The former Canadian Northern Railway runs through the north end of town, which when the local section was completed, formed the first rail link between Toronto and Ottawa. The abandoned railway right of way is now part of the Trans Canada Trail.
Sydenham once held the township offices for Loughborough Township, but after the neighbouring townships amalgamated, it is now the seat for the Township of South Frontenac.
Although located in a farming community, many of the area residents work in Kingston. Sydenham has more amenities than many of the smaller surrounding towns making it a hub for the region.
Geography
Geologically, Sydenham straddles the boundary of the St. Lawrence Lowlands (limestone) and the Canadian Shield (granite). Frontenac Provincial Park is found just north of Sydenham in the shield rock and sits atop the Frontenac Axis, a part of the shield that extends south and eventually crosses the St. Lawrence River. Mica mining was common in the 19th century and there are many abandoned mines in the area. One area where mica mines can be found is nearby Gould Lake situated between Sydenham and Frontenac Provincial Park.
An annual canoe/kayak regatta is held on Sydenham Lake next to The Point, a popular local public beach, which was purchased by a local women's group in the mid-late 19th century and given back to the community so that there was always a public gathering point. Sydenham Lake drains westward into Millhaven Creek (originating from Gould Lake), which empties into Lake Ontario at Millhaven.
Culture, recreation, and economy
The residents of Sydenham maintain a beach that is located in the east end of the town, on Sydenham Lake. Locals call it "The Point" because the beach and associated park is actually a man-made peninsula on the lake, created by clean landfill. In the summer of 2017, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held at The Point beach to commemorate the renovations that had recently taken place. New additions to the park included renovated washroom/change room facilities, a new climber for children, park benches, and a paved pathway leading down to the beach. All of these renovations created a new and improved accessible park for all visitors.
Those who are not employed at the local schools or who are not running a local farm, are usually employed in Kingston. The two Christian churches within Sydenham are St. Paul's Anglican Church and Sydenham Holiness Church. St. Patrick's Roman Catholic church in located in the nearby hamlet of Railton, and Grace United Church in the village was recently deconsecrated to become The Grace Centre for the community.
Many cottages and summer homes are located in the area, and tourism increases during the summer months. Visitor use at Gould Lake Conservation Area and Frontenac Provincial Park also increases during the summer. The increase in visitors provides revenue to Sydenham.
Trousdale's General Store, which is Canada's oldest, continuously open, same-family-run general store since 1836[citation needed], is located in Sydenham.
Actor Dan Aykroyd and his wife Donna Dixon reside on the land originally settled by his great-grandfather Samuel-Cuthbert Aykroyd in the mid-19th century.
A number of musicians and artists who are well known in the area have come from, or have lived in the village of Sydenham. These include folk singing group, Night Sun, the bluegrass band The Abrams Brothers, Jason Silver and Celtic music group The Shores of Newfoundland . Visual artists Daniel Hughes and Shayne Dark also live in the Sydenham area.
John Babcock, Canada's last WWI veteran, was born on a farm near the village
Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River. The city is midway between Toronto, Ontario, and Montreal, Quebec. Kingston is also located nearby the Thousand Islands tourist region to the east and the Prince Edward County tourist region to the west. Kingston is nicknamed the "Limestone City" because of the many heritage buildings constructed using local limestone.
Godfrey is a small community located about 40 minutes' drive time north of Kingston, Ontario, Canada on Hwy. 38. It is named for Chester H. Godfrey, one of the original settlers, who donated land on which the village was built. While there is currently no specific village, it can be described as the area of Highway 38 that extends between the villages of Verona and Parham, as well as that portion of Westport Road extending to the hamlet of Burridge. It also includes the former settlement of Cole Lake.. Godfrey was originally in the Township of Hinchinbrooke which has since become amalgamated into the township of Central Frontenac, which also encompasses the townships of Kennebec, Olden and Oso.
Whitewater Region is a township on the Ottawa River in Renfrew County, located within the scenic Ottawa Valley in eastern Ontario, Canada. Whitewater Region is made up of the former municipalities of Beachburg, Cobden, Ross and Westmeath, which were amalgamated into the current township on January 1, 2001.
Frontenac County is a county and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario. It is located in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario. The city of Kingston is in the Frontenac census division, but is separated from the County of Frontenac.
Frontenac may refer to:
South Frontenac is a township in Frontenac County in eastern Ontario, Canada. It was amalgamated in 1998 from the former townships of Bedford, Loughborough, Portland, and Storrington.
Loyalist is a lower-tier township municipality in central eastern Ontario, Canada on Lake Ontario. It is in Lennox and Addington County and consists of two parts: the mainland and Amherst Island. It was named for the United Empire Loyalists, who settled in the area after the American Revolution.
