James Playfair was noted for his entrepreneurship in the Great Lakes shipping, lumbering, grain handling, and industrial manufacturing businesses and was a central figure in the establishment of Midland, Ontario

Midland, Ontario

Midland is a town located on Georgian Bay in Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.Situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay's 30,000 Islands, Midland is the economic centre of the region, with a 125-bed hospital and a local airport. It is the main town of the southern Georgian Bay area...

, Canada. Around 1912, Playfair formed two steamship lines: Great Lakes Transportation Company(canal and coastwide trade) and Glen Line (upper lake trade), total of 38 ships.
Son of John Speirs Playfair (26 June 1826, Glasgow – 1913, Toronto) and Georgina Hall of Montreal. Playfair married Charlotte Ogilvie (daughter of Senator A.W. Ogilvie - Ogilvie Flour Mills) of Montreal in 1889. His residence, Edgehill, overlooking Midland Harbour on Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay

Georgian Bay is a large bay of Lake Huron, located entirely within Ontario, Canada...

 was the first home of the Huronia museum

Huronia Museum

The Huronia Museum is located in Midland, Ontario, Canada. The museum consists of the museum building and the Huron/Ouendat village . The museum is open year round and has nearly one million objects and receives some 20,000 visitors each year...

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