Palmerston, Ontario

Last updated

Palmerston
Unincorporated community
Palmerston train station.jpg
Former Palmerston train station, now museum
Wellington locator map 2021.svg
Red pog.svg
Palmerston
Canada Ontario location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Palmerston
Canada location map 2.svg
Red pog.svg
Palmerston
Coordinates: 43°49′59″N80°50′48″W / 43.83306°N 80.84667°W / 43.83306; -80.84667
Country Canada
Province Ontario
County Wellington County
Town Minto
Established1875
Government
  Governing body Town of Minto Council
Area
[1]
  Total2.90 km2 (1.12 sq mi)
Elevation
334 m (1,096 ft)
Population
 (2011) [1]
  Total2,599
  Density868.3/km2 (2,249/sq mi)
 1996 population: 2,468
Time zone UTC-5 (EST)
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
Forward sortation area
Area code(s) 519 and 226
NTS Map040P15
GNBC CodeFDRCE
Website www.town.minto.on.ca

Palmerston (population 2,599 [1] ) is an unincorporated community in the south end of the town of Minto, in the north part of Wellington County, in Ontario, Canada.

Contents

History

Palmerston was a key division point for the Grand Trunk and later the Canadian National Railway in Southwestern Ontario with 65 subdivisions; Owen Sound, Kincardine, Durham, Fergus, Guelph Junction and Stratford. In its original concept the railroad was to run from Guelph to Southampton, Ontario and would not have gone through Palmerston. Listowel needed to be linked to the railroad and it was decided to bend the route toward Listowel. It was also decided that a yard with maintenance shops would be needed. The mainline under Canadian National ownership became part of the Fergus, Owen Sound and Southampton Subdivisions. Passenger service ceased in 1971. The subdivisions were abandoned starting with Fergus to Palmerston August 1983, Harriston Jct. to Port Elgin and Southampton in 1988, Guelph to Fergus 1988, and Palmerston to Harriston 1995. all rail service terminated in 1996 with CN abandoning the line from Stratford to Harriston. [2]

When the railroad decided to build a junction and maintenance sheds between Guelph, Harriston and Listowel, this also included a station. One of the active supporters of the railroad was John McDermott, Reeve of Wallace and, because of this support, the railways decided to let McDermot name the station. He named it Palmerston in 1870 in honour of Henry John Temple, the third Viscount Palmerston. As soon as the railroad decided where it would build, people started buying property around the area for businesses and homes.

Another historic plaque discusses the Ontario Vaccine Farm, opened in 1885 by Dr. Alexander Stewart in order to produce smallpox vaccine. Until about 1907, much of the vaccine used in Ontario was produced here; later, farms in the U.S. took much of the business. Stewart died in 1911 but the farm continued under H.B. Coleman until 1916. Afterwards, the farm closed and program was taken over by the University of Toronto. [3]

In 1995, the Progressive Conservative government of Ontario began to reduce the number of total municipalities in the province. Effective 1 Jan. 1999, The Town of Minto is composed of the former towns of Harriston and Palmerston, the former village of Clifford, and the surrounding rural area of the former Minto Township. [4]

Schools

Minto has public schools situated in Harriston, Clifford and Palmerston. Norwell District Secondary School is the secondary school for Minto and surrounding areas as governed by the Upper Grand District School Board. The schools located in Palmerston are:

Entertainment

The Norgon Theatre is a small theatre located on Main Street in Palmerston. It was built by the successful businessman George Norgan who had made his fortune in Vancouver, BC. He came home to Palmerston in 1947 and noticed the lack of leisure opportunities in the town. To address this situation, he personally donated $50,000 for the construction of a movie theatre. It opened on August 18, 1947 and was named after him. The Norgan Theatre was renovated in 2007. The Norgan is run by volunteers and therefore the price for tickets is fairly inexpensive: $8.00 per adult and $5.00 for those 13 and under. [5]

Notable people

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wellington County, Ontario</span> County in Ontario, Canada

Wellington County is a county located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada and is part of the Greater Golden Horseshoe. The county, made up of two towns and five townships, is predominantly rural in nature. However many of the residents in the southern part of the county commute to urban areas such as Guelph, Kitchener, Waterloo, Brampton, Mississauga, Toronto and Hamilton for employment. The northern part of the county is made up of mainly rural farming communities, except for a few larger towns such as Mount Forest and Arthur. According to the 2021 census, the population of the county was 241,026.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wingham, Ontario</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Wingham is a community located in the municipality of North Huron, Ontario, Canada, which is located in Huron County. Wingham became part of North Huron in 2001 when the Ontario government imposed amalgamation on the former township of East Wawanosh, the village of Blyth, and the town of Wingham.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Perth County, Ontario</span> County in Ontario, Canada

Perth County is a county in the Canadian province of Ontario in Southwestern Ontario, 100 kilometres (62 mi) west of Toronto. Its population centres are Listowel, Mitchell and Milverton. The City of Stratford and the Town of St. Marys are within the Perth census division, but are separate from Perth County. The 2016 population of Perth County was 38,066.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southampton, Ontario</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Southampton is a community on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is close to Port Elgin and is located at the mouth of the Saugeen River in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory. The size of the town is 6.44 square kilometres. The permanent population in 2016 was 3,678, but the summer population is higher since cottagers and campers spend vacation time in the area.

