Sodom, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Sodom, Ontario
was a former small logging industry
-based community that existed in the last quarter of the 19th and first half of the 20th century. It was located on the boundary between the present day municipalities of South Huron
and Bluewater, Ontario
, Canada
on Dashwood Road approximately 500 meters west of the present-day intersection of Dashwood Road and Ausable Line, at the point at which Dashwood Road bridges
the Ausable River. The original site of the community is now divided between the two municipalities mentioned.
Sodom began in 1873 when a sawmill
was constructed by two local politicians and businessmen, Thomas Greenway
, a future Premier of the province of Manitoba
, and Robert Bissett. The mill was at first inadvertently built on land reserved for road construction and was relocated to the west side of the Ausable River, south of Dashwood Road. The mill was situated in a densely forested old growth stand of hardwood
trees in an area known as Hay Swamp
. In 1877, the mill and surrounding property were sold to brothers Samuel and Silas Stanlake.
Expansion required the construction of a group of small houses to accommodate the growing number of employees and their families. A number of social organizations developed in the community, including a glee club
, which performed at local events. A one-room school
was constructed, the name of which was recorded as "U.S.S. (United School Section) #13 Hay and Stephen, Sodom School". The school was located on the north side of Dashwood Road and east of the river. Regular church service
s and a Sunday school
existed in private homes in the community, as well as a chapter of the Royal Templars of Temperance
, which promoted complete abstinence from all alcoholic beverage
s, in the context of the temperance movement
. The group hosted a district council meeting for the organization in 1896 in a nearby orchard. Public school inspector Elgin G. Tom, a resident of Goderich
, was the president of the regional district council of the organization.
Although today in English the word "Sodom" in many cases has a sexual connotation, by literal definition, it can also be used to convey an attribution of general alleged "wrongdoing" as well. This was often especially true in a 19th century context.
The community is believed to have received its name from a local 19th-century school official named Chester Prouty who, in the midst of the Temperance Movement, objected to what he saw as the community's overconsumption of alcohol and the purportedly exuberant subsequent social events that occurred there.
As local timber availability dwindled during the first quarter of the 20th century, the community began to dissolve and the site was largely converted to agricultural use. A tragedy occurred on June 2, 1923 when the home of Silas Stanlake was destroyed by fire and six people perished in the blaze. Education records indicate that the school was in operation until at least 1937.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
was a former small logging industry
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
-based community that existed in the last quarter of the 19th and first half of the 20th century. It was located on the boundary between the present day municipalities of South Huron
South Huron, Ontario
South Huron is a municipality in the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the southern part of Huron County. It was formed by amalgamation of the townships of Stephen and Usborne with the Town of Exeter in 2001, in an Ontario-wide municipal restructuring imposed by the provincial...
and Bluewater, Ontario
Bluewater, Ontario
The Municipality of Bluewater is located in Huron County, Ontario, Canada. It was formed in 2001 when the Ontario Government instituted the amalgamation of municipalities throughout the province. Specifically, the former townships of Hay and Stanley were merged with the villages of Bayfield,...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on Dashwood Road approximately 500 meters west of the present-day intersection of Dashwood Road and Ausable Line, at the point at which Dashwood Road bridges
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
the Ausable River. The original site of the community is now divided between the two municipalities mentioned.
Sodom began in 1873 when a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
was constructed by two local politicians and businessmen, Thomas Greenway
Thomas Greenway
For the American character actor , see Tom Greenway.Thomas Greenway was a politician, merchant and farmer. He served as the seventh Premier of Manitoba, Canada, from 1888 to 1900...
, a future Premier of the province of Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, and Robert Bissett. The mill was at first inadvertently built on land reserved for road construction and was relocated to the west side of the Ausable River, south of Dashwood Road. The mill was situated in a densely forested old growth stand of hardwood
Hardwood
Hardwood is wood from angiosperm trees . It may also be used for those trees themselves: these are usually broad-leaved; in temperate and boreal latitudes they are mostly deciduous, but in tropics and subtropics mostly evergreen.Hardwood contrasts with softwood...
trees in an area known as Hay Swamp
Hay Swamp
Hay Swamp is a provincially significant wetland complex, 1839 hectares in size, located in parts of the central land areas of the municipalities of Bluewater and South Huron, in southwestern Ontario, Canada...
