Heritage & Culture

The Caledonia & Seneca Cenotaphs, located on Edinburgh Square stand as a memorial to the men and women of Caledonia who made the ultimate sacrifice for King and Country.

Built in 1927, the Caledonia Bridge was the first, and is now the only 9-span bridge in Canada. The bridge was completed in a record 140 working days, a feat in 1927, and today.

Caledonia's development began with the construction of the Caledonia Dam and lock in 1834. The Grand River Navigation Company system made the Grand River completely navigable by boat. Shipping on the River boomed in its early years. In 1980 the current dam was built. No longer navigable, the dam remains as a memento of the community's river-trasnport past.

The Caledonia Grand Trunk Station was built in 1908 and provided passenger service until the mid 1950s, and freight, parcel, and mail service until the early 1970s.

Caledonia High School was completed in 1924. In 1992 high school classes moved to the new McKinnon Park Secondary School, and the former high school was converted into an elementary school known as River Heights.

Built in 1898, the Presbyterian Church was built as a celebration when the Free and Standard Church came together. This beautiful church is an architectural delight. Caledonia's Lawrence Munroe as a young man was the architect.

Caledonia Branch- Haldimand County Public Library

Every fall, Creepy Caledonia guides brave participants through downtown Caledonia on a lantern-lit tour featuring local stories, legends, and folklore.

Formely Caledonia's Town Hall and town lock up, the renovated 1857 amazing architect example of John Turner is now a museum of all things Caledonia and Haldimand. Owned and operated by Haldimand County, Edinburgh Square Heritage and Cultural Centre is home to a variety of artifacts and presents traveling historical displays.

One of the oldest buildings in Caledonia, it is currently under renovation. Once a busy hotel in the stagecoach era and later, history tells us many stories of its past.

The Grace United Church remains as a landmark of Caledonia's history.

This former Grand Trunk Caboose was converted to operate on CN rail in 1923, and later was turned into a restaurant: Tony's Pizza Caboose. It is best known when it was located in the Kinsmen Park and served hamburgers and dam fries. Now located at the Grand Trunk Station, it is now in the process of being restored.

Built in 1836, this former hotel is one of Caledonia's oldest landmarks, the first registered Haldimand County building. Inside, the original plank flooring, tin ceilings and walls, can be seen.

Caledonia's Oasis Drive-In has served kilometers of footlong hot dogs, and tons of fresh-cut fries since it opened in 1927. Recognized as Ontario, and likely Canada's oldest Drive-In Restaurant, the Oasis is one of Caledonia's oldest family businesses.

One of Ontario's oldest weekly newspapers, the Sachem has published weekly from 1856. The 1866 building is the only one in Canada that has carried on business for newspapering since that time and still does. Archives of the newspaper are held at Edinburgh Square Heritage and Cultural Centre. The founding publisher and owner of Sachem was Thomas Messenger.

The Caledonia Toll House was completed in 1875. Built by the Town Council, the Toll House was constructed to collect tolls to cross the Grand River using Caledonia's Iron Bridge. It is now a private residence. Please be respectful of private property.

Now a bustling restaurant, this historic building was once a busy hotel in the stagecoach era. Historical information about the building is hanging on the wall inside the restaurant.