Town of Elmira

The Town of Elmira was located within the Township of Woolwich in the current Region of Waterloo. The town began in the 1830s as Bristow's Corner, a small community that had a post office and log school house. The community was officially renamed in 1853 by the Woolwich Township council as Elmira.

Elmira originally existed as a part of Woolwich Township. However, as a part of Woolwich, Elmira only received a small portion of levied taxes. Improvements at this time including the building of sidewalks and the construction of a fire hall were all paid for by private subscription. As a growing district, Elmira needed improvements which were impossible to obtain being a part of the township. Unofficially residents selected John Ratz to serve as Reeve, a position he solidified after the village became incorporated in 1886 under the Baldwin Act, Chapter 81, 1849. A charter was obtained in December 1886 and the first municipal officers were elected. The officers included John Ratz (Reeve), August Blatz, John Ruppel, Henry Dunke and Henry Winder (Councillors). John H. Ruppel was appointed Town Clerk.

The population continued to grow until Elmira formed an urban center inside the township and was incorporated as a town in 1923. Elmira residents elected their first Mayor, P. F. Stumpf, after incorporation in 1923.

The Elmira Town council functioned as an administrative center for Elmira. In 1956 the Elmira Town council purchased 90 acres of land for industrial purposes with the intent to increase population and business. In 1962, 170 acres of land in Woolwich Township was annexed by Elmira to account for growing residential sections. Five years later, in 1967 the town council

annexed another 287 acres of land. The population had increased from approximately 2500 in 1951 to over 4000 residents by 1967.

With the establishment of regional government in 1973 the Town of Elmira as a municipal administrative unit was dissolved and incorporated into the administrative center of an enlarged Township of Woolwich.