Gillies Hill

In the early 1850's, large groups of Scottish settlers began arriving to farm the lushly fertile soils of Bruce County. One of those settlers was a young man in his early 20s named John Gillies, who originated from Kilcalomnell, Argyllshire in Scotland. Gillies, along with two of his brothers, arrived in 1852 and took up lands in Elderslie Township. Within a short period of time, Gillies had cleared his land and established a farm. The remaining members of the Gillies family followed him to Canada three years later.

While John Gillies was busy building his political career, a small crossroads hamlet that was to bear his name, began to spring up around the Gillies property.

The first Gillies Hill school, S.S. No.5, was opened in 1857, with Donald Gillies as the first teacher. The original schoolhouse was the usual log building that lasted until 1875. It was then replaced by a frame structure, built at a cost of $735. The little frame schoolhouse saw many improvements over the years. A porch was added in 1888 and in 1910 it was covered with attractive white brick siding.