Warsaw

By Guy Scott

Dummer Township was settled in the 1830s. The township is a transition area between the Great Lakes Lowlands and the Canadian Shield. The western and southern portions of the township are a farming region, while the rest of the township is extremely rocky. One of the first demands of the Dummer Settlers was for a grist mill. The earliest settlers had to carry their grain to Peterborough or Norwood: a long, arduous journey. An excellent mill site was located in the southwest corner of the township, where the village of Warsaw now stands. But like many ‘prime sites,’ this spot ended up in the hands of a prominent land speculator in Peterborough who sat on the site. In 1835, a petition was gathering requesting “said gentleman” to do something with it! (I paraphrase) The petition struck a chord and within months a grist mill was under construction on the Indian River on what was called Dummer Mills and soon renamed Warsaw.

The founding of Warsaw kickstarted the local economy. Warsaw was to be the only true village in the township. The local economy relied heavily on the lumber trade and farm products. Dummer never had a railway line pass through it. All lumber products had to be taken to Lakefield, Peterborough or Norwood. The northern end of the municipality touched on Stony Lake, which was a good thing due to the stony nature of the land.

Warsaw was a typical pioneer village filled with mills, stores, blacksmiths, churches and the usual assortment of small businesses catering to the local farmers and lumbermen. The Choate family were prominent millers and ran the largest general store in the village. The Indian River was the main waterway, but it was unsuitable for anything but logs and water power because it was too shallow.

One specialty of Warsaw was sheep and woollens. The original settlers were Scottish and English from the woollen parts of England. Many had worked as weavers back in Britain and used their skills to supplement their incomes in Canada. Each farm had its little herd of sheep and produced woollens at home. Choate’s General Store accepted woollen cloth in exchange. The Choates eventually put a carding machine and steam-powered loom to improve the output. Local weavers could rent the loom to finish their product. In 1855, the books recorded over 30 local farmers renting the machines to finish their woollen goods. In the 1861 census 9 Dummer residents claimed their profession as weaver (and not farmer!)

One Warsaw weaver has left his output records for 1887. He sold 2 pairs of blankets ($10.50), 33 ½ yards of carpet (22 cents a yard), 6 yards of carpet (40 cents a yard), 1 horse blanket ($2.25), 5 yards full cloth ($3.50), 3 yards flannel ($1.05), 3 ½ yards of yarn ($1.78), 10 ½ yards of twill ($1.85) and 2 ¼ yards of yarn ($1.10). Total income for the year was $429.42.

Fire was a constant menace in Warsaw, as it was in most small villages. The main grist/sawmill burned down three times. It was always rebuilt, a sign it was well used and needed in the community. Douro and Dummer Townships were always closely linked (Warsaw is on the boundary between the two townships). They shared an agricultural society among other institutions. In the amalgamation of the 1990s, the two township councils were united to form one municipality.