"The town boasted two churches and a well-developed social structure that provided for education, entertainment and a sense of community." (Laura Quirk, The Thompsons' Town: Family, Industry, and Material Culture in Indiana, Ontario 1830 -1900, 2010, Wilfrid Laurier University, 1)

Workers and families were lured to Indiana during the 1830's - 1850's However it did not reach its heyday until the 1850's to 1870's.

The community was predominantly of Irish Catholic descent, many of whom came over after the War of 1812. Large numbers of Irish Catholics ventured to Canada as a result of the 1840's potato famine in Ireland. They came to seek work on canals and road, roads and lumber industry. Prior to coming to Indiana, many would have worked on the Welland Canal projects.

Many workers were transient and did not own property in Indiana. They would generally board with families or stay in boarding houses or local inns. Perhaps they stayed at the Swallow or Anglo-American Hotel. There were several taverns in town. Unusual for the time a woman named Eliza Berry was the proprietor of the Royal Oak Inn from 1867-1871. (Laura Quirk, The Thompsons' Town: Family, Industry, and Material Culture in Indiana, Ontario 1830-1900, 2010, 10).