Lincoln, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Lincoln is a town on Lake Ontario
in the Niagara Region
, Ontario
, Canada
. The town's administrative and commercial centre is in the community of Beamsville
.
and the Niagara Escarpment
provides for a moderate climate with mild winters. The area is known in Canada for its orchards, vineyards, wineries and restaurants that feature local produce and wines. Fruit crops grown in Lincoln include cherries
, peach
es, apple
s and pear
s, and during the summer attract many tourists from all over Ontario, particularly Toronto
.
, Campden, Jordan, Jordan Harbour, Jordan Station, Pelham Union, Rockway, Tintern, Vineland
and Vineland Station.
found evidence of a Neutral encampment with a long house about two kilometers east of Beamsville, on Cave Springs Farm. Until vandals destroyed them about 30 years ago, there were a number of Indian faces carved in stone high on the Escarpment wall nearby.
The Neutrals were decimated by the Iroquois
in 1653. When the first European settlers arrived in 1777, there were only a few semi-migrant native people living in the caves near Beamsville
.
The earliest European settlers were ex-Butler's Rangers
who had fought on the side of the Loyal in the American Revolution
. United Empire Loyalist Jacob Beam began what is now the town of Beamsville in 1788. Both of his homes - the original one located on the Thirty, as well as the one near downtown Beamsville - are still intact today. Senator William Gibson is another key figure in the history of Beamsville. His mansion is now the Girls' Dorm at Great Lakes Christian College. Beamsville is also home to the annual Lincoln County Agricultural Fair, usually held on or around the first weekend of September. This fair is a very well known fair throughout the area, and attracts thousands of people every year since its inception in 1857.
In 1898, hockey players in the town of Beamsville were the first to make use of a hockey net. The town was also home to the first Japanese-Canadian home for the aged in 1967.
Mennonites (Pennsylvania Dutch
) walking north from the United States in 1799 founded the villages of Jordan and Vineland
. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected at the Jordan Museum by the province to commemorate the first Mennonite Settlement's role in Ontario's heritage. The First Mennonite Church in Vineland, adjacent to the cemetery at the corner of Regional Road 81 (former Highway 8
) and Martin Road, organized in 1801, is the oldest Mennonite
congregation in Canada.
Good hunting and fishing as well as excellent soil and waterways attracted these early settlers. Agriculture flourished, and tanneries, grist mills, saw mills and woollen mills sprang up in Glen Elgin (now known as Ball's Falls), Tintern, St. Mary's (Jordan Station), Jordan, Rockway, The Thirty (now vanished) and Beamsville.
With a large natural harbour at the mouth of Twenty Creek, Jordan and Jordan Station became busy shipping centres for the export of logs for masts, tan bark, hides, ashes used in industrial centres for the manufacture of soap, as well as grain, flour, fruit and fruit products. A small ship building industry existed for a time on the banks of the Twenty.
Today, Lincoln is a leading area for tender fruit production and grape growing. Its wines are achieving international recognition and winning awards for quality. "Greenhouse Friendly" Lincoln also has the largest concentration of greenhouse operators in Canada.
In its earliest days what is now Lincoln was regarded, and governed, as an extension of the province of Quebec, but in 1791 the Canada Bill placed it in English Upper Canada. Colonel John Graves Simcoe
, first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada
, divided the province into 19 counties. He named Lincoln County after its English counterpart, and each of its 12 townships, including Clinton and Louth, after towns in Lincoln County, England.
The first township councils, formed in 1793, had no legislative authority. In response to the Rebellion of 1837, the 1849 Municipal Act gave local councils much more power to deal with local matters.
The Town of Lincoln came into existence on January 1, 1970, a municipal corporation created by the Legislature of Ontario through the amalgamation of the Town of Beamsville, the Township of Clinton, and approximately half the Township of Louth. Through a vote of citizens, "Lincoln" was chosen to be its name. http://www.lincoln.library.on.ca/local_history/townhistory.htm
Beamsville currently has two secondary schools, Beamsville District Secondary School
and Great Lakes Christian College
, and three elementary schools, Senator Gibson, Maple Grove, and Jacob Beam. Beamsville also has a separate school, St. Mark's Elementary School.
