Historical Plaques of
Simcoe County

On August 8, 1934 J.R. Ayling and L.G. Reid, flying "The Trail of the Caribou" a twin-engined bi-plane, the De Haviland "Dragon", took off from the hard sands of Wasaga Beach headed for Baghdad. An icing problem led to a bent control rod and a throttle stuck wide open. This, in turn, increased fuel consumption by 70 per cent above that estimated and resulted in termination of the flight at Heston Airfield, London, England after 3700 miles and 30 hours, 55 minutes of flying time. Despite failure in their main objective the aviators had accomplished the first non-stop flight from the mainland of Canada to England.

1853 - 1967

Site of eastern terminus of an indian portage from Kempenfeldt Bay to Willow Creek and thence by the Nottawasaga River to Georgian Bay. In the winter of 1813-14, a force under Lieut-Colonel Robert McDouall followed it on the way to relieve the isolated British garrison at Michilimackinac. That summer it was developed as a rough wagon road and till about 1830 was in frequent use for transport of supplies to Penetanguishene and the western military and fur trading posts.

Born in Jamaica, Bernard immigrated to Canada and settled in Barrie, where in 1856 he established a law practice. He was chief clerk, 1858-66, in the office of the attorney-general for Canada West, John A. MacDonald, and later became his brother-in-law, Bernard accompanied MacDonald to the Charlottetown Conference (1864) and was the secretary of the Quebec (1864) and London (1866-67) Conferences, at which the groundwork was laid for Confederation. A Lieutenant-Colonel in the militia, he served as aide-de-camp to two governors-general, Viscount Monck and Baron Stanley of Preston. He also served as deputy minister of justice, 1868-76. Bernard died at Montreal in 1893 and is buried at Ottawa.

Centennial year 1953

The Nottawasaga River formed part of a transportation link between Lake Ontario and the Upper Great Lakes wbich became a vitally important supply route to British Western posts during the war of 1812. The base of operations for the Royal Navy's vessels on Lake Huron was located here at the foot of navigation on the River from 1815 to 1817. Buildings to house the base were erected in October 1815 by the ship's company of H.M. Schooner "Confiance". Within two years orders were issued transferring the naval establishment to Penetanguishene, where superior anchorage was available and in late 1817 the naval base at "Schooner Town" was abandoned. In 1976 management of the site became the responsibility of Wasaga Beach Provincial Park.

To read more about the history of the Woodrow family please read the brochure of the Coldwater Canadiana Museum which they allowed me to reproduce.

Restored by
Coldwater Canadiana, Medonte Twp.

Built by
Mr. and Mrs. Archibald Woodrow
from Scotland about 1840.

Stage coaches from the Narrows
drove past, forded the river and met the steamer, Gore, at Sturgeon Bay.

Erected by

Simcoe County
Tourist and
Industrial
Committee

Mamie Gray - Mother

A veteran parliamentarian who subsequently served as Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario, Rowe was born in Hull, Iowa and raised in Simcoe County. He early exhibited an interest in politics and in 1923 was elected to the provincial legislature as the Conservative member for Simcoe South. Two years later Rowe contested and won the federal seat for Dufferin-Simcoe, embarking upon a career in the House of Commons which, with the exception of one interruption during the late 1930's, spanned almost four decades. For his lengthy and dedicated service, he was appointed Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario in 1963. Upon leaving public life five years later, Rowe retired here to his farm where he had long operated a successful horse breeding and harness racing business.

This famous physician and author, son of the Reverend Featherstone Osler, was born July 12, 1849, in the Anglican rectory near Bond Head. Here he lived until 1857. He taught medicine at some of the greatest schools of his day including McGill, Johns Hopkins, and Oxford. His lectures and writing revolutionized methods of medical instruction and measures to protect public health. Gaining world renown, he became known as the father of clinical medicine.

William Mullock was born in Bond Head where his father practised medicine. He graduated from the University of Toronto 1863 and was called to the Bar in 1867. A strong proponent of university federation. Mullock served his Alma Matu successfuly as Senator and Vice-Chancellor 1873-1900 and became Chancellor in 1924. First elected to the House of Commons in 1882, he was Postmaster General in the Laurier cabinet 1896-1905. There he introduced imperial penney postage, the trans-Pacific cable and far-reaching labour legislation, Knighted in 1902, Sir William was Chief Justice of Ontario 1923-1926.

