Malcolm

Introduction

Malcolm was a small crossroads hamlet and stopping centre, first settled in the 1850s. Initially the community formed around the Presbyterian Church, built in 1859. Residents gravitated to the area to be closer to the church and a small community began to take form.

Malcolm didn’t have any major industries, other than a brickyard that only operated for a short period of time. Apart from the usual store, blacksmith and post office, its main businesses were two hotels. They added a school in the 1870s and also a new white brick church to replace the humble log structure.

Dan Sullivan, a mainstay in Malcolm for many years, owned the general store and operated the post office. In the 1880s, he built a small community hall that residents could use for social events and meetings. He opened the Brant Cheese Manufacturing Company in the 1890s. In 1905, he sold the entire operation to John Miller, who set up a wagon repair business and paint shop that operated for many years.

By the late 1890s, Malcolm’s best days were over. Cited as major contributing factors were last of a nearby railway line along with migration of the farming community to western Canada.

Today nothing remains of this once thriving settlement other than the school, now a private home, and the cemetery. In 1967, the Women’s Institute erected a cairn dedicated to the early pioneers of Malcolm. Learn more