Bill Berg
, formerly a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs
, and now an NHL broadcaster, was born, and continues to make his home in Beamsville. Paul Laus
, a former Florida Panthers
bruiser defenceman, and Ryan Christie
, who played seven games with the Dallas Stars
and Calgary Flames
are also Beamsville natives. Another Beamsville native of note, Tonya Verbeek
, earned an Olympic silver medal in women's wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympics
in Athens, Greece. At the 2008 Summer Olympics
in Beijing, China, Tonya Verbeek
excelled once again by winning the bronze medal in women's freestyle wrestling, 55 kg class.
The band Rush
practised in Beamsville in their earlier days. Drummer Neil Peart
was raised in nearby Port Dalhousie
.
A well known character in Rockway was Black Mike, who ran a junkyard. He spoke 7 or 8 languages and was very independent and was liked by all.
's wine country and contributes greatly to the wine industry in the Niagara Peninsula
. Many wineries from the area have taken home top awards, including Grape King at the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival, as well as international awards. Wineries in Lincoln include Malivoire, East Dell Wineries, Thomas and Vaughan, Thirty Bench, Angel's Gate, Peninsula Ridge, Cave Spring Cellars, Daniel Lenko Winery, Magnotta, Mountain Road Winery, Legends Estates, Crown Bench, and Corner Stone.
According to the Canada 2006 Census
:
Branch in Vineland is located in a newer building.
Vineland is host to a large craft fair that takes place over a period of four days on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Craft stalls are set up on the main street, Victoria Avenue, and at the Ball's Falls
Conservation Area. This festival also extends into the ball park in Jordan.
Lake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
in the Niagara Region
Regional Municipality of Niagara, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Niagara , also known as the Niagara Region, or, colloquially, "Regional Niagara", is a regional municipality comprising twelve municipalities of Southern Ontario, Canada....
, 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...
. The town's administrative and commercial centre is in the community of Beamsville
Beamsville, Ontario
The community of Beamsville is part of the town of Lincoln in the province of Ontario in Canada. It is located along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and lies within the fruit belt of the Niagara Peninsula...
.
Geography
Lincoln's location between the southern shore of Lake OntarioLake Ontario
Lake Ontario is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded on the north and southwest by the Canadian province of Ontario, and on the south by the American state of New York. Ontario, Canada's most populous province, was named for the lake. In the Wyandot language, ontarío means...
and the Niagara Escarpment
Niagara Escarpment
The Niagara Escarpment is a long escarpment, or cuesta, in the United States and Canada that runs westward from New York State, through Ontario, Michigan, Wisconsin and Illinois...
provides for a moderate climate with mild winters. The area is known in Canada for its orchards, vineyards, wineries and restaurants that feature local produce and wines. Fruit crops grown in Lincoln include cherries
Cherry
The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....
, peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
es, apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
s and pear
Pear
The pear is any of several tree species of genus Pyrus and also the name of the pomaceous fruit of these trees. Several species of pear are valued by humans for their edible fruit, but the fruit of other species is small, hard, and astringent....
s, and during the summer attract many tourists from all over Ontario, particularly 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...
.
Villages
The township comprises the villages of BeamsvilleBeamsville, Ontario
The community of Beamsville is part of the town of Lincoln in the province of Ontario in Canada. It is located along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and lies within the fruit belt of the Niagara Peninsula...
, Campden, Jordan, Jordan Harbour, Jordan Station, Pelham Union, Rockway, Tintern, Vineland
Vineland, Ontario
The village of Vineland is an unincorporated community within the Town of Lincoln in the Niagara Peninsula in the province of Ontario, Canada.-Agriculture:...
and Vineland Station.
