

Daniel Reed

W. W. Hiltz

Otto Buchanan Elliott

Wilfred White

John Henry Haines Root

1800182518501875190019251950

Wilfred White1900–1948 · Canadian ice hockey player

Joseph Oliver1852–1922 · Canadian politician

Otto Buchanan Elliott1886–1979 · Canadian politician

W. W. Hiltz1873–1936 · Canadian politician

John Henry Haines Root1908–1991 · Ontario farmer and political figure

James Kirkwood1845–1933 · Canadian politician

Peter Duncan McCallum1853– · Canadian farmer and politician

James Thomas Hammill Regan1855–1927 · Canadian politician

Everyone born in Erin → Born before 1914 (the page’s periods: Confederation to the First World War). Birthplaces from Wikidata, each checked against the person’s Wikipedia article.

Neighbours

Erin and its neighbours

Town	People	Places	Oldest
Erin	12,924	0	—
East Garafraxa	2,976	0	—
Orangeville	33,070	0	—
Georgetown	68,265	2	1855

In brief

Erin in brief

Before 1961: 24% of Erin’s homes, against 18% in the typical town. Its people of the past include Wilfred White (1900), Joseph Oliver (1852) and Otto Buchanan Elliott (1886). Otherwise the figures are ordinary: like most towns its size, it has no historic place.

How to read these numbers

What this data can and can’t tell you

Provincial and municipal lists. The local and provincial lists outside Québec aren’t published openly, so this page counts what Wikidata records and pages only the places an encyclopedia describes.
The federal register. Every federal designation is in Parks Canada’s directory, and the Canadian Register of Historic Places gives most of them a bilingual statement of significance.
People and events. Parks Canada’s open file gives its national historic persons no place. A town’s page names one only when the person was born there (matched by name and both life years) or one of its own historic places carries the name and its record speaks of them; national historic events stay off.
The grade. This page gives no grade; history doesn’t count toward a Canadian town’s letter.
Protection. National historic designation honours a place but binds only federal owners; a private building’s protection depends on its province or municipality.
The tiers. The highest designations are National Historic Sites, Classified Federal Heritage Buildings and Québec’s classements; then come the other federal designations; then provincial and local listings.

Questions about Erin’s history

How many historic places does Erin have on the registers?

Not inside Erin. The closest is Rockwood Academy in Rockwood, 18 km away.

How old are the homes in Erin?

24% predate 1961, where the typical town has 18%.

Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada (Parks Canada).

Sources: Parks Canada, Directory of Federal Heritage Designations · Canadian Register of Historic Places (federal extract) · Wikidata (CC0) for map points, other names and articles · Statistics Canada, 2021 Census (homes by period of construction). Under the Statistics Canada Open Licence.

Adapted from Statistics Canada (Census of Population 2021, population estimates 2025, 2021 census boundaries) under the Statistics Canada Open Licence; this does not constitute an endorsement by Statistics Canada. Neighbourhood names in some cities © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).