The Village of Moorefield

by Kay Brownsberger
(Chatham, Ontario, Canada)

Moorefield, Ontario, is a community in Southern Ontario, located within the Wellington County township of Mapleton.

The founder of Moorefield, Richard C. Moore, was the son of a Baptist missionary who came to Canada for the purpose of establishing a church and converts in North America. Richard, as well as his brother Rev. George C. Moore, had involvement in various business ventures in the area. The family had moved to the new township of Maryborough in the 1850s and had established a church which the town was built around.

The earliest property deed listed for St. John's Anglican Church, Moorefield, is dated 23 July 1859, so it can be seen that the town grew with some rapidity, with a diversity of religion - since the founder of the town was strongly Baptist.

I grew up in the village of Moorefield, Ontario moving there in 1962 after my late foster father retired from farmimg. I attended Marybourgh Public School in 1962.

In Moorefield, we had two Grocery stores, 3 churches, a post office, fire hall, park, 1 school & many other businesses. I enjoyed my many years there in Moorefield, but I left there at age 16, going home once in awhile to visit my parents & friends.

At the time when I lived there the population was 300 people. Moorefield has now grown since then & I believe the population is somewhere between 600-900 now.