February 23rd, 2020:

Zorra Township, Ontario in Colour Photos – My Top 13 Picks

Zorra Township

Zorra is a township in Oxford County in south-western Ontario. A predominantly rural municipality, Zorra was formed in 1975 through the amalgamation of East Nissouri, West Zorra and North Oxford townships. It is best known for the Highland Games weekend held each summer in Embro, celebrating the heritage of the Scottish pioneer families. The township comprises the communities of Banner, Bennington, Brooksdale, Brown’s Corners, Cody’s Corners, Dicksons Corners, Dunn’s Corner, Embro, Golspie, Granthurst, Harrington, Harrington West, Holiday, Kintore, Lakeside, Maplewood, McConkey, Medina, Rayside, Thamesford, Uniondale, Youngsville, and Zorra Station.

Among the earliest settlers of Zorra Township, were United Empire Loyalists from the New England States. Zorra was first surveyed in 1820 and Embro became a separate municipality in 1858. Embro is located on a branch of the Thames River. The first buildings were two distilleries owned by McDonald and Crittenden.

Flour, grist and oatmeal mills were built. John McDonald built a carding and cloth factory. Businesses started up: watchmaker and jeweler, boots and shoes, eight blacksmith shops, wagon and carriage makers, tinsmith, carpenters, potash manufacturer, four general stores, two cabinet makers, undertaker, three doctors, and a pump manufacturer. In 1875, Embro had two newspapers, “The Planet” and “The Review”, with a third added in 1880, “The Embro Courier”. The Embro Public Library started as a Mechanics Institute in 1882; it became a public library in 1895.

Architectural Photos, Embro, Ontario
137 St. Andrews Street – hipped roof, cornice brackets
Architectural Photos, Embro, Ontario
Embro – 114 Argyle Street – verge board trim and finial on center gable of Ontario Cottage
Architectural Photos, Embro, Ontario
Embro – 70 Commissioner Street – hipped roof, cornice brackets
Architectural Photos, Embro, Ontario
Embro – 70 Ross Street – bay window
Architectural Photos, Embro, Ontario
Embro – 76 Ross Street – iron cresting above porch, trim on gable
Architectural Photos, Embro, Ontario
Embro – 87 Ross Street – Neo-Colonial – gambrel roofs
Architectural Photos, Embro, Ontario
Embro – 109 Huron Street – Gothic Revival – verge board trim on gable, bay window
Architectural Photos, Medina, Ontario
Medina – Field stone, two-story bay window, corner quoins, cornice brackets
Architectural Photos, Kintore, Ontario
Kintore – # 195962
Architectural Photos, Kintore, Ontario
Kintore – Two-and-a-half-story bay window with verge board trim on gable, decorative cornice with brackets
Architectural Photos, Thamesford, Ontario
Thamesford – 109 Dundas Street – hipped roof, cornice brackets, two-story bay window
Architectural Photos, Thamesford, Ontario
Thamesford – #174 – two-story tower-like bay capped with a gable, fretwork
Architectural Photos, Thamesford, Ontario
Thamesford – #205 – Gothic Revival – verge board trim on gables, corner quoins, voussoirs over windows