Honouring three consecutive generations
of the Henry Coleman family, who have
faithfully served as postmasters in the
Cookstown community

Henry Coleman, Sept. 1873 - Feb. 1912
Frank Coleman, Feb. 1912 - July 1942
Henry Albert (Bert) Coleman 1942 - 1973

This post office is one of two in Canada
which has been continously served
by one family for over a century

Erected by
Simcoe Coounty
Historical Association

1974

Emily (Ferguson) Murphy born on a nearby farm, was raised in Cookstown. In 1887 she married Rev. Arthur Murphy, whose work took them to many Ontario towns and to England. Later they moved west, settling in Edmonton in 1907.
A successful author, she wrote "Janey Canuck in the West" and other books and articles. A pioneer feminist, she fought daringly and stubbornly for women's rights.
In 1916 she became the first woman Police Magistrate in the British Empire and Judge of the Alberta Juvenile Court. She was first President of Federated Women's Institutes of Canada 1919-21. She led the movement for recognition in 1929 of women as persons eligible for appointment to the Senate.
Her character was warm, happy, determined and compassionate. "Janey Canuck" was an outstanding citizen, a great person.

Erected by
Simcoe County
Historical Asociation

1978

" I will walk among you, and be your God
and you will be my people"

Leviticus 26:12

During the War of 1812 the Nine Mile Portage from Kempenfeldt Bay to Willow Creek formed part of the vital route , via Yonge Street, Lake Simcoe, the Nottawasaga River and Georgian Bay which linked Upper Canada with the British posts on the upper Great Lakes. Here, beside the Minesing Swamp and one mile from the landing on Willow Creek, were stored the hundreds of tons of military supplies and trade goods that maintained the western posts during 1814-15 and the years immediately following. The depot ultimately included some eight log structures built by the military authorities or fur trading companies, and was surrounded by a palisade measuring roughly 280 by 190 feet.

The course of this road from Kempenfeldt Bay to the site of Penetanguishene was first surveyed by Samuel Wilmot in 1811. Dr. William (Tiger) Dunlop supervised its construction in the fall of 1814 and although frequently impassible for heavy loads, it served for many years as a supply route to the garrison at Penetanguishene. Under a system of free grants, most of the land immediately adjacent to the road was settled 1819 - 1830.

To learn more about Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons, please visit their website Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons

Founded by the Jesuits in 1639, Sainte-Marie was designed as a central residence for the mission to the Wendat (Huron) peoples. For a decade Sainte-Marie was a major French community, the earliest in what is now Ontario. Prolonged daily contact between native people and Europeans profoundly affected both groups. By the winter of 1648-49, Huronia was so ravaged by disease and conflict that the Jesuits abandoned and burned Sainte-Marie and with some Wendat followers moved to Christian Island. The following year the Jesuits and Hurons withdrew to Quebec.

Although Port McNicoll was not founded until 1912 as the eastern terminous of the C.P.R. Upper Lakes steamships, its limestone was quarried in 1630 for Ste. Marie 1, western terminous of the 800 mile fur trade route from Quebec. Transported by water three miles along the shore of Georgian Bay and up the Wye River, the limestone was used in bastion walls, fireplaces and the altar base by French master mason Pierre Tourmente.

Thanks to Loree Leatherdale-Wilson for advising me about this plaque. She is a direct descendant of Jacob Gill one of the builders of the mill. To view a picture of the actual plaque and of the mill please visit Loree's website

In 1830 Indians of the surrounding region were gathered on a reserve along a newly opened road connecting The Narrows (Orillia) and Coldwater. The superintendent, Capt. Thomas Gummersal Anderson and a band of of Ojibwa under Chief Aisance, settled in Coldwater. Land-hungry settlers influenced the government to move the Indians to Rama and Beausoleil Island 1838-39. This grist-mill, financed with Indian funds, was constructed by Stephen Chapman, JACOB GILL and others in 1833. The mill was sold to George Copeland in 1849 and has been in operation for over 125 years

In 1827, the magnificent stands of virgin pine growing on the surrounding plains began providing masts and spars for His Majesty's Navy. Charles Rankin surveyed Sunnidale Road to the area in 1833. The Northern Railroad was extended to Angus in 1854-55, shortly after which Jonas Tar Bush assisted by W. Proudfoot, laid out the townsite, first called Pine River, then Angus after Angus Morrison, M.P. It became a thriving lumber and shipping center with a population over 2,000. Establishment of Camp Borden in 1916, and the Forestry seed tree plant in 1923, helped Angus regain its economy after the lumber era.

