In 1834, Edward Bristow bought land from David Musselman and settled just south of the present town. In 1843, he opened a store that included a tavern and the place was called Bristow's Corners. The village didn't get its present name until 1853. Even then, the post office was called West Woolwich; it wasn't called Elmira until 1867.

Joel Good immigrated to Canada from Pennsylvania as a two-year-old in 1818 and grew up on his father's farm a mile north of Waterloo. He became a surveyor and, perhaps as a consequence, he obtained the land on which Elmira stands. It was Good who surveyed and laid out the town. By 1869, Elmira had a population of 450. The presence of both major railways, the Grand Trunk and the CPR, helped to make Elmira prosperous, so that, by 1891, the population was over a thousand.

Places to see in Elmira:

• Caspar Ruppel House, 31 Church Street East

  Caspar Ruppel House

  This pretty house is the oldest brick building in Elmira. It was built in 1856 by Caspar Ruppel. Originally it had a single storey; the second storey was added in 1910. It remained in the Ruppel family until 1958.


 

• Cavanagh-Walker Farmhouse, 4½ William Street

  Cavanagh-Walker Farmhouse

  Until recently, this Ontario 1½-storey house was though to have been built by William Cavanagh in 1874. Now it thought to be earlier. It may have been built by the man who sold the farm to Cavanagh in 1874: Thomas Walker. The porch was added later. This house is hidden behind number 6 William Street, which was built later.


 

• Dunke House, 2 William Street

  Dunke House

  Jacob Dunke came to Elmira from Kitchener in 1864 to make his fortune. He started as a lowly clerk in Wenger and Ruppel's clothing store near the intersection of Arthur and Church Streets. When the partnership broke up, he continued in the now Isaac Wenger store. In 1875 he finally opened his own store and never looked back. He retired at the age of 43. He built this house in 1891.


 

• Steddick Hotel, 52 Arthur Street South

  Steddick Hotel

  Now much the worse for wear, this old hotel was built in the 1860s, when Elmira was growing. It had other names: Ontario House and Mogk's Hotel. Besides a hotel, it has been a restaurant.


 

• The Bandstand, Arthur Street South

  The Bandstand

  When the Zilliax Hotel at Arthur and Church burned down in 1896, the firefighters managed to save the bandstand. It had been built in 1892 especially for the hotel but the question at the time was: What would happen to it now? Eventually it found a home in the small park on Arthur Street South.
  

• Blatz House, 75 Arthur Street South

  Blatz House

  This nice 1½-storey house as built around 1860 by a shoemaker named August Blatz. His relatives still live here. The clapboard and 6-over-6 windows are original. The shutters are not, but they are not new either. They are over a hundred years old and were brought to this house from a house in Floradale.


 

• John Ruppel House, 70 Arthur Street South

  John Ruppel House

  This fine, square, white-painted house was built for John Ruppel in 1875. Ruppel had been a partner of Isaac Wenger in a clothing store in town. By 1875, the partnership had ended. Ruppel was Elmira's first town clerk. The bay window, front windows, and front door are not original.


 

• Jacob Esch House, 103 Arthur Street South

  Jacob Esch House

  This is the last log house in Elmira and was built before 1861 by Jacob Esch, but the logs have been covered over by clapboard. The house originally had two rooms downstairs, a central stairway, and two sections or rooms upstairs. The porch may be original.


 

• John Ratz House, 10 Centre Street

  John Ratz House

  In 1869, John and Jacob Ratz bought the Elmira Flouring Mills. John became the sole proprietor in 1875. Later, he became Elmira's first reeve. He built this house in the 1870s. This classic Ontario 1½-storey house with the central windowed gable above the front door has some very fine brickwork.


 

• Behrens House, 18 Centre Street

  Behrens House

  Just up the street from the Ratz House is the home of William Behrens. He is described as being a salesman in the store of Messrs. Weber and Erb but no ordinary salesman could build a house like this. The wrought-iron railings over the porch are original but the wrap-around porch has disappeared.