Madoc, Ontario (town)

This article is about the Ontario community. For the township, see Madoc, Ontario. For other uses, see Madoc (disambiguation).

Madoc, St. Lawrence Street

Madoc, Durham Street

Madoc ( /ˈmeɪdɒk/) is a community in the municipality of Centre Hastings, Hastings County, Ontario, Canada. It is located at the junction of Highway 7 and Highway 62, southeast of Bancroft, halfway between Toronto and Ottawa.

History

Madoc was originally named MacKenzie's Mills after Donald MacKenzie, who built a sawmill and grist mill here. It was briefly named Hastings but renamed Madoc Township after the legendary Welsh prince Madoc ap Owain Gwynedd, credited by some with discovering North America in 1170. When people traveled by horse and carriage during the 19th century from Toronto to Ottawa, Madoc was the halfway stop over, allowing the passengers and horses to rest. The community separated from the namesake township and remained an incorporated municipality until 1998.

The area has had a rich mining history. Gold was discovered at nearby Eldorado in 1866. Fluorite was extracted from the area during the 1930s and 1940s. The talc mine, under the name Canada Talc (Cantalc), that was in production in Madoc for almost 114 years by 2010 is now shutting down. It is one of only three mines on the planet that has been in steady operation for more than one hundred years.^{[citation needed]}

On January 25 1998, the Village of Madoc amalgamated with Huntingdon Township to form Centre Hastings. Madoc is the largest community in the municipality. Its post office services locals with lock boxes and rural routes.

In 2008, Madoc celebrated its 130th anniversary.[1]

Amenities

The O'Hara sawmill, built by the O'Haras, is reputedly the only water-powered upright frame saw left in Ontario.^{[citation needed]}

Madoc is home to a 24-hour Tim Hortons, gas station and grocery stores. A new gas station and McDonald's is being built at Highway 62 and Highway 7, while an Ontario Provincial Police station is located on Highway 7 just west of the Tim Hortons. The village also has a premier skateboard park with splash pad, canteen, night-time lighting and performing arts centre with music stage made from straw-bale construction.

A public boat launch at Moira Lake South of the town is a wonderful spot to launch your boat or to swim and sit on the quaint beach as well.

The Municipal building for Centre Hastings Township is behind the Petro-Canada gas station along Highway 62.

Notable people from Madoc

People born here include:

• Allan Roy Dafoe, who delivered and cared for the Dionne Quintuplets
• Colin Scott Dafoe, who was best known for his work as a surgeon with Marshall Josip Broz Tito's Partisans in Yugoslavia during the Second World War
• John Weir Foote, who was awarded the Victoria Cross