Valerie Smith has produced a second publication about the local history of our area. "History of Wilberforce Elementary School and Surrounding Communities". This publication is located in the public library in Highland Grove.
The following descriptions of Cardiff and Highland Grove are given by Valerie.
Communities of Today
Cardiff is a former mining community; the mines opened in 1956 and closed several years later. The chief mineral being mined in Cardiff was uranium. Cardiff is located on Highway 118 between the towns of Bancroft and Haliburton. The Cardiff Elementary School is a small school. The community also has a Municipal Office/Public Library, Post Office, Fire Hall, General Store/Liquor Outlet/Restaurant, Royal Canadian Legion Hall, a Catholic and United Church, as well as an outdoor pool which is popular during the summer. It has over 200 homes and it is the only hamlet in Highlands East with full municipal water and sewer. The entrance to the town site off Highway 118 is marked with a large metal sculpture of a dragonfly.
Highland Grove was once a thriving community that supported three stores, a cheese factory, a blacksmith shop, two schools and two churches. Beginning in 1890 the IB&O railway served the transportation, supply and communication needs of Highland Grove's residents and businesses (the hamlet's first telephone was installed at the railway station). A Post Office first opened in 1897. Elmer Hughley, one of the earlier postmasters explained that Highland Grove was so named because it boasted the highest point of elevation in the County. On one side of a nearby hill, water flows in the direction of Haliburton and on the other towards Bancroft's York River.
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