Simcoe County was named for John Graves Simcoe, first Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada (1791 - 1796), and was initially administered as part of the "Home District" of Upper Canada. Surveys of the townships commenced just prior to 1820 and business for the district was directed from Holland Landing from 1821 until 1843.

Simcoe County was proclaimed a separated district by order of the Lt.-Gov. on January 11, 1843 at the first sitting of District Council in the newly-completed court house at Barrie. The first warden was Jacob Aemilius Irving. Simcoe Distict was abolished in 1850 in favour of the County of Simcoe.

Simcoe County was responsible for a number of years for the adminstration of the Districts of Muskoka and Parry Sound. The Townships of Mona and Mulmur were separated in 1880, while Rama and Mara joined the county in 1974.

The 150th anniversary of the founding of Simcoe County, was marked by the unveiling of this plaque on September 19, 1993.

S.C.H.A. Motto " Preserving the past in the present for the future"

This church is one of the few surviving structures in Ontario built of "rammed earth". This method of construction utilized wet clay mixed with chopped straw, compacted into forms and covered, when dry, with plaster or siding for protection against weather. Built in a plain, somewhat Romanesque style, the church was begun in 1838 and largely completed by 1841, although not officially opened until February 27, 1842. Lt.-Col. Edward O'Brien, leading member of the Shanty Bay settlement, donated the church site and clergyman's residence, and directed the construction of the church. He and his wife, Mary Sophia, are buried in the adjacent cemetery. The Rev. S. A. Ardagh served as rector from 1842 to 1867.

The Attignawantan ("Bear Nation") of the Huron confederacy occupied the Penetanguishene peninsula prior to their dispersal in 1649 by the Iroquois. In 1793 Lieutenant-Governor Simcoe chose Penetanguishene as the terminus of a military route from Toronto. Construction of a naval base began in 1814. British troops were transferred here in 1828 when Drummond Island was returned to the United States. With them came families of French Canadian voyageurs and Metis. George Gordon, Dedin Revol and Dr. David Mitchell were among the first settlers to build homes at Penetanguishene. The military and naval establishments stimulated the community's early economic growth; later, fishing and lumbering became important industries. In 1882 Penetanguishene was incorporated as a town.

In this historic heart of heroic Huronia. Champlain in 1612 here inaugurated the concept of a Canada reaching from Penetanguishene to the old city of Quebec. Brebeuf and his companions sanctified it with their blood. No man may violate it.

HURONIA 1971

---

1615 1921

Penetanguishene

Tercentenary

Presented by

Gerald F. Lahey

In 1856 Thompson Smith and James Durham, timber merchants, planning to bring logs from the Black River to their mills on Lake Simcoe, dug a canal from the river to Lake St. John (Sinjun) and built a steampowered "tramway" at this site to carry the logs over to Lake Couchiching.

The large house built here in 1869 as a boarding house for forty lumbermen was run by Rance Saunders, overseer, and his wife Mary Whitney.

Erected by
Simcoe County
Historical Association 1974.

One of the world's greatest oarsmen, Jacob Gill Gaudaur was born and lived in Orillia. With Hosmer of the United States he won the world's championship in the double sculls on Lake Couchiching in 1892. He established a world's record for three miles with a turn at Austin, Texas, in 1843 and improved his own time for that event the following year. In 1896 he won the world's single sculls championship on the Thames, England, and in 1898 successfully defended that title at Vancouver. Following the loss of the singles championship to George Towns at Rat Portage (Kenora) in 1901, Gaudaur, at the age of 43, retired from competition.

In 1820 the government surveyed Orillia Township and a decade later located Chief William Yellowhead's Ojibwa band on lands near the "Narrows". By 1839, when the government laid out the Orillia town plot, these Indians had been moved across Lake Couchiching to Rama. The first white settlers arrived about 1832 and by the 1850's the community had become an agricultural and lumbering center with two churches and a population of some 200. Advantageous transportation links with Toronto and Georgian Bay stimulated Orillia's development as a commercial center and summer resort. In November, 1866, with a population of over 750, Orillia was incorporated by Simcoe County as a village. Its elected council first met in 1867.

On March 25th, 1902, the Town of Orillia became the first municipality in Ontario to have built its own hydro-electric plant with long distance transmission lines. It was on this date that James B. Tudhope, the mayor, closed a switch that started the flow of electricity over 19 miles of transmission lines from the 1000 h.p. generating plant at Ragged Rapids, on the Severn River.
This plaque is a tribute to those farsighted people of Orillia who early recognized the benefits of a publicly-owned power system.

