Havelock-Belmont-Methuen, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Havelock-Belmont-Methuen is a township
in central-eastern Ontario
, Canada
, in Peterborough County
.
general Sir Henry Havelock
, was incorporated as an independent village in 1892 .
Early settlers built their homes in an area of dense forests, numerous lakes and rivers within the rocky Canadian Shield
. They survived by means of fishing
, logging
and farming. Later in the nineteenth century and continuing to the present, mining
became an important economic activity. Early businesses in Havelock included a post office
, store, bakery
, a blacksmith
and a millinery and were located south of the current village on high ground at the intersection of County Road 30 and Old Norwood Road. In 1881 the Canadian Pacific Railway
surveyed a right-of-way through the area north of Havelock and a year later laid rails and surveyed and filled the swampy land to make room for a larger village .
The current village of Havelock was developed on the filled land by the tracks north of the former village site and was incorporated in 1892. In the fall of 1884, the first full passenger train stopped at Havelock, from Toronto
on its way to Smith's Falls
. Havelock was an important freight depot from the 1880s to the 1960s. The railway's activity today consists of transporting nepheline syenite
and crushed basalt
rock from two mines north of Havelock operated by Unimin
.
In 1890 to 1963 Havelock area students attended this school. In 1937 the school was renamed Havelock High School and in 1952 Havelock High School Students were transferred to the new Norwood District High School
in the neighboring town of Norwood, Ontario.
In 1963 Havelock Public School Students were transferred to the new Havelock Public School, east of the Havelock Community Centre. In 1963 the school building was sold and converted to apartments .
In September, 2005 the Havelock High School Reunion Committee placed in front of the apartments a commemorative plaque bolted to a large red granite stone from a local quarry.
(CPR) station on Ottawa Street (Hwy #7) in Havelock was built in 1929 . It was designated in 1991 as a Heritage Railway Station by the Historic Sights and Monuments Board, Parks Canada
. In 2004 the Station was purchased and renovated to accommodate restaurants.
In 1998, the village of Havelock was reamalgamated with the township of Belmont and Methuen to form the current township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen.
.
Havelock is the site of an annual country music
festival, the Havelock Country Jamboree
, in August.
Census:
Population trend:
Township (Canada)
The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. However in some systems no town needs to be involved. The specific use of the term to describe political subdivisions has varied by country, usually to describe a local rural or semi-rural government within the county...
in central-eastern 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...
, in Peterborough County
Peterborough County, Ontario
Peterborough County is located in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is projected to reach a population of 159,840 by 2031, according to the Ontario Ministry of Finance's Ontario Population Projections Update...
.
History
The region's history began with an influx of settlers after Belmont and Methuen Township was surveyed in 1823. The community of Havelock, which was named after BritishUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
general Sir Henry Havelock
Henry Havelock
Major-General Sir Henry Havelock, KCB was a British general who is particularly associated with India. He was noted for his recapture of Cawnpore from rebels during Indian Rebellion of 1857.-Early life:...
, was incorporated as an independent village in 1892 .
Early settlers built their homes in an area of dense forests, numerous lakes and rivers within the rocky Canadian Shield
Canadian Shield
The Canadian Shield, also called the Laurentian Plateau, or Bouclier Canadien , is a vast geological shield covered by a thin layer of soil that forms the nucleus of the North American or Laurentia craton. It is an area mostly composed of igneous rock which relates to its long volcanic history...
. They survived by means of fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
, logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
and farming. Later in the nineteenth century and continuing to the present, mining
Mining
Mining is the extraction of valuable minerals or other geological materials from the earth, from an ore body, vein or seam. The term also includes the removal of soil. Materials recovered by mining include base metals, precious metals, iron, uranium, coal, diamonds, limestone, oil shale, rock...
became an important economic activity. Early businesses in Havelock included a post office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
, store, bakery
Bakery
A bakery is an establishment which produces and sells flour-based food baked in an oven such as bread, cakes, pastries and pies. Some retail bakeries are also cafés, serving coffee and tea to customers who wish to consume the baked goods on the premises.-See also:*Baker*Cake...
, a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
and a millinery and were located south of the current village on high ground at the intersection of County Road 30 and Old Norwood Road. In 1881 the Canadian Pacific Railway
Canadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
surveyed a right-of-way through the area north of Havelock and a year later laid rails and surveyed and filled the swampy land to make room for a larger village .
