Cambridge, England is home to the revered University of Cambridge. Cambridge, Massachusetts is home to the mighty Harvard University. Cambridge, Ontario is home to the humble McDougall Cottage Historic Site.
The stone cottage was built in 1858 on the bank of the Grand River. It is named after the first habitants of the house, John and Agnes McDougall, who immigrated from Scotland. The Bairds lived there from 1901 to 1960, then the Johnsons lived there from 1960 to 1987, then Tim Drennan lived there from 1987 to 1992, then the Hardings lived there from 1992 to 2001.
The historic significance of the building was realized when its 1906 painted ceilings and friezes were discovered intact behind layers of modern paint in 1987. In 2001, the cottage was sold to the Heritage Cambridge and converted into a museum a year later.
Back when the cottage was built, the place was known as the Town of Galt in Dumfries Township. The town was named after the first superintendent of the Canada Company, John Galt. The township was named after a place in Scotland, where lawyer William Dickson came from, he founded the place in 1816.
In 1973, Cambridge was formed by merging the towns of Galt, Preston, Hespeler, and Blair while absorbing parts of Waterloo and North Dumfries townships. The Galt City Hall was completed in 1858, the same year as the McDougall Cottage, and restored in 1964.
The city’s location on the Grand River made it the perfect spot for water-powered industry. The remains of many mills such as Race Mill and Shade’s Mill are now part of public parks. There are many other handsome buildings built in limestone and granite, like those in nearby Guelph.