History
Lincoln's earliest known inhabitants were Neutral Indians. Archaeologists from the Royal Ontario MuseumRoyal Ontario Museum
The Royal Ontario Museum is a museum of world culture and natural history in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. With its main entrance facing Bloor Street in Downtown Toronto, the museum is situated north of Queen's Park and east of Philosopher's Walk in the University of Toronto...
found evidence of a Neutral encampment with a long house about two kilometers east of Beamsville, on Cave Springs Farm. Until vandals destroyed them about 30 years ago, there were a number of Indian faces carved in stone high on the Escarpment wall nearby.
The Neutrals were decimated by the Iroquois
Iroquois
The Iroquois , also known as the Haudenosaunee or the "People of the Longhouse", are an association of several tribes of indigenous people of North America...
in 1653. When the first European settlers arrived in 1777, there were only a few semi-migrant native people living in the caves near Beamsville
Beamsville, Ontario
The community of Beamsville is part of the town of Lincoln in the province of Ontario in Canada. It is located along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and lies within the fruit belt of the Niagara Peninsula...
.
The earliest European settlers were ex-Butler's Rangers
Butler's Rangers
Butler's Rangers was a British provincial regiment composed of Loyalists in the American Revolutionary War, raised by Loyalist John Butler.Most members of the regiment were Loyalists from upstate New York...
who had fought on the side of the Loyal in the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
. United Empire Loyalist Jacob Beam began what is now the town of Beamsville in 1788. Both of his homes - the original one located on the Thirty, as well as the one near downtown Beamsville - are still intact today. Senator William Gibson is another key figure in the history of Beamsville. His mansion is now the Girls' Dorm at Great Lakes Christian College. Beamsville is also home to the annual Lincoln County Agricultural Fair, usually held on or around the first weekend of September. This fair is a very well known fair throughout the area, and attracts thousands of people every year since its inception in 1857.
In 1898, hockey players in the town of Beamsville were the first to make use of a hockey net. The town was also home to the first Japanese-Canadian home for the aged in 1967.
Mennonites (Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch
Pennsylvania Dutch refers to immigrants and their descendants from southwestern Germany and Switzerland who settled in Pennsylvania in the 17th and 18th centuries...
) walking north from the United States in 1799 founded the villages of Jordan and Vineland
Vineland, Ontario
The village of Vineland is an unincorporated community within the Town of Lincoln in the Niagara Peninsula in the province of Ontario, Canada.-Agriculture:...
. An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected at the Jordan Museum by the province to commemorate the first Mennonite Settlement's role in Ontario's heritage. The First Mennonite Church in Vineland, adjacent to the cemetery at the corner of Regional Road 81 (former Highway 8
Highway 8 (Ontario)
Provincial Highway 8 is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Its total length is 138.5 km, though it was once much longer, running farther east from Hamilton to Niagara Falls, before the Queen Elizabeth Way replaced its role.- History :Highway 8 is one of the...
) and Martin Road, organized in 1801, is the oldest Mennonite
Mennonite
The Mennonites are a group of Christian Anabaptist denominations named after the Frisian Menno Simons , who, through his writings, articulated and thereby formalized the teachings of earlier Swiss founders...
congregation in Canada.
Good hunting and fishing as well as excellent soil and waterways attracted these early settlers. Agriculture flourished, and tanneries, grist mills, saw mills and woollen mills sprang up in Glen Elgin (now known as Ball's Falls), Tintern, St. Mary's (Jordan Station), Jordan, Rockway, The Thirty (now vanished) and Beamsville.
With a large natural harbour at the mouth of Twenty Creek, Jordan and Jordan Station became busy shipping centres for the export of logs for masts, tan bark, hides, ashes used in industrial centres for the manufacture of soap, as well as grain, flour, fruit and fruit products. A small ship building industry existed for a time on the banks of the Twenty.
Today, Lincoln is a leading area for tender fruit production and grape growing. Its wines are achieving international recognition and winning awards for quality. "Greenhouse Friendly" Lincoln also has the largest concentration of greenhouse operators in Canada.