Wolfe Island is an island at the entrance to the Saint Lawrence River in Lake Ontario near Kingston, Ontario. Wolfe Island is part of Frontenac County, Ontario and the Township of Frontenac Islands. It is the largest of the Thousand Islands. The largest community on the island is Marysville. The island was part of the traditional hunting lands of the Tyendinaga Mohawk people and the original name of the island is Kawehnóhkwes tsi kawè:note. The name is often given as "Ganounkouesnot", but this name makes no sense in the Tyendinaga Mohawk langauge. In 2021, the Township of Frontenac Islands voted officially to accept the name of Kawehnóhkwes tsi kawè:note and added it to the signs welcoming visitors to Wolfe Island. It was called Grand Island by the French. In a proclamation by the Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada John Graves Simcoe on 16 July 1792, the island was renamed from Grand island to Wolfe island, after British General James Wolfe.
Loughborough Lake is a lake in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The lake is mostly in the municipality of South Frontenac, Frontenac County, except for the southern tip which is in and on the northern border of the separated city of Kingston, and is about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of the town centre of Kingston.
Bon Echo Provincial Park is a provincial park in southeastern Ontario north of Kaladar, approximately 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) north of Cloyne and located within the township boundaries of both Addington Highlands and North Frontenac.
Terrace Bay is a township in Thunder Bay District in northern Ontario, Canada, located on the north shore of Lake Superior east of Thunder Bay along Highway 17. The name originates from a series of lake terraces formed as the water level in Lake Superior lowered following the latest ice age.
Frontenac Provincial Park is a provincial park located near the town of Sydenham, north of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. This 5,350-hectare park is classified as a natural environment park, and lies on the Frontenac Axis, a topographic extension of the Canadian Shield connecting to the Adirondack Mountains. It features 22 lakes, over 700 species, and extensive areas of mixed forest, wetlands, and granite outcrops.
Limestone District School Board is an English public district school board encompassing a region that includes the City of Kingston and the counties of Frontenac and Lennox and Addington in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The board was founded in a 1998 provincial reorganization of all Ontario school boards. It is an amalgamation of the former Frontenac County and Lennox and Addington County Boards of Education. The board's Chair for 2020-2021 is Suzanne Ruttan. The Vice-Chair is Tom Gingrich.
Sharbot Lake is a suburban community and unincorporated area in the municipality of Central Frontenac, Frontenac County in Eastern Ontario, Canada. Named after the Sharbot family, who were local residents, it appeared in Lovell's Gazetteer in 1874. It is part of the Land O'Lakes Tourist Region and is located on the eponymous Sharbot Lake.
Front of Yonge is a township found in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville in Ontario, Canada. It is the location of the Thousand Islands National Park and Brown's Bay Provincial Park, as well as a number of private campgrounds, the Jones Creek walking trail system, and the 1000 Islands Waterfront Trail’s walking/bike path which runs from just beyond the township’s eastern boundary to neighbouring towns. The predominance of the Canadian Shield produces scenic and diverse landscapes which include exposed rock formations and heavy tree cover, as well as wide fields and beaches.
The K&P Trail is a recreational trail that runs along the old Kingston and Pembroke Railway (K&P) bed in Ontario, Canada. The K&P was abandoned by its owner, Canadian Pacific Railway, between 1962 and 1986, and ran from Kingston to Renfrew.
King's Highway 38, commonly referred to as Highway 38, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. The 66.9-kilometre (41.6 mi) road connected Highway 2 and Highway 401 in Kingston with Highway 7 west of Perth. It was designated in 1934 and remained relatively unchanged throughout its existence, aside from some minor diversions and a rerouting through Kingston as a result of the construction of Highway 401 in the mid-1950s. At the beginning of 1998, the entire highway was transferred to the municipalities of Frontenac County through which it travelled: Kingston, South Frontenac and Central Frontenac. Today the former highway is named Road 38 and Gardiners Road, but is still referred to as Highway 38 by locals.
Gould Lake is a lake north of the community of Sydenham in the Township of South Frontenac, Frontenac County, in eastern Ontario, Canada. It is on the Canadian Shield, is part of the Great Lakes Basin, and is part of the headwaters of the Millhaven Creek system. In the 19th century and early-20th century, the area around Gould Lake was noted for its mica mines.
Gould Lake Conservation Area is a rural conservation area located in the Canadian Shield northwest of the community of Sydenham in the Township of South Frontenac, Frontenac County, in eastern Ontario, Canada. The area was created to manage water resources, preserve wildlife habitat, and provide recreational and educational opportunities, and is managed by the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority. The conservation area contains much of Gould Lake.
Millhaven Creek is a stream in the municipalities of Loyalist, Lennox and Addington County, and South Frontenac, Frontenac County, and the single-tier municipality of Kingston in eastern Ontario, Canada. It is a tributary of Lake Ontario and is under the auspices of the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority.
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