Stanton

Introduction

Stanton was a small stopping place and milling hamlet located in Dufferin County. First settled during the 1820s, it grew to become an important county centre by the 1870s.

At its height Stanton contained a school, Orange Lodge, two hotels, a post office, three stores, two blacksmiths, a wagon and carriage shop, and a number of other businesses. A large grist mill, the Boyne Mill, was located just north of the community. In 1870, Stanton acquired a courthouse, later designated as the “Third Divisional Court of Dufferin.”

Stanton was hit hard by the temperance movement during the early 1900s. The hotel business died following the passage of a bylaw forbidding the sale and consumption of alcohol. Although the bylaw was later quashed on appeal, the damage was done. By the late 1920s, most of the businesses had closed and the court house was relocated to Shelburne.

Today there are still a few remaining vestiges of the small village. They include the general store, the schoolhouse, the hotel and the Boyne Mill. The general store is now an antiques and craft store, and the other buildings are used as private residences. Learn more