Ripley, Believe It Or Not

 Believe it or not, I just went to Ripley.

Now why would anyone go to Ripley, Ontario? Well, having spent much time on the Lake Huron coastline, I decided to spend a little time inland.  This village of about 600 people in the former Huron Township,* Bruce County, is about 18 km from Point Clark. Such communities as this are often missed by travellers hugging Hwy. 21 and the shoreline.

The Ripley area was founded as a Scottish settlement in the mid-19th century by over 100 families forced to leave the Isle of Lewis during the Highland Clearances. They arrived in 1852, so that 1952 was the centenary of their arrival. This cairn was built that year to honour them:

From the 1850s to the 1870s this remained a farming community, although a post office named Ripley opened in 1857.** But when the Wellington, Grey & Bruce Railway completed a line from Lucknow to Kincardine in 1873, the farms here were subdivided into lots and a station was built. In 1874 the post office name changed to Dingwall but it reverted to Ripley in 1880. 

The railroad became the Grand Trunk and later the CNR before the last train ran through on October 31, 1970. Ripley Station was torn down in 1971. Trucks for freight and cars for pleasure had killed the rails.

Postcard view of Huron Street, Ripley, early 1900s. Author's collection.

Ripley is the typical Ontario village, built on a grid pattern with some two-storey commercial buildings, churches, and schools in its core and twentieth-century buildings at its edges. Like most small communities, much of the business has died, leaving the deserted and underused business blocks to deteriorate.***

An unusual paint job and new windows aren't luring businesses back to this old block. 

The original hotel on this site burned in 1888 and was rebuilt in 1891. Various owners called it the Argyle Hotel, Hodgins' House, Commercial Hotel and Temperance House. Became apartments 1940s.

Next to the hotel is the 1890 McInnes Block built by Paul D. McInnes. Note his name and the date. 

Originally a Continuation School built in 1914.

Older school on Jessie Street is now apartments. 

The usual assortment of churches, at least two of which are homes. Knox Presbyterian, above, closed in 2019, and its documents and records hopefully end up in the archives opening here.

The former McInnes home at 80 Queen Street.

But here's what this community is doing right:

First, Lewis Park, named after those early settlers. Originally named Gore Park, it was renamed in 2002 to commemorate 150 years of Lewis family members in Ripley and Huron Township. The park was purchased by the village from CN in 1990.

South of the village is a lonely cemetery situated on the Lewis Trail, a three-kilometre roundtrip walk leading into nearby woods on the Pine River:

Note that this is a deserted spot and it's a good idea to bring a friend. 

This was the site of Huron Presbyterian Church, established by the Lewis settlers on a hill overlooking the river in 1858. After the church closed, only the cemetery remained. But, by mid-twentieth cemetery, the river bank was eroding, headstones were destroyed - and, yes, people were finding bones. In 1977, a cemetery committee formed to preserve the remaining headstones and about 60 have been preserved in a cement pad. It's hard to confirm how many people were buried here, since records are said to have burned in the 1890s.

The earliest marker is for John McLeod who died May 10, 1858 at age 38:

This stone commemorating John Smith confirms his birth as Lewis, Ross-shire, Scotland:

Also of interest is this stone in memory of Donald McLeod, who died aged 18, killed by a falling tree. 

A common fatality among the pioneers but unusual to find it stated on a grave marker.

Interpretive plaques at the cemetery entrance provide visitors with some history. Inside, these signs assist visitors in searching the stones, which will become more helpful as the remaining ones erode.

But guess what? Ripley has signs all over town! Check out this one at Lewis Park. It discusses the history of the village, the feud between McInnes and Hodgins (they liked to erect buildings blocking one another's views), and the former community newspaper. It even lists historical sources. The signs may be used as an historical walking tour or read individually.  All this is courtesy of the Township of Huron-Kinloss and the County of Bruce. See more info online here.

This sign tells the story of Ripley's Jubilee Arena, now replaced. The bell was used from 1927 to 1975 to signal the end of a hockey period. Children who volunteered to ring the bell got into the game for free.

There are smaller signs attached to buildings themselves:

Courtesy of Heather Phillips.

I didn't make it to nearby Lucknow on this trip but they have their own historic walking tour here so it's probable they also have signs. Will check next time I'm in Huron-Kinloss.

This history is important. Many people might drive through the village and see only the usual small-town decay found everywhere. These signs remind us of a time when our smaller communities were bustling centres, alive with commercial and cultural activity. 

Ripley's best monument, however, may be the impressive war memorial in front of the former Huron Township Hall. The hall itself, built in 1909, was used as a community centre for plays and dances until, in 1997, it became local Council Chambers and Municipal Offices. 

Lewis monument on left and war memorial on right.

The memorial, unveiled on November 11, 1921, contains 262 names of men form Huron Township who served in World War I, 33 of whom did not return. The memorial was unveiled that long ago day by Gus McLeod, who had spent three years as a POW, and by Wilton Bell, who had lost two brothers in the war. 

Names from the second war are mounted on the side:

For complete names, see this blog, written by a modern-day explorer who travels Ontario on his motorbike, recording our war memorials. Bless his heart.

* The Township of Huron-Kinloss was formed on January 1, 1999 through the amalgamation of the townships of Huron and Kinloss and the towns of Ripley and Lucknow. 

**Named after a town in Derbyshire, not on Lewis.

***Having said that, you need to eat at Ripley's FIG Studio Kitchen. Not just the best food in Ripley. "Food Is Good" provided one of the best lunches I've had anywhere in years. I do not provide 5* reviews for just anyone.