visit the quaint village of marmora
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farmers market
Located at 9 Matthew Street, in Memorial Park. It runs from Mothers Day weekend to Thanksgiving weekend every Saturday 8:00 am to 2:00 pm.
You can find all kind of great products at the market that can include baked goods, fresh produce, meats, flowers and plants, jewelry, woodworking, fishing supplies, crafts, quilts and much more.
splash pad and playground
Located at 9 Matthew Street in Memorial Park. A great place for the family to have fun when visiting the Village of Marmora.
marmora dam
This is always a fantastic place to experience the power of the Crowe River. At the turn of the century, the Pearce and Pearce Lumber Company constructed the Marmora Dam to provide power for a sawmill, a planing mill and a hydro operation.
The Marmora Mine
The name Marmora is taken from the Latin word for "marble". The area was known for its rich iron content and mining operations began as early as the 1820's to extract and smelt this mineral. Today you will find the remains of the water-powered refinery along the eastern bank of the Crowe River while the northern bank of the Crowe held the richest ore deposits.
At its prime, the area was home to as many as two dozen mines. Perhaps the most successful of the mines was that of the Marmoraton which opened in 1955. The Marmoraton was owned by Bethlehem Steel Mills of New York and exported iron ore pellets. The mine employed some 300 men who worked to fill the 30 to 35-railway cars daily for transport south to Picton port where it was loaded into boats. The mine produced 520,000 tons of pellets annually. When the mine closed in 1979, it had mined almost 1.3 million tons of iron ore.
In 1953, before the Marmoraton could open, engineers first had to blast through 120 feet of limestone before reaching the high-grade ore, which was underneath. One blasted out, the open pit mine measured approximately 1700 feet by 1200 feet and reached 600 feet deep. Over time, underground streams and rainfall have slowly filled two thirds of the mine with water. So much so that it is now officially classified as a lake.
Callaghan’s Rapids Conservation Area
Grab interest
Callaghan’s Rapids features two waterfalls which are about one metre in height which both span the entire width of the Crowe river, which is about forty to sixty metres across. When river flows are low enough, you can walk out and explore the river bed.
The upper waterfall is interesting in that it is formed on a wedge-shaped outcrop of limestone which appears to be beveled down to a sharp edge, right at the crest of the falls. The lower falls is similar, but does not exhibit the beveled-edge crest.
O'Hara Mill Homestead & Conservation Area
Enjoy a wonderful experience while exploring the 85 acre Conservation Area which includes pioneer buildings, beautiful gardens, nature trails, sheltered picnic areas and a lovely mill pond with its new dam and covered bridge.
Five of the original 11 pioneer buildings occupy the site along with additional buildings to represent the lifestyle of the past. These buildings have been restored by dedicated craftsmen and volunteers for the enjoyment of everyone and particularly for those who value the importance of preserving our heritage.
Havelock Petroglyphs
Petroglyphs Provincial Park
A Parks Ontario historical site. No trip to our area would be complete without visiting the Indian rock carvings. Supervised interpreted viewing sessions during the summer months. Park offers hiking trails for the novice and serious back packer.
A visit to the Petroglyphs park makes for an excellent day trip! Park entrance fees apply.
Church – Saint Mathilda’s
Saint Mathilda’s established in 1825 on the west bank of the Crowe River, was one of the very first Catholic churches in the interior of Upper Canada. Over the years, it served as a first church for other faiths as well. After 1875, when the new Roman Catholic Church was build, Marmora’s first church was abandoned.
More recently the area was owned by lumber companies who used the Crowe River to transport their logs to the market. Local residents might remember the Pearce Lumber Co. (1850-1950) and the Armstrong Lumber Co. (1950-1976) as the previous owners owned the property.
Greensides Farm
The farm has been the site of numerous claims since 1991, when phenomena erupted during a reunion of those who had traveled to the famous apparition site of Medjugorje in former Yugoslavia. The visions started with alleged solar phenomena on June 24, 1991. A nun who has written a book about Marmora says that the actual origins of the phenomena may greatly predate Medjugorje.
The farm was owned by John Greensides, who died several years’ back, and his wife, Shelagh. Many who have visited claim to have seen the solar orb act strangely -- a claim made at a number of alleged apparition sites -- or to catch an actual glimpse of the Blessed Mother.