The Fletcher Homestead was built in 1849 by Alliston's first settlers, William and Sarah Fletcher. This cross-shaped frame house was built from the virgin pine to replace their original log shanty on the south bank of the Boyne River. Alliston was named for the Fletcher's native home in Yorkshire, England.
Between this site and the river, Fletcher, with the help of his two sons, John and George, erected a water-powered sawmill in 1847, Alliston's first industry. By 1853 they had built two more mills on the Boyne.
This homestead became a cultural center and visiting Indians were welcomed. It survived two fires which destroyed much of downtown Alliston, one in the winter of 1877, the second in 1891.
It also housed the first Post Office, and William's second son, George, was appointed postmaster in 1867.

In 1858 John Nicol (1820 - 1893) built a mill on this site. It served as a grist and feed mill for area farmers until 1900 when it was burned and it provided the nucleus around which a small community grew. This settlement, called Nicolston, contained a post office, store, school, woollen mill, blacksmith shop, hotel and Presbyterian Church. The present structure erected in 1907, was operated as a feed mill until 1967 by Trent Nicol, grandson of John Nicol. It was the last working water-powered mill in South Simcoe.

SIR FREDERICK
BANTING

Frederick Grant Banting,
discoverer of insulin, was born
Nov. 14, 1891 on the original Banting
homestead immediately behind this cairn.

In this quiet rural environment he
gained a deep understanding of the ways
of nature. From his parents he learned
inquisitivness, resourcefulness, persistence,
sincerity and true godliness.

Always fond of dogs during his boyhood,
Dr. Banting was later to experiment
with these animals in the discovery of
insulin. Life and hope resulted for
diabetics around the world.

Simcoe County
Historical
Association
1975

This plaque stands at the center of seventy-nine five-acre lots laid out by the government in 1833 for the use of needy immigrants. Pioneer familes, Islay Scotch, some Irish and German, settled here but soon found these "free" lots to small and moved to larger farms. Many of them and their descendants are buried in this cemetery.

The road which passes to the south was part of the Sydenham Trail or Old Mail Road from Bowmore (Duntroon) to Owen Sound.

Erected by
Simcoe County
Historical Association
1973

Named after Robert Keenan, active in Township and County politics 1846 - 1858, a thriving centre developed with Post Office established 1855, followed by Saw Mill, Woollen Mill, General Store, Blacksmith's Shop, Hotel, Undertaker's Shop, Township Offices, Hall and Fair Grounds.

County Court was established in 1852, with Squire McManus presiding, 1865 - 1881, George Hughes published weekly newspaper, South Simcoe Observer, later Cordwall Sentinel. A public school served this area 1850 - 1912.

Decline began after 1877, when Hamilton North Western Railroad was built through Tottenham and Beeton area. By mid-20th century, Keenansville had become one of many ghost towns thus created in Simcoe County.

The first white settlers in this area were William and James Miller, who settled just west of here (W 1/2 Lot 20 Conc. 8 Essa) in 1842. Over the next few years they were followed by other pioneer families - John T. Fletcher, William and James Beckerton, George Davis, Thomas Parker, Hugh Speers, James Arnold, James McQuay, John Lennox, James Lennox and their families. The community of Ivy developed at the four corners to provide services and a community centre for the area. A log school, built about 1850, was replaced by a frame building in 1865 and a brick schoolhouse in 1899. The first church and lodge services were held in George Davis' home around 1852. The first Anglican church was erected in 1862. A Methodist church was built in 1859. The first Presbyterian service was held in the log school in 1865. The Presbyterians then moved to the frame school until their church was completed in 1868.

In the 1820's many settlers from Ireland began to pioneer in the Colgan area where a church was soon built to meet the pastoral needs of the increasing number of catholics. Bishop Alexander MacDonell of Kingston in 1830 raised the church at Colgan to parish status in union with St. Patrick's Church, Wildfield, which served as the principal residence of the founding pastor, Father Edward John Gordon. During the 1830's the catholic population around Colgan continued to grow so that after mid-1833 it was assigned a resident priest and became a parish in its own right.
St. James Colgan is the 4th parish to be established in the Toronto Archdiocese and is the mother church of all the parishes established in South Simcoe County and far beyond from King City in the south-east to Owen Sound in the north-west. Along with the neighbouring area in Adjala and Tecumseth townships Colgan became one of the largest concentrations of Irish catholics in the rural parts of the archdiocese and a great source of priestly and religious vocations over the years.

This plaque was blessed and dedicated on Sunday, September 14, 1980 by Most Rev. M. Pearse Lacey, D.D. auxillary Bishop of Toronto.