Wellington North was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1867 to 1953. It was located in the province of Ontario.

Wellington—Grey—Dufferin—Simcoe was a federal electoral district represented in the House of Commons of Canada from 1988 to 1997. It was located in the province of Ontario. This riding was created in 1987 from parts of Bruce—Grey, Grey—Simcoe and Wellington—Dufferin—Simcoe ridings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Minto, Ontario</span> Town in Ontario, Canada

Minto is a town in midwestern Ontario, Canada, on the Maitland River in Wellington County. Minto is the western terminus of Highway 9. It is named for Gilbert Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound, 4th Earl of Minto; 8th Governor General of Canada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harriston, Ontario</span> Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada

Harriston is a community in the Town of Minto in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. In 1999, Harriston was amalgamated with the communities of Palmerston, Clifford, and Minto Township to form the Town of Minto. Harriston is located at the headwaters of the Maitland River, and has several shops, restaurants, a library, an art gallery and cultural centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clifford, Ontario</span> Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada

Clifford is an unincorporated community in the Town of Minto in Wellington County in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. It is on Ontario Highway 9 and Coon Creek, a stream in the Saugeen River drainage basin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Ontario Athletic Association</span>

The Western Ontario Athletic Association (WOAA) is the governing body of minor and senior sports in a region encompassing Grey County, Bruce County, Perth County, Huron County, northern Middlesex County, and northern Wellington County. The WOAA Senior Hockey League has been around since 1948.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drayton, Ontario</span> Unincorporated community in Ontario, Canada

Drayton is a community in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada. It is a part of the township of Mapleton. The village is on the corner of Wellington Road 8 and Wellington Road 11, geographically northwest of Fergus and southwest of Arthur.

Cotswold is a small community located in the Town of Minto, in the northern part of Wellington County in southern Ontario, Canada. Cotswold was originally a separate community, but was amalgamated with other communities to create the Town of Minto.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mapleton, Ontario</span> Township in Ontario, Canada

Mapleton is a rural township in the Canadian province of Ontario, located within Wellington County.

King's Highway 23, commonly referred to as Highway 23, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The route travels from Highway 7 east of Elginfield north to Highway 9 and Highway 89 in Harriston. The total length of Highway 23 is 97.7 kilometres. The highway was first established in 1927 between Highway 8 in Mitchell and Highway 9 in Teviotdale, via Monkton, Listowel and Palmerston. As part of a depression relief program, it was extended south to Highway 7 in 1934. It remained relatively unchanged until 2003, when it was rerouted northward from Palmerston to Harriston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norwell District Secondary School</span> High school in Palmerston, Ontario, Canada

Norwell District Secondary School, formerly known as Palmerston High School, and often simply called Norwell or NDSS, is a mid-sized composite high school located in Palmerston, Ontario. The school serves an area of approximately 500 km², including the communities of Palmerston, Harriston, Drayton, Clifford, Moorefield, Rothsay, and for French Immersion, students from more distant towns such as Mount Forest. Most students are bused in.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick Spaling</span> Canadian ice hockey player (born 1988)

Nicholas Spaling is a Canadian former professional ice hockey centre. He last played with Genève-Servette HC of the National League (NL). He was drafted 58th overall by the Nashville Predators in the 2007 NHL Entry Draft. He played his three-year major junior career with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Drew, Ontario</span> Community in Ontario, Canada

Drew is a rural farming community in Wellington County, Ontario, Canada, forming part of the Town of Minto. From the division of Minto into 18 concessions, Drew emerged from Concessions 16 and 17, spanning approximately five miles. Drew's main attractions include the Drew Ball Diamond and the Drew Community Centre.

The Wellington, Grey and Bruce Railway (WG&BR) was a railway in Ontario, Canada. It ran roughly northwest from Guelph to the port town of Southampton on Lake Huron, a distance of 101 miles (163 km). It also had a 66-mile (106 km) branch line splitting off at Palmerston and running roughly westward to Kincardine, another port town. A branch running south from Southampton was built during the construction of the Bruce Nuclear Generating Station in the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matthew Rae</span> Canadian politician (born 1997)

Matthew Rae is a Canadian politician, who was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in the 2022 provincial election. He represents the riding of Perth—Wellington as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. He currently serves as the Parliamentary Assistant to the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

References

  1. "Statistics Canada Census Profile".
  2. Visit Perth County, Ontario: the website of the Perth County Visitor's Association Archived 2004-07-13 at the Wayback Machine
  3. http://www.waynecook.com/awellington.html
  4. "Lanark County Genealogical Society : Amalgamation of Ontario Communities". Archived from the original on 2013-07-15. Retrieved 2013-08-07.
  5. "The History - the Norgan Theatre of Palmerston".