Cluny

History

Cluny was a small crossroads settlement and post office that enjoyed its brief moment in the limelight from 1907 to 1913. Settlers began arriving in the area in the 1850s. Shortly after they arrived, they began to establish small farming hamlets. Most of the hamlets in the area, including Cluny, were settled during that period. The community was located at the crossroads of Concession 12 and the 15th sideroad.

Despite its small size, there was quite a bit of activity going on in Cluny. Sometime prior to 1880, Dan Mclean was operating a blacksmith shop on the corner of Lot 16 on the 13th concession. Much of his work involved horse-shoeing, and working on wagon wheels. Sandy McGillivray opened a general store directly across from McLean’s blacksmith shop on Lot 16, Concession 12. Until the post office opened, residents from this area picked up their mail at the Queen Hill post office which opened in 1877 and was located only one concession north.

Cluny was located about halfway between school sections 13 and 14. SS No 13 dated back to the 1850s. The school was located on Lot 11, Concession 12. There are no early records pertaining to SS 14, however a school located on Lot 21, Concession 12 was in place by 1873. Children likely would have attended whichever school was closest.

The North Bruce Presbyterian Church began in Queen Hill way back in 1855. The church had a lengthy history. It remained active until 1959 when fire destroyed the building.

Just south of Cluny on Concession 10 was the North Bruce Baptist Church, first opened in 1877. The church closed in 1966, a victim of declining membership. A new home now sites in its place. An historical sign markers the former site.

James Matheson opened in Cluny post office in August 1907. His decision may have been due to the temporary closing of the Queen Hill post office, which lasted from January 1906 to February 1907. Whatever the reason, this small post office remained in operation until 1913 when rural mail delivery arrived.

The two schools survived much longer than the post office. Fire gutted SS No. 13 in 1940. An attractive new school rose in its place. The new school lasted until the mid-1960s. SS No. 14 was a victim of declining attendance. That led to its closure in 1955. The building sat there until 1965 when it finally sold for use as a farm building.

A small roadside historical plaque nestled in a small garden marks the spot of this one-time settlement and postal outlet. The remainder of the area has reverted to farmland.