World renowned breeder of bees and pioneer of the North American beekeeping industry, he came in 1867 to Clarksville which, in 1874, was renamed Beetown (now Beeton). Jones searched the Old World for species of bees, and brought queens for isolated breeding to the islands of Georgian Bay. First President in 1881 of the Ontario Beekeepers' Association, and in 1885 founding editor of the Canadain Bee Journal. Jones was Canada's first major commercial honey producer.

KATE
SCOTT
AITKEN

1891 - 1971

Born and raised in Beeton, at age
sixteen she started teaching in
Saskatchewan, then in Adjala, Ontario.
After marriage operated Sunnybank
Farm, Beeton. Led junior choir in
Beeton Presbyterian Church, helped
organize Beeton Women's Institute,
first president 1920. Director of
Women's Activities, Canadian National
Exhibition, fourteen years. Successful
radio broadcaster and newspaper
columnist, writer and lecturer on
homemaking, world traveller, author
of "Never a Day so Bright" about
life in Beeton, "Mrs. A." had a wide
audience across the country.

Erected by
Simcoe County
Historical Association
1972

This Quaker cemetery, 1834, site of the Tecumseth Preparitive Meeting House, 1846 - c.1900, recalls the historic role of early settlers. The Quakers, experienced pioneers, and their Irish Methodist neighbours established a harmonious community. The Quaker belief in religious tolerance encouraged the first catholic families to settle nearby.

Peter Doyle who came in 1825, gave the Quaker land. Across the highway John Davis, 1820, gave land for the Methodist cemetery, church and Union School No. 1, West Gwillimbury, 1853 - 1945. The present church was built in 1884.

Erected 1984Assisted by
Tecumseth & West GwillimburyThe Ministry of
Historical SocietyCitizenship and Culture

The first plank road in Simcoe
County, from Bond Head to Holland
Landing, built in 1851, was one wagon
wide, made of three-inch planks laid
on stringers. Cost was #4.782 2s. 10d.
Toll gates were at Middleton, Holland
Landing and later Bradford. An important
stage coach and wheat hauling
route, it connected with the Northern
Railway after the latter reached Bradford
in 1853. Increasing costs of
upkeep led to removal of planks in
1958.

Erected by
Simcoe County Historical
Association
1980

William Armson native of Nottingham,
England, who following a distinguished
army career, settled on Lot 5, concession
7, West Gwillimbury Township. Elected
as the township's first councillor in
1843. Appointed Warden in 1846 and
the first elected Warden of Simcoe
County in 1847. He served in this
position until 1852.

Erected by
Simcoe County
Historical Association
1972

Gave this site for the first Presbyterian church, and was minister of Bond Head Church from 1835 - 1892, Clerk of the Synod and the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Canada.

A native of Cookstown, Kenneth E. Kidd was one of the founders of the discipline of Canadian anthropology. A University of Toronto graduate, he joined the staff of the Royal Ontario Museum where he worked 30 years in the Department of Ethnology, latterly as curator. He gained national and international recognition for his research on the Blackfoot of Alberta and on Native trade goods. He excavated Sainte Marie Among the Hurons and Ossossane Ossuary in Simcoe County, supervised the Serpent Mounds excavations and initiated the recording of Native Rock Art.

In 1964 he joined the faculty of Trent University where he founded the departments of Anthropology and the Native studies. After his retirement in 1972, he continued his research and received many awards for his contributions to Canadian anthropology and Native education.

This plaque marks the homestead settled by James and Judith Kidd in 1825, where Kenneth Kidd grew up. He came home to rest at St. John's Anglican Church Cemetery, Cookstown.

A bequest from the late Miss Mae Sutherland has made possible the erection of this plaque in memory of Neil J. McBride who died October 29th, 1984. Neil laboured with dedication to restore this cemetery into a condition of respectability befitting the final resting-place of so many pioneers whose heritage we now enjoy. By his example and leadership many have been inspired to help with this task. Hopefully, others will be forthcoming now to fill the void created by his passing. May future generations be motivated by what he commenced, to provide the continuity of maintenace necessary to develop this property into the place of beauty which Neil invisioned:

The Penetanguishene Road, surveyed by Samuel Wilmot, was cut through from Kempenfelt to Georgian Bay during the war of 1812, under supervision of "Tiger" Dunlop. Settlement along the road began in 1819. The Government reserved 300 acres here at its south end for a town. Known as the Village of Kempenfelt, it had a boat landing, log barracks, stores, tavern, brewery and brickyard.