The current village of Havelock was developed on the filled land by the tracks north of the former village site and was incorporated in 1892. In the fall of 1884, the first full passenger train stopped at Havelock, from Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
on its way to Smith's Falls
Smiths Falls, Ontario
Smiths Falls is a town in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is in the census division for Lanark County, but is considered a separated town and does not participate in county government...
. Havelock was an important freight depot from the 1880s to the 1960s. The railway's activity today consists of transporting nepheline syenite
Nepheline syenite
Nephelene syenite is a holocrystalline plutonic rock that consists largely of nepheline and alkali feldspar. The rocks are mostly pale colored, grey or pink, and in general appearance they are not unlike granites, but dark green varieties are also known...
and crushed basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
rock from two mines north of Havelock operated by Unimin
Unimin
Unimin Corporation is the American subsidiary of Sibelco and the United States' leading producer of silica sand. Unimin specializes in industrial minerals....
.
Historic School
The old school, a two story building now known as the Hilltop Apartments,stands at the Northwest corner of Oak Street and Mathison Street, Havelock.In 1890 to 1963 Havelock area students attended this school. In 1937 the school was renamed Havelock High School and in 1952 Havelock High School Students were transferred to the new Norwood District High School
Norwood District High School
Norwood District High School is located at 44 Elm Street in Norwood, Ontario, Canada. As of 2005 it has 500 secondary students taught by 36 teachers. It is a member of the Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board....
in the neighboring town of Norwood, Ontario.
In 1963 Havelock Public School Students were transferred to the new Havelock Public School, east of the Havelock Community Centre. In 1963 the school building was sold and converted to apartments .
In September, 2005 the Havelock High School Reunion Committee placed in front of the apartments a commemorative plaque bolted to a large red granite stone from a local quarry.
Railway Station
The Canadian Pacific RailwayCanadian Pacific Railway
The Canadian Pacific Railway , formerly also known as CP Rail between 1968 and 1996, is a historic Canadian Class I railway founded in 1881 and now operated by Canadian Pacific Railway Limited, which began operations as legal owner in a corporate restructuring in 2001...
(CPR) station on Ottawa Street (Hwy #7) in Havelock was built in 1929 . It was designated in 1991 as a Heritage Railway Station by the Historic Sights and Monuments Board, Parks Canada
Parks Canada
Parks Canada , also known as the Parks Canada Agency , is an agency of the Government of Canada mandated to protect and present nationally significant natural and cultural heritage, and foster public understanding, appreciation, and enjoyment in ways that ensure their ecological and commemorative...
. In 2004 the Station was purchased and renovated to accommodate restaurants.
In 1998, the village of Havelock was reamalgamated with the township of Belmont and Methuen to form the current township of Havelock-Belmont-Methuen.
Communities
The township comprises the communities of Ashby Mill, Blairton (ghost town), Blairton Station, Blue Mountain, Chase Corners, Cordova Mines, Freeman Corners, Jack Lake, Havelock, Kasshabog Lake, MacDonald Bay, Nephton (ghost town), Oak Lake, Preneveau, Round Lake, Rush Point and VansickleVansickle, Ontario
Vansickle is a community in the city of St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is located in the west end, concentrated in and around Vansickle Road. The area has seen a significant increase in residential development and, more recently, the construction of a four-pad sportsplex nearby...
.
Havelock is the site of an annual country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
festival, the Havelock Country Jamboree
Havelock Country Jamboree
The Havelock Country Jamboree is a four-day country music camping festival held in the village of Havelock, Ontario . The festival runs Thursday through Sunday on the third weekend in August every year.-History:...
, in August.
Demographics
According to the 2006 Statistics CanadaStatistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
Census:
- Population: 4,637
- % Change (2001-2006): 3.5
- Area (km².): 526.02
- Density (persons per km².): 8.8
- Private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 1975 (total dwellings: 4199)
- Mother tongue:
- English as first language: 92.0 %
- French as first language: 1.1 %
- English and French as first language: 1.1 %
- Other as first language: 5.8 %
Population trend:
- Population in 2006: 4637
- Population in 2001: 4479
- Population total in 1996: 4327
- Havelock (village): 1352
- Belmont and Methuen (township): 2975
- Population in 1991:
- Havelock (village): 1376
- Belmont and Methuen (township): 2697