Maryhill, Ontario

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (December 2007) Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Maryhill is a small Canadian hamlet in Ontario near Guelph. Its main feature is the gothic St. Boniface Roman Catholic Church built in the late 1870s, which is visible from miles around. At its side is a cemetery with dozens of old stones, an iron gate, and a stone wall. Across the street is St. Boniface Catholic School and an original homestead, both from the same era. A newspaper writer from Kitchener once wrote that if residents in Ontario can't afford to go to Europe, they should go to Maryhill.^{[citation needed]}

The name "Maryhill" is derived from a statue of "Mary" Magdalene at the base of St. Boniface Church, which is on a small "hill"—Maryhill. Maryhill was renamed after World War II because its former name, "New Germany," was no longer politically acceptable. At the base of the same hill are two former hotels built in the mid-1800s. One is white, was a former stage coach stop, and is now a bed and breakfast. The other is red and is named the Commercial Tavern. The Commercial was once the site of many up and coming rock acts but was in the late 1990s converted into a country music bar. It has an ornate copper ceiling and a storied past.