Our History

The Wellington County Historical Society was founded in 1928 through the initiative of the Women’s Institutes in the County. The Society’s mission was to preserve, collect and display the historical records and artifacts of Wellington County.

During the first two decades of its existence, the Society’s collection of papers and objects grew to substantial proportions necessitating the finding of a permanent place to display the Society’s acquisitions. In 1954, in a converted store on Mill Street in Elora, the Society found a suitable home to exhibit its rapidly growing collection. This Mill Street site was the forerunner of the present Wellington County Museum and Archives, located in the former County House of Industry on County Road 18, between Elora and Fergus.

Now in its tenth decade of activity, the Society is no longer responsible for the historic and archival collections in the Museum and Archives. However the Society continues to support not only the work of the Museum and Archives but also to pursue the Society’s mandate of fostering public awareness of the rich history of Wellington County.