Newcastle, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Newcastle is a community in the Municipality of Clarington
in Durham Region
, Ontario
, Canada
. The Town of Newcastle was also the original name of what is now Clarington.
Newcastle is located about 80 km east of Toronto
, and about 18 km east of Oshawa
and Bowmanville
on Highway 401. It is also the southern terminus of Highway 35/115.(Highway 35).
Newcastle has a beautiful community hall, donated by the Massey family
, one public high school (Clarke), one public elementary school (Newcastle Public School), one Catholic elementary school, a post office, churches, a few plazas, several small parks, six restaurants, Tim Hortons, a new recreation complex, an ice arena, fire hall, grocery store (Foodland), professional offices, hardware store (Rona), a marina on Lake Ontario, and a golf course(Newcastle Golf Course).
In the past it has been surrounded by agriculture farms raising cattle, pigs and growing apples, grain, corn and cash crops. A lot of this farmland has been developed and contains many subdivisions(current and future) of homes.
Clarington, Ontario
Clarington is a municipality in Ontario, Canada in the Regional Municipality of Durham. It took its present name in 1994 after having been known as the Town of Newcastle from 1974-93. The name change was made to alleviate long-standing confusion between the municipality as a whole and the included...
in Durham Region
Regional Municipality of Durham, Ontario
The Regional Municipality of Durham, informally referred to as Durham Region, is a regional municipality located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto, Ontario. It has an area of approximately 2,500 square kilometres. Durham Region is considered part of the Greater Toronto Area, with the communities...
, 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 of Newcastle was also the original name of what is now Clarington.
Newcastle is located about 80 km east of 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...
, and about 18 km east of Oshawa
Oshawa, Ontario
Oshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is now commonly referred to as the most...
and Bowmanville
Bowmanville, Ontario
Bowmanville is the largest community in the Municipality of Clarington in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario about 75 km east of Toronto and 15 km east of Oshawa along Highway 2...
on Highway 401. It is also the southern terminus of Highway 35/115.(Highway 35).
History
Newcastle was incorporated as a town in 1856. It remained a small community until the 1990s, when new residential development began and the population quickly swelled. Newcastle had a jail in the late 1800s. Maps of Newcastle from those years have not been discovered. Many have tried to find the location of this jail; however, it is believed that it was either demolished or had been destroyed by the elements. There are jail cells in the Newcastle Community Hall.Newcastle has a beautiful community hall, donated by the Massey family
Massey family
The Massey families are prominent Canadian and American families. The Canadian Masseys are known for manufacturers of farm equipment and are active patrons of the Canadian arts. The North Carolina Masseys are descended from Thomas Massey who immigrated from Cheshire, England to Philadelphia,...
, one public high school (Clarke), one public elementary school (Newcastle Public School), one Catholic elementary school, a post office, churches, a few plazas, several small parks, six restaurants, Tim Hortons, a new recreation complex, an ice arena, fire hall, grocery store (Foodland), professional offices, hardware store (Rona), a marina on Lake Ontario, and a golf course(Newcastle Golf Course).
In the past it has been surrounded by agriculture farms raising cattle, pigs and growing apples, grain, corn and cash crops. A lot of this farmland has been developed and contains many subdivisions(current and future) of homes.
Post office history
The first Post office was opened in Newcastle in 1845 with John Short serving as Postmaster. Since 1845, there had been a total of 10 Postmasters in the village- Mr. Charles Gray being the last in 1991. With Mr. Gray's retirement Canada Post closed the Post office in accordance with its policy then to close many of the smaller Post offices. The Guardian Drug Store got the franchise to handle the retail mail business for the town. Which is now Shopper's Drugmart. Rural Route and Suburban Mail for the residents is now handled out of the Bowmanville Post office.Famous people
- Joseph E. AtkinsonJoseph E. Atkinson-External links:*-References:...
(December 23, 1865 – May 7, 1948) was a Canadian newspaper editor and activist. Under his leadership the Toronto StarToronto StarThe Toronto Star is Canada's highest-circulation newspaper, based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its print edition is distributed almost entirely within the province of Ontario...
became one of the largest and most influential newspapers in Canada. - Daniel MasseyDaniel Massey (manufacturer)Daniel Massey was a blacksmith in Newcastle, Ontario, who began production of agricultural implements in 1847....
, whose farm implement business eventually formed Massey-Ferguson. - Early settlers using sticks and spears could catch as many as 100000 salmon in one night from streams running into Lake Ontario. One man who had a great influence on the village was Samuel Wilmot. He became interested in the salmon as early as 1860 and built a "fish hatchery" at Newcastle - one of the world's first. Wilmot would eventually become head of fisheries for Canada, and in the 1890s he was running a small generating station which supplied Newcastle with its first electrical power - from sunset until about 12:00 midnight.
