Speyside was once a bustling settlement thanks to its location between Acton and Milton along Regional Road 25. Settlers named it after the River Spey in Scotland, possibly influenced by the nearby Scotch Block.

James Hume operated a stone quarry in the area. The Boston Presbyterian Church on 3rd Line as well as many local bridges used stones from this quarry. Early settlers also cleared the hemlock bark that grew in the area and sold it to Beardmore Tannery in Acton. Other businesses thrived in the area, including mills, hotels, a blacksmith shop, general store and post office.

Dufferin School on Highway #25, south of the village, showing the girls and boys entrance and the bell tower, c. 1950. EHS18897, Esquesing Historical Society. Click on the image for more details.

In January 1874, Dufferin School opened in Speyside. In 1878, Elizabeth Smith taught at the school for a year. She would later go on to become one of the first women in Ontario to graduate with a medical degree. She recorded her teaching days at Speyside in her diaries. They were published in 1980, leaving a unique historical perspective of the area.