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124 Norfolk St. N. |
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Ontario Tourism Region : Southwestern
Description From Owner:
- Pop. 14,623. In the Reg. Mun. of Haldimand-Norfolk on the Lynn R. and Hwys 3 & 24, 31 km S of Brantford.
- In 1795 Canada's first lieutenant governor, John Graves Simcoe, camped overnight at the site (then known by the First Nations Peoples as Shain-e-ong), on his way to establish Fort Norfolk on L. Erie.
- Simcoe subsequently granted lands to potential colonizers, including Aaron Culver, who received land on the condition that he build mills.
- By 1812 Culver had built a sawmill and a grist mill, and a community had formed around them. The mills were razed during the War of 1812, and U.S. troops looted some homes.
- In 1815, Culver deeded some land to William Bird, who built the first store, and the place became known as Birdtown. By 1829 there were two small communities, known as Birdtown and Culver.
- Residents wanted to call the place Wellington Village, but since there already was a community by that name near Picton, a second choice had to be made. That year the post office opened as Simcoe, honouring the late lieutenant-governor.
- The area where Simcoe camped is now a large park, including L. George and a stretch of the Lynn R. In winter thousands come to see Christmas Panorama, a lighted display that started by accident in 1957.
- That year Simcoe was to have had a big Santa Claus parade, but it was rained out. Folks had worked hard on their floats and wanted to show them, so they placed them in town parks under lights.
- So many people came to see the display that it was continued and has been successfully copied by Toronto, Niagara Falls, and Sarnia.
Address of this page: http://www.ruralroutes.com/simcoe