Marmora, Ontario

Marmora is the largest community in the Municipality of Marmora and Lake in Hastings County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Crowe River and along Highway 7 between Havelock to the west and Madoc to the east, about the half way point between Ottawa and Toronto.

The village was named after Marmora Township, which is itself named for the Latin word for marble. Marble is common in the area and a giant marble rock stood on nearby Crowe Lake.

The rich history of Marmora Township is the story of mining in Eastern Ontario. Since 1820 this Township has played a leading role in the development of iron mining. In addition, copper, lead, silver, gold and lithographic limestone have been extracted.

Iron mining was an important industry in the area during the 19th century. The village was originally named Marmora Iron Works. Gold and silver were also mined at nearby Cordova Mines. A nearby plant processes talc and dolomite.

Marmora was separated from Marmora and Lake Township and incorporated as a village in 1901.

On April 14, 1821, the government passed an act setting up Marmora Township and attaching it to Hastings County as per Charles Hayes's request to do so in 1820. The new Township took its name from the Latin word for 'marble' because of an ‘immense rock of most delicate white marble’. This giant rock stood on the southeast corner of Crowe Lake. The Lake took its name from the Crowe Indians that lived along the shore.

Marmora Township was opened for sale in 1821, but there was little settlement outside of the newly created mining village. Although mining and lumbering have been vital to the Township, agriculture has probably supported more people in the area since 1850. A remaining legacy of iron mining is the Marmora Open Pit Mine, a man-made wonder-lake, seventy five acres in area, five hundred and fifty feet deep, filled with four hundred feet deep of clear blue spring water that is steadily rising to the top.

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