Rockwood in Wellington County, Ontario — Central Canada (North America)

Rockwood Academy 1850

Rockwood Academy Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 5, 2025

1. Rockwood Academy Marker

Inscription. A pioneer boarding school for boys was opened on this property in 1850 by William Wetherald (1820-98), an English Quaker who had emigrated to Upper Canada in 1835. The original log building was replaced by the present stone structure in 1853. The academy became noted for its high academic standards, and among its former pupils were such prominent persons as: Honourable A.S. Hardy, Ontario's fourth prime minister; Sir Adam Beck, founder of the province's Hydro-Electric system; and James J. Hill, pioneer railway magnate. In 1864 Donald McCaig and Alexander McMillan became principals of the school. They introduced commercial courses and added the south wing to the building. This school remained in operation until 1882.

Erected by Ontario Archeological and Historical Sites Board.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Education. In addition, it is included in the Canada, Ontario Heritage Trust series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1850.

Location. 43° 36.637′ N, 80° 7.97′ W. Marker is in Rockwood, Ontario, in Wellington County. It is at the intersection of

Paid Advertisement

Click or scan to see
this page online

Main Street South and Ridge Street, on the right when traveling south on Main Street South. The marker is by the stone wall of the property, about 50 metres south of the northern entrance. It’s view is mostly obscured from the road. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 100 Ridge Road, Rockwood ON N0B 2K0, Canada. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in the Huron-Perth-Waterloo-Wellington Area

and in Southwestern Ontario.

It is also in Central Canada.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once a British colony,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

and Rupert’s Land.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 8 kilometers of this marker, measured as the crow flies: The Founding of Rockwood (approx. one kilometer away); James Jerome Hill (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); Rockwood Cenotaph (approx. 1.2 kilometers away); Toronto’s Radial Railways (approx. 3.8 kilometers away); Mid-to-Late 1900s Acton Quarry & Its Commercial Operations (approx.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 5, 2025

2. Rockwood Academy Marker

Looking north, Main Street South is just to the right

7.5 kilometers away); Late 1800s - 1900s Lime Kiln Technology (approx. 7.6 kilometers away); Acton (approx. 7.6 kilometers away); 2001 - Present Day Dufferin Aggregates Acton Quarry (approx. 7.6 kilometers away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Rockwood.

Also see . . . Rockwood Academy (Canada’s Historic Places). The Rockwood Academy is significant for its association with early education in Upper Canada, Quakers, teacher William Wetherald and artist Yosef Drenters. William Wetherald (1820-1898), a Quaker from Yorkshire, England arrived in Upper Canada with his family in 1835. Having studied at the prestigious Quaker school of Ackworth in Yorkshire, he became a teacher in 1843. In 1850, Wetherald founded the Rockwood Academy according to Quaker education rules, at a time when the public school system was still developing, in Upper Canada. (Submitted on August 6, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario.)

Former Rockwood Academy, through its northern entrance image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 5, 2025

3. Former Rockwood Academy, through its northern entrance

Rockwood Academy, ca 1900 image. Click for full size.

4. Rockwood Academy, ca 1900

Archives of Ontario (public domain)

Former Rockwood Academy in 2025 image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tim Boyd, August 5, 2025

5. Former Rockwood Academy in 2025

Currently a private residence

Credits. This page was last revised on August 7, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 6, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. This page has been viewed 86 times since then and 16 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on August 6, 2025, by Tim Boyd of Hamilton, Ontario. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.