Country Canada Area code(s) 613, 343 Local time Wednesday 8:44 PM Municipality North Grenville | Postal code K0G 1J0 Elevation 106 m Province Ontario | |
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County United Counties of Leeds and Grenville Time zone Eastern Time Zone (UTC-5) Weather 3°C, Wind W at 6 km/h, 100% Humidity | ||
Actons Corners is a community in the municipality of North Grenville, United Counties of Leeds and Grenville, in eastern Ontario, Canada. An unincorporated place and Compact rural community, it is located on County Road 43 (formerly provincial Highway 43) between Kemptville and Merrickville at the intersection with Actons Corners Road (north to the Rideau River) and County Road 25 (south to Oxford Mills).
Contents
Map of Actons Corners, ON, Canada
Except for a historic stone church built in the late 19th century, the North Grenville Archives, and a brickyard, the area is composed of mainly of farms and homes set in a mixture of farmland and cedar forest.
Addresses in the community are either listed as RR #1, Oxford Mills or RR #5, Kemptville.
History
The intersection was created between Lots 15 and 16 of Concessions 2 and 3 of Oxford Township in the early 19th century and was originally named Bobtown, with only a Blacksmith's shop in the area. In the late 1820s Robert Acton and his family arrived from West Connaught, Ireland and settled on Lot 16, Concession 3. Robert's son, John Acton, was a capable shoemaker, but worked on the Rideau Canal as a stonemason and later built several buildings in the township including the grist mill at Oxford Mills and the stone house at Actons Corners that replaced the family's original log dwelling. Actons Corners takes its name from John Acton.
At its height, Actons Corners boasted a post office, a school, two churches, a cheese factory, and an Orange Hall.
The post office operated between the 1890s and 1912, when it was replaced by rural mail delivery from Kemptville. A stone school was first opened in 1858 to replace two log schools to the east and west of the village. In 1905 the school was demolished and replaced with a new stone building that is now used as the North Grenville Archives. A white framed Methodist Church was constructed in 1875 and a stone Anglican church, St. Augustine, was built in 1879. The Methodist church was sold and removed in 1963, while the Anglican church has remained standing, although it has been deconsecrated and is now privately owned. Scott's Cheese Factory was built in 1886 and operated until 1948. The Orange Hall served as a community centre until it was closed and the building sold and moved in the late 1930s.