Baden, Ontario

Baden
Suburban Community
Front facade and path to Castle Kilbride in Baden
Baden
Location of Baden in Southern Ontario
Coordinates: 43°24′09″N 80°40′07″W / 43.40250°N 80.66861°W / 43.40250; -80.66861Coordinates: 43°24′09″N 80°40′07″W / 43.40250°N 80.66861°W / 43.40250; -80.66861[1]
Country Canada
Province Ontario
Regional Municipality Waterloo
Municipality Wilmot
Elevation[2] 352 m (1,155 ft)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern Time Zone)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (Eastern Time Zone)
Postal code FSA N3A
Area code(s) 519, 226, 548
CGNDB key FEGDI

Baden is a Suburban Community and unincorporated place in Township of Wilmot, Regional Municipality of Waterloo in Southwestern Ontario, Canada.[1][3][4][5] It has a population of around 4500 and was named after Baden-Baden in Germany. (Approximate Population as of 2011 as per township statistics is 4,553)[6]

The area is the site of the Baden Tower, a huge television, radio and communications tower located on top of one of the Baden Hills. This tower is the transmitter for CKCO-DT, the CTV affiliate for Kitchener. It also transmits CFCA-FM and CHYM-FM with studios in Kitchener.

Much of the area consists of farmlands and there are pine forests in the area. The local high school, Waterloo-Oxford District Secondary School, is located just outside the town.

History

The first settler in this area was Jacob Beck in 1854; he opened a large flour mill on the Spring Creek. A second flour mill, two saw mills, a flax mill and an iron foundry also opened in the next 20 years. The settlement was originally called Weissenburg.[7]

The village of Baden founded and established in 1855, was originally named after an old bachelor living in the area. Jacob Beck, born in the Grand Duchy of Baden-Baden, German, settled in the village and later renamed Baden in 1854. Baden was also the birthplace of Sir Adam Beck, founder of Ontario's public hydro-electric system.

By 1864, there was a school and the population was 400.[8]

A historical plaque near Baden honours Christian Nafziger, an Amish Mennonite from Munich, Germany who arrived in 1822 with about 70 families. With assistance from local Mennonites, he was able to obtain the "German Block" (now Wilmot Township) from the Government; many other Amish from Europe settled here.[9]

Baden is home to the historic Castle Kilbride, built in 1877 by James Livingston,[10] co-founder of a successful linseed oil company who went on to represent the area in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and the House of Commons of Canada. The home was designed by architect David W. Gingerich who also designed major projects such as the Mutual Life office block, the Waterloo Town Hall and the Governor's (jailer's) house at the Waterloo County Gaol.[11] It is an Italianate villa that had beautiful art work.[9] In 1993, Castle Kilbride was purchased and restored by Wilmot Township which spent $6.2 million on the project. The castle was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1994[12][13] and Wilmot Township's administrative offices and council chamber are housed in an addition to the original building.

Baden was also the home town of Sir Adam Beck who went on to pioneer hydro-electric power,[10] the visible results being the hydro-electric generation plants located in Niagara Falls. Beck has a park named after him in his hometown, as well as an elementary school within the Waterloo Region District School Board.[9]

On June 30, 2016 the first Statue in a series of statues as part of The Prime Ministers Statue and Educational Resource Project was erected. The first statue was of Sir John A. Macdonald.[14]

Amenities

The Region of Waterloo Library operates a branch at 115 Snyder's Road East, beside the community mailboxes.[15]

There is a store, the Baden Emporium, which contains a cafe and ice-cream shop. It sells antiques, local handicrafts, and books.[16]

Local religious congregations

  • Steinmann Mennonite Church Between New Hamburg and Baden
  • Wilmot Mennonite Church
  • St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church

References

  1. 1 2 "Baden". Geographical Names Data Base. Natural Resources Canada. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  2. ↑ Elevation taken from Google Maps at coordinates. Accessed 2018-07-02.
  3. ↑ "CLAIMaps IV". Ontario Ministry of Northern Development and Mines. 2016. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  4. ↑ Map 2 (PDF) (Map). 1 : 700,000. Official road map of Ontario. Ministry of Transportation of Ontario. 2016-01-01. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  5. ↑ Restructured municipalities - Ontario map #6 (Map). Restructuring Maps of Ontario. Ontario Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing. 2006. Retrieved 2018-07-02.
  6. ↑ http://www.wilmot.ca/developmentservices/stats/bulletin4.pdf
  7. ↑ http://www.wilmot.ca/en/living-here/History-of-Wilmot-Township.aspx
  8. ↑ County of Waterloo Gazetteer and General Business Directory, For 1864 (PDF). Mitchell & Co. 1864.
  9. 1 2 3 http://www.waynecook.com/awaterloo.html
  10. 1 2 Southern Ontario Tourism, Grand River Country: Baden
  11. ↑ http://dictionaryofarchitectsincanada.org/node/1921
  12. ↑ Castle Kilbride, Directory of Designations of National Historic Significance of Canada
  13. ↑ Castle Kilbride. Canadian Register of Historic Places.
  14. ↑ http://www.wilmot.ca/en/living-here/prime-ministers-statue-project.aspx
  15. ↑ Region of Waterloo Library, Baden Branch
  16. ↑ Southern Ontario Tourism, Baden Emporium
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