In its earliest days what is now Lincoln was regarded, and governed, as an extension of the province of Quebec, but in 1791 the Canada Bill placed it in English Upper Canada. Colonel John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe
John Graves Simcoe was a British army officer and the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada from 1791–1796. Then frontier, this was modern-day southern Ontario and the watersheds of Georgian Bay and Lake Superior...
, first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada
Upper Canada
The Province of Upper Canada was a political division in British Canada established in 1791 by the British Empire to govern the central third of the lands in British North America and to accommodate Loyalist refugees from the United States of America after the American Revolution...
, divided the province into 19 counties. He named Lincoln County after its English counterpart, and each of its 12 townships, including Clinton and Louth, after towns in Lincoln County, England.
The first township councils, formed in 1793, had no legislative authority. In response to the Rebellion of 1837, the 1849 Municipal Act gave local councils much more power to deal with local matters.
The Town of Lincoln came into existence on January 1, 1970, a municipal corporation created by the Legislature of Ontario through the amalgamation of the Town of Beamsville, the Township of Clinton, and approximately half the Township of Louth. Through a vote of citizens, "Lincoln" was chosen to be its name. http://www.lincoln.library.on.ca/local_history/townhistory.htm
People
The town is home to numerous Dutch and United Empire Loyalist families, as evidenced by the large number of Dutch Reformed and Anglican churches in the area. Other ethnic groups include Italians - one family which founded the Commisso's supermarket chain - Germans, East Asians, and Indians.Beamsville currently has two secondary schools, Beamsville District Secondary School
Beamsville District Secondary School
Beamsville District Secondary School is a secondary school in Beamsville, Ontario, Canada, It is a very busy and active school, balancing the academic demands of classes with extracurricular activities.-History:...
and Great Lakes Christian College
Great Lakes Christian College (Beamsville)
Great Lakes Christian High School is a private high school in Beamsville, Ontario.-History:Great Lakes Christian High School began operation in 1952 on the former estate of S.T. Creet, who had purchased the property from the estate of Senator William Gibson in 1918]. Mr. Creet was a businessman in...
, and three elementary schools, Senator Gibson, Maple Grove, and Jacob Beam. Beamsville also has a separate school, St. Mark's Elementary School.
Bill Berg
Bill Berg
William Daniel Berg is a retired Canadian ice hockey player.-Playing career:Playing on both wing and defense, after a minor league apprenticeship with the Springfield Indians of the American Hockey League - with whom he won a Calder Cup in 1990 - Berg started his National Hockey League career with...
, formerly a hockey player for the Toronto Maple Leafs
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, and now an NHL broadcaster, was born, and continues to make his home in Beamsville. Paul Laus
Paul Laus
Paul Laus is a Canadian former professional ice hockey defenceman who played in the National Hockey League for the Florida Panthers.-Career:...
, a former Florida Panthers
Florida Panthers
The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in Sunrise, Florida, in the Miami metropolitan area. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . They play their games at the BankAtlantic Center in Sunrise and are the...
bruiser defenceman, and Ryan Christie
Ryan Christie
Ryan Christie is a Canadian professional ice hockey player who played in the National Hockey League for the Dallas Stars and the Calgary Flames. Drafted 112th overall by the Stars in the 1996 NHL Entry Draft, Christie played seven games in the NHL scoring no points and no penalty minutes...
, who played seven games with the Dallas Stars
Dallas Stars
The Dallas Stars are a professional ice hockey team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The team was founded during the 1967 NHL expansion as the Minnesota North Stars, based in Bloomington, Minnesota. The...
and Calgary Flames
Calgary Flames
The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is the third major-professional ice hockey team to represent the city of Calgary, following the...
are also Beamsville natives. Another Beamsville native of note, Tonya Verbeek
Tonya Verbeek
Tonya Verbeek is a Canadian wrestler.-Sports career:She was born in Grimsby, Ontario. She took up wrestling in grade eleven and was undefeated throughout high school in Beamsville, Ontario. She trains at Brock University in St...