- Louis G. Lalande (March 11, 1935 - ) is a retired pipefitterPipefitterA pipefitter is a tradesman who lays out, assembles, fabricates, maintains and repairs mechanical piping systems. Pipefitters usually go through a mix of apprentice and trade school training. Journeyman pipefitters/steamfitters deal with industrial process piping and heating/cooling systems...
and community volunteer. In 1999, while manning a booth for the Knights of ColumbusKnights of ColumbusThe Knights of Columbus is the world's largest Catholic fraternal service organization. Founded in the United States in 1882, it is named in honor of Christopher Columbus....
' annual charity raffle near a bank at a mall in OshawaOshawaOshawa is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the Lake Ontario shoreline. It lies in Southern Ontario approximately 60 kilometres east of downtown Toronto. It is commonly viewed as the eastern anchor of both the Greater Toronto Area and the Golden Horseshoe. It is now commonly referred to as the most...
, he foiled a bank robbery by striking the assailant about the head and shoulders with a metal folding chair. The pistol the assailant was brandishing at the time turned out to be a starting pistolStarting pistolA starting pistol or starter pistol is a handgun or electronic toy weapon that is fired to start track and field races, as well as competitive swimming races at some meets. The loud report of the gun going off is a signal to the athletes to begin the event. Usually a cloud of smoke can be seen...
; but this was unknown to Mr. Lalande and the bank's occupants at the time. Mr. Lalande was subsequently awarded the Medal of Bravery (Canada), and the Carnegie Medal for Heroism. - The 1980s rock band Chalk CircleChalk CircleChalk Circle was a Canadian college rock band in the 1980s. The band consisted of lead singer and guitarist Chris Tait, bassist Brad Hopkins, keyboardist Tad Winklarz and drummer Derrick Murphy.-History:...
was formed in the village. They had hits in Canada with songs like April Fool, Me, Myself and I and Sons and Daughters, a song about the negative effects of free trade with the USA.
Town of Newcastle, 1973-94
The name "Town of Newcastle" was used from 1973-94 for the municipality now called the Municipality of Clarington. The name was changed in 1994 to alleviate long standing confusion between the municipality as a whole and the community of the same name. The community was commonly known as "Newcastle Village" to distinguish the two. It was also a confusing fact that Bowmanville had a larger population than "Newcastle Village", and it also housed the former Town of Newcastle's municipal offices, causing some to believe the town should have been called "Bowmanville" instead of "Newcastle" during that period.Popular attractions
- Docville Wild West Park is a mock wild west town that offers its use to moviemakers and other paid visitors.
- The Newcastle Santa Claus Parade held on a Sunday evening each November began in 2005.
- Allin's Orchard & Country Market is an Apple farm supplying excellent produce stemming from the early 1900s.
- Algoma Orchards has moved from Whitby to Hwy 2,west of Newcastle in 2009. A large packing and storage facility was built and a retail store including a bakery is part of the large complex.
- Bloom Field Gardens - Open May - October. A unique, outdoor wedding venue for up to 240 guests located 5 minutes East of downtown Newcastle. Have your ceremony, and reception all in one beautiful, convenient, location. Also a full service garden centre, beautiful perennials, annuals, trees, and shrubs!
- Shoppers Drug MartShoppers Drug MartShoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....
store was built on the main south-east corner of the village in 2010-2011. This location housed many businesses over the last 100-150 including groceries , flower shop, furniture, bakery, woman's dress shop, offices and apartments on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The complete building was torn down and a house behind it to create the new complex in summer of 2010. The demolition was wildly unpopular with residents, attracting criticism from the local Historical Society. The new complex houses the pharmacy, cosmetics, grocery items and other drug store items as well as the post office. Shopper's was at a different location in town previously to the move. - Rona hardware store was a tenant in the south-west corner for many years and moved south to Toronto St. in 2009. That site was vacant until July 2011 when Home HardwareHome HardwareHome Hardware is a privately held Canadian home improvement, construction materials, and furniture retailer. Co-founded in 1964 by Walter Hachborn and headquartered in St...
store opened to serve the community.
Nearest places
- NewtonvilleNewtonville, OntarioNewtonville is a community located in the Municipality of Clarington, Ontario, Canada. It is located about 30 km E of Oshawa and about 10 km west of Port Hope on the former Highway 2....
, east - OronoOrono, OntarioOrono is a community in the Municipality of Clarington, Ontario, Canada. It is located on Highway 35/115, approximately a 45 minute drive east of Toronto.-History:...
, north - BowmanvilleBowmanville, OntarioBowmanville is the largest community in the Municipality of Clarington in Durham Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario about 75 km east of Toronto and 15 km east of Oshawa along Highway 2...
, west
External links
- Newcastle at Geographical Names of Canada