In 1831 a petition was sent to Lieut.-Gov. Sir John Colborne, asking that Kempenfelt be chosen as the County town. But two years later the Government purchased land at the present site of Barrie, which became the County Town in 1837.

Erected by
Simcoe County
Historical Association
1976

This distinguished historian and archaeologist was born in Innisfil Township, graduated from the University of Toronto in 1889 and was editor of the Barrie Examiner 1889-95. His extensive exploration of archaeological sites throughout Huronia stimulated public interest in the history of that area. He supplied much valuable information for Thwaites' 73 volume edition of the "Jesuit Relations". Hunter was Secretary of the Ontario Historical Society 1913 - 1931 and wrote many scholarly articles. His "History of Simcoe County", published in 1909, was one of Ontario's earliest and best regional histories.

In 1837 the Simcoe District was established and authority was given for erecting a district court-house and gaol at Barrie. The gaol was begun in 1840, the court-house a year later, and both were completed in 1842. An important county judicial and administrative center, the court-house was enlarged in 1877 and demolished in 1976. The gaol, designed by Thomas Young of Toronto and constructed of Lake Couchiching limestone by Charles Thompson, a builder and steamboat owner, is one of the few in Ontario based on the nineteenth century radial design concept. In 1862 the east wing and outer walls were constructed, and the present roof and lantern replaced a portion of the originally castellated central section. The gaoler's residence was added in 1902.

Bell Ewart began as a steamboat landing and railway station after the railroad reached Allandale in 1853. A spur line was built from Lefroy, and the village named after landowner Jas. Bell Ewart, grew rapidly, it was for a time, the main shipping centre on Lake Simcoe. A large sawmill was built employing 200 men, and Bell Ewart prospered in the lumbering era. After a decline in the late 1860's, the village again flourished with the ice industry. About 1870 - 1942, ice was cut from the lake and shipped to Toronto and other Canadian and U.S. cities in the largest operation of its kind, until electrical refrigeration brought it to an end.

Erected by
S.C.H.A.
1985

Built by Hugh Chisholm for Capt. Issac May and named after his daughter this side-wheeler was launched at Bell Ewart in 1861. The largest steamer ever to sail on Lake Simcoe, she was 144 ft. long and could carry 400 passengers. The Northern Railway purchased her in 1874 and changed her name to "Lady of the Lakes", but railroads replaced the steamers, and she was abandoned here in 1883.

Erected by
S.C.H.A.
1985

A descendant of one of this area's pioneer families, Drury was born on this farm in 1878. His father, the Hon. Charles Drury had served ( 1888 - 1890 ) as Ontario's first minister of agriculture. A graduate of the Ontario Agricultural College. E. C. Drury was appointed secretary of the Canadian Council of Agriculture in 1909, and became first president of the United Farmers of Ontario in 1914. The U.F.O. formed a political party in 1918, and with support from labour, won the general election of 1919. Returned as member for Halton, Drury became Ontario's eight prime minister. Following his party's defeat in 1923 he retired from provincial politics, but later held various public offices in Simcoe County.

Erected to mark the first saw and grist mill on Willow Creek built about 1825. Also located here were four other mills, a soap factory, a distillery and two hydro plants, which supplied Barrie in 1888.

Oliver's Mills, later renamed Midhurst, added a community hall in 1854 and a church in 1881. S.S. No. 6 dates from 1866. This bell is from a second building, used from 1887 until 1962.

Erected
by
Huronia
Historic Sites
Association

Pioneer farmer and religious leader, a native of Cornwall, England, who settld on lot 26, concessioon 1, Vespra in 1819 (which location became known as White's Corners, later Dalston).

As a Methodist lay preacher, he conducted the first protesant service north of Lake Simcoe. The first log meeting house was erected on this lot in 1825.

He was appointed municipal clerk for the area on January 2, 1837. He died January 29, 1876 in his 90th year, and rests in this cemetery (which is part of the original White homestead).

This highway follows much the same route as the ancient Indian portage from the Narrows (Orillia) to Coldwater, the major east-west trail between Lake Simcoe and Georgian Bay. Prehistoric Indians, fishing at the Narrows as long as 4,000 years ago, may have come this way.

Over this trail in 1615 Champlain travelled with the Hurons to winter at Cahiague (near Warminster). Hurons and Ojibways, French and British used it as a fur-trading route. Later it served pioneer traffic to mills, stores and a steamboat landing.

The modern road was cleared in 1830 under Indian Agent T.G. Anderson, for the Coldwater and Narrows Indian Reserve, situated here 1830 - 38.