, earned an Olympic silver medal in women's wrestling at the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
in Athens, Greece. At the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
in Beijing, China, Tonya Verbeek
Tonya Verbeek
Tonya Verbeek is a Canadian wrestler.-Sports career:She was born in Grimsby, Ontario. She took up wrestling in grade eleven and was undefeated throughout high school in Beamsville, Ontario. She trains at Brock University in St...
excelled once again by winning the bronze medal in women's freestyle wrestling, 55 kg class.
The band Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
practised in Beamsville in their earlier days. Drummer Neil Peart
Neil Peart
Neil Ellwood Peart , OC, is a Canadian musician and author. He is the drummer for the rock band Rush.Peart grew up in Port Dalhousie, Ontario . During adolescence, he floated from regional band to regional band in pursuit of a career as a full-time drummer...
was raised in nearby Port Dalhousie
Port Dalhousie, Ontario
Port Dalhousie is a community in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is known for its waterfront appeal. It is also home to the Royal Canadian Henley Regatta and is historically significant as the terminus for the first three routes of the Welland Canal.The city's most popular beach, on the...
.
A well known character in Rockway was Black Mike, who ran a junkyard. He spoke 7 or 8 languages and was very independent and was liked by all.
Industry
The region is in the heart of OntarioOntario
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....
's wine country and contributes greatly to the wine industry in the Niagara Peninsula
Niagara Peninsula
The Niagara Peninsula is the portion of Southern Ontario, Canada lying between the south shore of Lake Ontario and the north shore of Lake Erie. It stretches from the Niagara River in the east to Hamilton, Ontario in the west. The population of the peninsula is roughly 1,000,000 people...
. Many wineries from the area have taken home top awards, including Grape King at the Niagara Grape & Wine Festival, as well as international awards. Wineries in Lincoln include Malivoire, East Dell Wineries, Thomas and Vaughan, Thirty Bench, Angel's Gate, Peninsula Ridge, Cave Spring Cellars, Daniel Lenko Winery, Magnotta, Mountain Road Winery, Legends Estates, Crown Bench, and Corner Stone.
Demographics
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| Beamsville | |
| 1841 | 250 |
| 1871 | 1,000 |
| 1901 | 832 |
| 1911 | 1,096 |
| 1921 | 1,256 |
| 1931 | 1,203 |
| 1941 | 1,309 |
| 1951 | 1,712 |
| 1961 | 2,537 |
| Lincoln | |
| 1971 | 14,247 |
| 1981 | 14,196 |
| 1991 | 17,149 |
| 2001 | 20,612 |
| 2006 | 21,722 |
According to the Canada 2006 Census
Canada 2006 Census
The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population. Census day was May 16, 2006. The next census following will be the 2011 Census. Canada's total population enumerated by the 2006 census was 31,612,897...
:
- Population: 21,722
- % Change (2001–2006): 5.4
- Dwellings: 7,875
- Area (km².): 162.86
- Density (persons per km².): 133.4
Culture
The Lincoln Public Library has branches in Beamsville and Vineland. The Fleming Branch in Beamsville, founded in 1852, can be found in the old Clinton-Louth town hall built in the mid-19th century. The upper floor of the building has been used by Freemasons for over a century. The Moses F. RittenhouseMoses F. Rittenhouse
Moses Franklin Rittenhouse was a Canadian-American businessman and philanthropist who made his fortune in the lumber business in Chicago after moving there in 1864.-Philanthropy:...
Branch in Vineland is located in a newer building.
Vineland is host to a large craft fair that takes place over a period of four days on Canadian Thanksgiving weekend. Craft stalls are set up on the main street, Victoria Avenue, and at the Ball's Falls
Ball's Falls, Ontario
Ball's Falls, Ontario, also known as Balls Mills, Louthe Mills and Glen Elgin, is a historical ghost town in the Niagara region which dates back to the early 19th century It is now preserved as a conservation area operated by the Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority.-History:The town was...
Conservation Area. This festival also extends into the ball park in Jordan.