Nineteenth Century Draws To A Close
In the 1880s, the churches replaced the taverns as the centre of the social scene in Richmond Hill. An August 1881 edition of The Liberal remarked "Few villages of equal size or importance within the Province, have manifested so much activity and energy in church enterprise as our own." Richmond Hill in 1881 had a large Presbyterian church, adjacent to St Mary's Anglican Church. Across Yonge Street stood a Methodist church and a smaller Roman Catholic church was also found in Richmond Hill. An investigation by The Liberal found that over $25 000 had been spent on church projects in 1880 while Richmond Hill's population stood at less than one thousand souls.
On December 21, 1879 the Methodist church had burnt down. The congregation soon funded a new building which was opened in October 1881. The construction of this new church spurred the Presbyterians to also commission a new church to replace their old one that dated to 1821. Their new church opened May 24, 1881. The new churches had tall spires that dominated the skyline of Richmond Hill. The Anglicans responded in kind to this with the construction of their own spire to draw prestige to the church. The official "Town Bell" was moved from the Robin Hood Hotel to the new Methodist church in 1883, a reflection of their changing importances in the town. The parishioners at the more modest St. Mary Immaculate Roman Catholic Church built a new, larger building at Yonge Street and Dunlop Street in 1894. With this, the four large churches of Richmond Hill were the four largest buildings in Richmond Hill, defining its skyline.
The 1880s and 1890s were economically bad for Richmond Hill. The Patterson brothers firm, a manufacturing of farming implements and a major employer in Richmond Hill moved their operation to Woodstock after the town council there offered a $35 000 bonus if they would, which allowed their growing operation to construct a much needed rail spur. The Patterson brothers factory moved to Stratford in the winter of 1886/1887. The community experienced the economic decline that was occurring all across Ontario at the time, although perhaps not as strongly. The Trench Carriage Works and Newton Tanning Company remained major employers. The population declined, from 850 in 1890 to 650 in 1900. But many of the main stores along Yonge Street stayed open.
Read more about this topic: History Of Richmond Hill, Ontario
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