Muttonville

Muttonville (also historically referred to as Mutton Hill) is located in the former Matilda Township, which was surveyed in 1783 and settled in 1784. The first settlers were German Loyalists from the King’s Royal Regiment of New York who were granted land along the "front" of the St. Lawrence River. While initial settlement focused on the riverfront, the interior lots (where Muttonville sits) were cleared in the early 1800s as the second generation of Loyalists moved inland to establish larger farmsteads.

 

The name "Muttonville" is a direct reflection of the region's 19th-century economy. During the American Civil War (1861–1865), demand for wool and meat skyrocketed. Matilda and neighboring Mountain Township became centers for sheep farming and wool processing. By the mid-1800s, the surrounding area featured multiple carding and fulling mills (which processed wool) and tanneries. Local lore suggests the hamlet earned its name because of the sheer volume of sheep being moved through or processed at this specific junction on the way to larger markets in Morrisburg.

 

In the late 1800s, Muttonville functioned as a small rural nexus. Historical maps from the period (such as the 1879 Belden Atlas) show it was surrounded by established family farms, including the Strader, Shaver, and Brouse families, who were prominent in the township's early development.

 

Unlike the "Lost Villages" of South Dundas (such as Aultsville or Dickinson's Landing), Muttonville was far enough inland that it was not submerged by the creation of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1958.

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Sources:

WikiTree

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