National Historic Site of Canada

Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site of Canada

Southwold, Ontario

Also known as Southwold Earthworks, Remblais-de-Southwold

General view of Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site of Canada, showing the earthworks, which form a double ring of low earthen mounds that surround the site.

General view of Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site of Canada, showing the earthworks, which form a double ring of low earthen mounds that surround the site.

Photo: Parks Canada Agency / Agence Parcs Canada.

Built
1450–1550
Recognized
1923
By
Government of Canada

The register’s text, word for word

Description

Southwold Earthworks National Historic Site of Canada, located near Iona, in Elgin County, is a piece of property containing the archaeological remains of a village, originally inhabited by the Attiwandaron, also known as the Neutral Iroquois. Conspicuous earthworks, a rarity in southern Ontario, surround the village and are well preserved. The interior of the village shows a typical Iroquoian pattern of closely spaced longhouses, many of which are overlapping. The overlapping houses indicate that many houses were reconstructed during the life of the village, another typical Iroquoian pattern. Official recognition refers to the archaeological site administered by Parks Canada.

Heritage value

Southwold Earthworks was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1923 because:

  • it is a rare and well-preserved example of an Aboriginal fortified village completely surrounded by earthworks, built by the Attiwandaron (Neutral Iroquois) between about A.D. 1450 and 1550.

Attiwandaron is a name from the Huron-Wendat language that refers to the confederacy of Iroquoian peoples living north of Lake Erie who were neutral in the conflict between the Huron-Wendat and the League of Five Nations Iroquois. The village was once home to several hundred people who lived in longhouses, which were multi-unit dwellings that housed entire extended families related by a common maternal ancestor. The village was, and is, surrounded by conspicuous earthworks. The 17th-century French referred to the Attiwandaron as the “la nation Neutre” or the Neutrals. There is no distinct descendant population of the Attiwandaron today, as the entire confederacy was dispersed or incorporated into the Five Nations Iroquois during the years 1647 to 1651. This is the only Iroquoian village administered by Parks Canada that is commemorated as a village in itself.

SourceHistoric Sites and Monuments Board of Canada, Submission Report and Minutes, March 2005.

Character‑defining elements

Key elements contributing to the heritage value of this site include:

  • the integrity and materials of the surviving subsurface archaeological remains; features and artifacts in their original placement and extent, including the in situ vestiges, and various archaeological features both identified and as yet unidentified that relate to the occupations and activities pursued on this site;
  • the earthworks, which form a double ring of low earthen mounds that surround the site;
  • the flat plain of the village itself inside the earthworks, the location of the longhouses, the work spaces and common areas within the village;
  • the views from atop the earthworks, and from the surrounding area towards the earthworks.

End of the register’s text

Location

Southwold, Ontario, Canada

42.67413° N, 81.36018° W

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From the Canadian Register of Historic Places, as last updated on December 12, 2025. The register’s text is shown word for word.