Several villages and settlement areas make up The Corporation of the Township of Wellesley, including the villages of Wellesley, Linwood, St. Clements and Hawkesville.
We are located in the North West corner of Waterloo Region and once part of a large Clergy Reserve known as "The Queen's Bush", Wellesley Township waited until 1843 to be completely surveyed for settlement. The Township got off to a good start with nearly 6,000 people by 1861, and showed signs of matching other areas for growth and development. Hawkesville, competed with Berlin (present day Kitchener), and Galt (part of present day Cambridge) in becoming the county seat.
The railways bypassed the area, so while other areas grew, most of the Township remained rural and the villages dropped as centers of promise. To this day, farms cover most of the township where people show hard work, and a business spirit, which upon discovery will delight both residents and visitors. One will discover cultural, historical, and tasty delights, often lost in our fast paced lifestyle. Catch the Culture on our 60 mile (96 km) Cultural Trail or risk going off the beaten track, one will find down to earth people farming in old-style ways or with the latest air conditioned farm equipment. Many also have shops in which treasures can be found.
- Furniture
- Toys
- Fabric
- Quilts
- Tools
- Food
- Clothes
- Kerosene lamps
- Shoes
- Farm equipment
For the most part, untouched by tourism, the villages offer homemade summer sausage, maple syrup, shoo-fly pie, apple butter, cooked cheese, butter, bacon the list goes on, tempting anyone's taste buds.
Waterloo County quilts famous throughout the Region can be purchased right out of their makers' homes. Many others can be bought in shops, at auctions, at the Mennonite Relief Sale in New Hamburg, and the Wellesley Apple Butter and Cheese Festival.
From festivals, food, furniture, crafts and churches, our township is sure to attract everyone in some way, regardless of what season one chooses to visit.
For more information on the history of the Township of Wellesley visit the Wellesley Township Heritage and Historical Society.