Settled in 1803 by Colonel Thomas Talbot, Dunwich Township was one of the early settlements in Upper Canada. Originally part of Dunwich Township, Dutton was called Bennettville, then Lisgar. When the Canada Southern Railway was built in 1872, the station was named Dutton Station after the railway's civil engineer. It was shortened to Dutton in 1881 and the village was incorporated a few years later.
In 1998, as part of county-wide municipal restructuring, the Village of Dutton was amalgamated with Dunwich Township to form the Municipality of Dutton/Dunwich.Click here for more information on
Colonel Talbot
The Talbot Settlement
Historical Footnote - the following article was found among the Chamber memorabilia. Unfortunately the author is not known, but we thank them.
"There was a Dutton Businessmen's Association before the village was incorporated.
In April of 1890 this group had a project of beautifying the yards and streets. They planted sapling(sic) maples along the streets. An editorial asked why maples only were planted. What was wrong with chestnut, ash and evergreens? These maples are 100 years old and some of them still grace the streets of the village. Over the last two decades many of these maples have disappeared and have been replaced by trees of various species by the village council.
This association made petitions to council conerning the safety at the railway crossing, lamplighting on Main Street, fire protection and sprinkling Main Street with water during the summer to keep down the dust.
In April of 1901 a Board of Trade was formed to promote present businesses and encourage new ones to locate here,
The Board of Trade must have lapsed because in March of 1912 it was reformed. How long this organization lasted is not known.
The present Chamber of Commerce was officially organized in February of 1950."
OUR earliest records show the present Chamber of Commerce was being organized as early as 1949. The first entry in the ledger records a "cheque from defunct Industrial Board" for $31.72. Seven months later there were thirty-two paid up members and the group held their inaugural meeting on Thursday, February 9th, 1950 at a dinner meeting at the McIntyre Hotel. Eleven officers were elected.
The first constitution was later ratified on May 17, 1951. With sixty-five people in attendance, thirty local gentlemen, including four farmers, a doctor, a veterinarian, several merchants, clerks, contractors and even an undertaker, signed their names on the document and the group officially became The Dutton and Dunwich Chamber of Commerce. President C.K. Buckrell and Vice-President Lloyd Corby swore an oath of office before Reeve J.E. Davis, which was required by the first by-laws.
In that first document, these men all agreed that "The object of the Dutton and Dunwich Chamber of Commerce shall be to promote the Commercial, Industrial, Agricultural and Civic welfare of Dutton and the surrounding district." In short, they cared about their community. Today, the municipalities of The Town of Dutton and The Township of Dunwich have blended into one municipality called Dutton/Dunwich and the Chamber is so-called because of that melding; but it has never wavered in its efforts to make our community, whatever it may be called, a good place to be.
Upon examination of the early records, it appears that ten dollars was collected from everyone, and their first community event seems to have been a baseball tournament. Another recorded event in those early days was the purchase and sale of chickens! Here we are many years later still collecting a small sum from our members, turning it back into the community and we are all the better for it.Many good people have written in these ledgers and turned the pages of these books. Here's to those who come behind.
Bev Galbraith
President, The Dutton and Dunwich Chamber of Commerce, 2007
| 2009 Jim Corneil | ||
| 2008 Bev Galbraith | ||
| 2007 Bev Galbraith | ||
| 2006 Evelyn Poisson | ||
| 2005 Margaret Gruenbauer | ||
| 2004 Margaret Gruenbauer | ||
| 2003 Jerry Galbraith | ||
| 2002 Jerry Galbraith | ||
| 2001 Susan Baldwin | ||
| 2000 Yvonne Brooks | ||
Thank you to the Dutton Advance archives at the John Kenneth Galbraith Reference Library for the information from the early years. | ||
| 1950 C.K. Buckrell | 1967 Herb Campbell | 1984 Ron Campigotto |
| 1951 C.K. Buckrell | 1968 Herb Campbell | 1985 Ron Campigotto |
| 1952 Lloyd Corby | 1969 Paul Young | 1986 Elizabeth Kornaker |
| 1953 Lloyd Corby | 1970 Paul Young | 1987 Ken Willson |
| 1954 James Bennett | 1971 Frank Hurlbut | 1988 Ken Willson |
| 1955 Roy Jewell | 1972 Morley Binks | 1989 Jackie Campigotto |
| 1956 Chester Crawford | 1973 Morley Binks | 1990 Jackie Campigotto |
| 1957 Chester Crawford | 1974 Bob Downie | 1991 Bonnie Vowel |
| 1958 Cyril J Beill | 1975 Bob Downie | 1992 Bonnie Vowel |
| 1959 Frost Hockin | 1976 Bob Downie | 1993 Elizabeth Kornaker |
| 1960 Don Hockin | 1977 Dan Moore | 1994 Elizabeth Kornaker |
| 1961 Don Hockin | 1978 Dan Moore | 1995 Elizabeth Kornaker |
| 1962 Don Hockin | 1979 Dan Moore | 1996 Elizabeth Kornaker |
| 1963 Micky Fletcher | 1980 Claire Oldham | 1997 Margaret Gruenbauer |
| 1964 Micky Fletcher | 1981 Claire Oldham | 1998 Margaret Gruenbauer |
| 1965 Micky Fletcher | 1982 Pat Walker | 1999 Yvonne Brooks |
| 1966 Al Kahnt | 1983 Ron Campigotto | |
| CLARENCE BLUE | Farmer | |
| RUSSELL BRADDON | Radiotrician | |
| A. EDWIN ROBERTS | Druggist | |
| GEO. CAMPBELL | Hotelkeeper | |
| J.P. HOCKIN | Druggist | |
| JACK McNEIL | Postmaster | |
| J.J. EBERLE | Bowling Alley & Confectioner | |
| J.A. HAFELE | Veterinary | |
| L. CORBY | Plumber | |
| C.R. McKISHNIE | Physician | |
| H.C. CAMPBELL | Printer | |
| J.D. FRASER | Creamery & Farmer | |
| J.A. McNEIL | Funeral Director | |
| C.K. BUCKRELL | Bank Manager | |
| ROY F. JEWELL | Director Farm Services, London Free Press | |
| H.B. HOCKIN | Merchant | |
| E.A. HOCKIN | Merchant | |
| GEO. L. MARTIN | Clerk | |
| T.D. HOCKIN | Clerk | |
| V.S. TRIP | Cold Storage | |
| HUGH F. CARROLL | Farmer | |
| R.E. FRASER | Creamery | |
| R.J. HILLIS | Garage | |
| ARNOLD CRAWFORD | Merchant | |
| H.A. MILLIGAN | Garage | |
| A.D. ARMSTRONG | Clerk | |
| IVAN PATTERSON | Implement Agent | |
| W.E. SAUNDERS | Contractor | |
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