Erected by
Simcoe County
Historical Association
1975

Born near Orillia, in 1851, an original member of the N.W.M.P., 1873, Superintendent 1885 - 1903, Steele played an important role in establishing order in Western Canada, holding commands throughout the Territories. He led the Cavalry, Alberta Field Force, in the North-West Rebellion, 1885 and, as commander of N.W.M.P. in Yukon and B.C. 1898-99, preserved order at the height of the Yukon gold rush. He raised and commanded Strathcona's Horse in the South African War, trained and commanded 2nd Division, World War 1. Major-General Steele K.C.M.G. C.B. died in London, England in 1919.

Born about 1769, Yellowhead (Musquakle) served with the British during the war of 1812. Named Chief of the Deer tribe of the Chippewa (Ojibwa) Indians in 1816, he settled with his band at the site of Orillia in 1830 in accordance with Lieutenant-Governor Colborne's plan for gathering nomadic tribes on reserves. Pressure from white settlers forced the Indians to relinquish their land and Yellowhead's band moved to Rama in 1838-39. It is believed that the Muskoka District, which embraced his hunting grounds, was named after this greatly respected chief who died in 1864 and was buried in St. James' churchyard, Orillia.

By treaties made in 1798, 1815 and 1818, the Indian tribes surrendered the ancient country of the Hurons lying north and west of Lake Simcoe. From this area grants were made, in fullfillment of earlier pledges to Militia veterans, to children of Loyalists, and to many retired officers and discharged soldiers and seamem.

Erected to commemorate the advent into Ontario of the white race under the leadership of Samuel De Champlain the intrepid French explorer and colonizer, who with fifteen companions arrived in these parts in the summer of 1615 and spent the following winter with the Indians. Making his headquarters at Cahiague, the chief village of the Hurons, which was near this place.

Born in England, Leacock was educated at Upper Canada College and at the Universities of Toronto and Chicago. He spent the greater part of his career at McGill, teaching and publishing in the fields of history and political science. It is, however, as a hunorist that he is chiefly known and among a considerable volume of writings, Sunshine Skecthes of a Little Town (1912) is the work that assured him reputation throughout the English speaking world. The peculiar charm of his work lies in the evocation, through exaggeration and the indentification of incongruities , of the houmour of ordinary people in commonplace situations.

This property on Lake Couchiching, which Stephen Leacock purchased in 1908 and named "The Old Brewery Bay", was a source of creativity and happiness for Canada's most celebrated hunorist. Here, he absorbed the impression which inspired his masterpiece Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, and indulged his passions for fishing, sailing, mixed farming and hosting family and friends. His personality and his status as a world renowned author and academic are reflected in the present residence, whose construction in 1928 recycled components of a previous cottage which stood closer to the lake.

This was the site of the Wyevale Station of the North Simcoe Railway, which began operations between Penetanguishene and Allandale in 1879. The shipment of lumber from nearby mills stimulated the growth of a hamlet, and in 1880 a village-plan was registered. Wyevale soon contained stores, churches, a cobbler's and blacksmith shops, and a hotel.

On June 4, 1888, James L. Burton, George Ball and Samuel Lount formed a partnership to supply the Town of Barrie with electric light. Electricity produced by the water of Willow Creek, was carried from a mill-race and generator near this site, to a station at the south end of Bayfield Street in Barrie, providing 2,000 candle power at a price of 25 cents per night. In August 1888, amid great rejoicing, seventeen lights were turned on in downtown Barrie, the first successful attempt to transmit water-powered electricity to a municipality in Simcoe County.

Erected by
Simcoe County Historical
Association
1979

A man of vision and action and a leader in all aspects of life in the community. He was the initiator and developer of a nature trail beside Willow Creek and in 1986 in his honour this was named

"The Hunter Russell Nature Trail"

"He extended himself for the well-being of
his fellow man"

Born in England, Bayfield joined the Royal Navy at the age of eleven and served in many parts of the world. While stationed at Kingston, Upper Canada in 1817, he was put in charge of the Great Lakes survey. Over the next eight years he charted the costal waters of lakes Erie, Huron and Superior. For much of this period Penetanguishene was his base of operations. Bayfield later surveyed the shorelines of the lower St. Lawrence River, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. His charts provided the first reliable guides for thousands of ships navigating Canadian inland waters in the nineteenth century. Nautical surveyors still refer to them today.