. In 1877, the mill and surrounding property were sold to brothers Samuel and Silas Stanlake.
Expansion required the construction of a group of small houses to accommodate the growing number of employees and their families. A number of social organizations developed in the community, including a glee club
Glee club
A glee club is a musical group or choir group, historically of male voices but also of female or mixed voices, which traditionally specializes in the singing of short songs—glees—by trios or quartets. In the late 19th Century it was very popular in most schools and was made a tradition...
, which performed at local events. A one-room school
One-room school
One-room schools were commonplace throughout rural portions of various countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, United Kingdom, Ireland and Spain in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In most rural and small town schools, all of the students met in a single room...
was constructed, the name of which was recorded as "U.S.S. (United School Section) #13 Hay and Stephen, Sodom School". The school was located on the north side of Dashwood Road and east of the river. Regular church service
Church service
In Christianity, a church service is a term used to describe a formalized period of communal worship, often but not exclusively occurring on Sunday, or Saturday in the case of those churches practicing seventh-day Sabbatarianism. The church service is the gathering together of Christians to be...
s and a Sunday school
Sunday school
Sunday school is the generic name for many different types of religious education pursued on Sundays by various denominations.-England:The first Sunday school may have been opened in 1751 in St. Mary's Church, Nottingham. Another early start was made by Hannah Ball, a native of High Wycombe in...
existed in private homes in the community, as well as a chapter of the Royal Templars of Temperance
Fraternal Forestry
The Independent Order of Foresters is a fraternal organization, now based in Toronto, Canada, and operating under the brand Foresters.-History:Foresters traces its origin to a British Friendly Society, a mutual organization caring for the sick...
, which promoted complete abstinence from all alcoholic beverage
Alcoholic beverage
An alcoholic beverage is a drink containing ethanol, commonly known as alcohol. Alcoholic beverages are divided into three general classes: beers, wines, and spirits. They are legally consumed in most countries, and over 100 countries have laws regulating their production, sale, and consumption...
s, in the context of the temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
. The group hosted a district council meeting for the organization in 1896 in a nearby orchard. Public school inspector Elgin G. Tom, a resident of Goderich
Goderich, Ontario
Goderich is a town in the Canadian province of Ontario and is the county seat of Huron County. The town was founded by William "Tiger" Dunlop in 1827. First laid out in 1828, the town is named after Frederick John Robinson, 1st Viscount Goderich, who was British prime minister at the time. The town...
, was the president of the regional district council of the organization.
Although today in English the word "Sodom" in many cases has a sexual connotation, by literal definition, it can also be used to convey an attribution of general alleged "wrongdoing" as well. This was often especially true in a 19th century context.
The community is believed to have received its name from a local 19th-century school official named Chester Prouty who, in the midst of the Temperance Movement, objected to what he saw as the community's overconsumption of alcohol and the purportedly exuberant subsequent social events that occurred there.
As local timber availability dwindled during the first quarter of the 20th century, the community began to dissolve and the site was largely converted to agricultural use. A tragedy occurred on June 2, 1923 when the home of Silas Stanlake was destroyed by fire and six people perished in the blaze. Education records indicate that the school was in operation until at least 1937.
Sources
- The History of Stephen Township',Susan Muriel Mack: Corporation of The Township of Stephen,1992, editor: Alice Gibb, Edward Phelps pgs. 72,223-224,304
- Exeter, Situate on the London & Goderich Road in the township of Stephen and Usborne, 30 miles from London and in the County of Huron, C.W. : a history of Exeter, Ontario,Joseph L. Wooden Exeter, Ont.: R. Southcott, 1973 pgs. 94-95,253
- Stephen Township: 150 Great Years 1842-1992,ed. Ross Haugh Stephen Township Sesquicentennial Committee, 1992 pg. 14