Beaverton, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Beaverton is a community in Brock Township
in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario
, Canada
.
Originally part of Thorah Township in Ontario County
, Beaverton was first settled in 1822. The settlement is located on Lake Simcoe
at the mouth of the Beaver River
. It was called Calder's Mills (after an early miller), Mill Town and Milton until it was renamed Beaverton when the post office was opened in 1835. In 1884, Beaverton separated from the Township and was incorporated as a Village.
As part of the creation of Durham Region in 1974, Beaverton was amalgamated with Thorah Township, the original Brock Township and the Villages of Cannington
and Sunderland
to create the newly expanded Township of Brock.
Today, Beaverton is the largest community in Brock. There are three elementary schools in Beaverton and area, as well as an arena, curling club, public library, small harbour and yacht club. The local economy is based on the provision of services to the surrounding area, supplemented by some manufacturing. Tourism also plays a role; the Trent-Severn Waterway
connects with Lake Simcoe a few kilometres north of Beaverton and the area attracts cottagers from other regions of the Province.
Beaverton is the home of The Strand Theatre, Canada's oldest movie theatre. The Old Stone Church, built in 1853 and a National Historic Site of Canada, is also located in Beaverton.
The local post office services the town with lock boxes and rural routes.
Brock, Ontario
Brock is a township in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada. Brock Township is also a former municipality and geographic township prior to the amalgamation that formed the current municipality.-History:...
in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
.
Originally part of Thorah Township in Ontario County
Ontario County, Ontario
Ontario County was the name of two historic counties in the Canadian province of Ontario.The original Ontario County existed from 1792 to 1800 as part of the Eastern District, and consisted of the islands in the St. Lawrence River...
, Beaverton was first settled in 1822. The settlement is located on Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...
at the mouth of the Beaver River
Beaver River (Ontario)
There are five rivers with the name Beaver River in the province of Ontario, Canada.The Beaver River in the Regional Municipality of Durham is a tributary of Lake Simcoe and has its mouth at the community of Beaverton at...
. It was called Calder's Mills (after an early miller), Mill Town and Milton until it was renamed Beaverton when the post office was opened in 1835. In 1884, Beaverton separated from the Township and was incorporated as a Village.
As part of the creation of Durham Region in 1974, Beaverton was amalgamated with Thorah Township, the original Brock Township and the Villages of Cannington
Cannington, Ontario
Cannington is a community located in Brock Township, Durham Region, Ontario, Canada.-History:Originally part of the original Brock Township, Cannington was first settled in 1833. It was originally known as McCaskill's Mills after a local mill-owning family...
and Sunderland
Sunderland, Ontario
Sunderland is a community located approximately 100 km northeast of Toronto, Ontario in Brock Township, in the Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario, Canada.-Business and Commerce:...
to create the newly expanded Township of Brock.
Today, Beaverton is the largest community in Brock. There are three elementary schools in Beaverton and area, as well as an arena, curling club, public library, small harbour and yacht club. The local economy is based on the provision of services to the surrounding area, supplemented by some manufacturing. Tourism also plays a role; the Trent-Severn Waterway
Trent-Severn Waterway
The Trent–Severn Waterway is a Canadian canal system formerly used for industrial and transportation purposes and now for recreational and tourism purposes, connecting Lake Ontario at Trenton to the Georgian Bay portion of Lake Huron at Port Severn...
connects with Lake Simcoe a few kilometres north of Beaverton and the area attracts cottagers from other regions of the Province.
Beaverton is the home of The Strand Theatre, Canada's oldest movie theatre. The Old Stone Church, built in 1853 and a National Historic Site of Canada, is also located in Beaverton.
The local post office services the town with lock boxes and rural routes.
Notable people
- Elizabeth Turner McTaggart - Born 1828 in Thorah Township, Elizabeth was the first female child born to settlers. In 1910, she laid the cornerstone of the Beaverton Town Hall. Designed by Architects J. Harvey Self and W. Fletcher Shepherd, Toronto, it opened in 1911 and was designated under the Ontario Heritage Act, R.S.O. in 1990 as being of architectural and historical interest. The "1822 Turner-McTaggart cabin" where Elizabeth was born survives at Thorah Beach as does the engraved sterling silver trowel used in the Town Hall ceremony of 1910.
- Foster HewittFoster HewittFoster William Hewitt, OC was a Canadian radio broadcaster most famous for his play-by-play calls for Hockey Night in Canada. He was the son of W. A. Hewitt, and the father of Bill Hewitt.-Early life and career:...
- NHL Broadcaster - NHLers Basil McRaeBasil McRaeBasil McRae played his major junior hockey with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey Association .In the 1980 NHL entry draft, the Quebec Nordiques drafted McRae in the 3rd round, 87th overall...
and Chris McRaeChris McRaeChris McRae is a professional ice hockey player who played 21 games in the National Hockey League. He played with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Detroit Red Wings.- References :...
. - Editorial cartoonist Duncan MacphersonDuncan MacphersonDuncan Ian Macpherson, CM was a Canadian editorial cartoonist. He drew for the Montreal Standard and for Maclean's he illustrated the writings of Gregory Clark and Robert Thomas Allen...
. - .
In film
- The 1973, Canadian horror classic, Cannibal GirlsCannibal GirlsCannibal Girls is a 1973 Canadian Comedy horror film directed by Ivan Reitman and stars Eugene Levy, Andrea Martin, and Ronald Ulrich.-Synopsis:...
, was filmed in the downtown of Beaverton. Sections of the downtown (The Strand Theatre, King's Bishop Tavern, the library and the bridge) can all be seen. In the movie, the fictitious town that Beaverton filled in for was called Farnhamville. - The 1984 comedy, Oddballs, was also shot in town.
External links
- Beaverton at Geographical Names of Canada