This garrison church was erected 1836-38 on the Penetanguishene military reserve. It was also attended by military pensioners and civilians since, until the 1870's, it housed the only Protesant congregation in the vicinity. Building funds were obtained largely through the exertions of the local naval commandant, Captain John Moberly, R.N. The first rector Reverend Geo. Hallen, held the post for thirty-six years. Many of the communities pioneers and military leaders are buried in its cemetery.

In 1859 the government of Canada established a reformatory for boys as an alternative to inprisoning young offenders alongside adult criminals. The first young inmates were housed temporarily in an abandoned military barracks nearby and were put to work quarrying stone for their new quarters under supervision. They erected this building in four phases between 1861 and 1880. In 1904 the government of Ontario passed an order-in-council abolishing the reformatory for boys. The vacated facility became the Penetanguishene Asylum for the insane on August 15, 1904. It served as an active treatment centre until 1972 and now houses the administrative offices of the mental health centre.

In September, 1814, seamen of the Royal Navy under Lieutenant Miller Worsley, after a memorable voyage in an open boat from Nottawasaga Bay to Mackinac, aided by soldiers of the Royal Newfoundland Regiment commanded by Lieutenants Armstrong, Bulger, and Radenhurst, captured the United States ships of war TIGRESS and SCORPION, in compliance with the Rush-Bagot agreement these ships were sunk in Penetanguishene Bay.

En septembre, 1814, les marins de la marine royale sous lieutenant Miller Worsley, après qu'un voyage mémorable dans un bateau ouvert de compartiment de Nottawasaga à Mackinac, facilité par des soldats du régiment royal de Terre-Neuve commandé par lieutenants Armstrong, Bulger, et Radenhurst, ont capturé les bateaux des Etats-Unis de la guerre TIGRESS et SCORPION, conformément au Précipitent-Bagot l'accord que ces bateaux ont été descendus dans le compartiment de Penetanguishene.

This was the home and studio, 1940-48, of the noted Canadian painter Francis Hans (Franz) Johnston. Born in Toronto, he studied there and in the United States, and at first worked as a commercial artist. An official war artist, 1917-18, he participated in the first exhibition of the Group of Seven in 1920. With others of the Group, he captured on canvas the lonely grandeur of the Canadian northland, thus ending Canadian dependence on Europe for artistic inspiration and inaugurating our first national art movement. Johnston, who was principal of the Winnipeg School of Art, 1921-24, also taught in Toronto, 1927-29, and from then until 1940 conducted summer classes on Georgian Bay.

This cairn marks the site of the
Hamilton Inn where the first
meeting of the Flos Township
council was held on June 4, 1854.

This was a stage-coach hostelry
on the old Penetanguishene Road,
being one of the original 37
wayside taverns situated between
Barrie and Penetanguishene on
this road.

Erected
by

The Simcoe County
Tourist and
Industrial
Committee

August 1968

1940-42 Philadelphia Athletics
1943-45 R.C.A.F.
1945-50 Philadelphia Athletics/Boston Red Sox

Major League Record 68 - 75
Member Canadian Sports Hall of Fame 1976
Member Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame 1983
Penetanguishene Sports Hall of Fame 1987

Dedicated in Babe's memory April 26, 1997
by the Penentanguishene Sports Hall of Fame
and the Town of Penetanguishene

This road was named to honour Charles Stanley Monck, Governor-in-Chief of the Canadian provinces from 1861. Lord Monck presided with distinction over confederation and became first Governor-General of Canada 1867-68.

The road was built to open up land for settlement and as a military road. Fear of American power and Fenian threats in the 1860's gave urgency to plans for an inland route from the upper Great Lakes to the Ottawa River, an alternative to the St. Lawrence route which was vulnerable to American attack.

From Lake Couchiching, surveys for this road were began in 1864, building in 1866. Completed in 1873, the road extended 100 miles east to the Hastings Road (Bancroft) where it joined other roads to Ottawa.

Erected by
Simcoe County
Historical Association
1977

To honor the memory of Thomas and Sarah McConkey who settled in Innisfil in 1828 and established the McConkey family in America.

To the memory of John and Elizabeth Todd and their sons Hugh, Charles, Davidson and Ebenezer who came from Glasgow, Scotland. Settled as pioneers in the Township of Innisfil along with the Dalhousie Settlers from Lanark County, Ontario, A.D. 1831.

Between 1830 and 1850 some 24 Negro families who had fled to freedom in Canada were settled in Oro, mostly on the Concession running north of Shanty Bay, known as Wilberforce Street.

In 1849 they acquired this piece of land for a burying ground and built here this African Episcopal Church.