Everything about Delhi Ontario totally explained
Norfolk County is a city-status
single-tier municipal government on the north shore of
Lake Erie in southwestern
Ontario. The
county seat is
Simcoe. The population in 2006 was 62,563.
History
In 1670, French missionaries
François Dollier de Casson and
René Bréhant de Galinée became the first Europeans to winter at what is now modern day Port Dover. Earthen remains and a plaque mark the spot near the fork of the Lynn River (Patterson's Creek to many older Port Doverites) and Black Creek where they and seven Frenchmen built a hut and chapel.
Norfolk's history has been closely associated with that of the neighbouring
Haldimand County. Norfolk was first created as a
county in 1792. In 1800, Haldimand was formed from a portion of Norfolk. The two counties remained separate until 1974, when they were reunited as the
Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk.
By 1794 the first settlers, a group of
United Empire Loyalists, had established a hamlet known as Dover Mills (named for the English port of
Dover) which was razed to the ground by the Americans in the
War of 1812. Subsequent reconstruction took place closer to the mouth of the Lynn River, where a harbour had been in use since the early 1800s. In 1835, merchant Israel Wood Powell registered a village plan for Port Dover. Improvement to the harbour during the next fifteen years made Port Dover a principal Lake Erie port. Shipyards, tanneries, and Andrew Thompson's woollen-mill contributed substantially to local economic growth. In 1879, Port Dover became an incorporated village with a population of 1,100.
In 2001, Haldimand and Norfolk were separated again in a round of municipal restructuring based on a report by provincially-appointed special advisor Milt Farrow. Although both Haldimand and Norfolk use the name "county" for historical reasons, each is governed as a single municipality, with no lower-tier constituent municipalities, and thus neither is a true county. As part of the restructuring in 2001 Norfolk County was named the "Town of Norfolk." The newly-formed municipality's first by-law was to change the name to Norfolk County.
In January of 2005, the county unveiled a new coat of arms which included natural symbols associated with the county:
hooded warblers, a
tulip tree (
Liriodendron tulipifera) and an
eastern dogwood flower.
The first mayor of the county,
Rita Kalmbach, was succeeded in 2007 by
Dennis Travale.
Geography
Surrounding its many small communities is some of the most fertile land in Ontario. With a mild climate and lengthy growing season, the region has long been the centre of the Canadian "Tobacco Belt", but many farmers have begun the process of diversifying their crop selections to include
lavender,
ginseng and
hazelnuts as tobacco consumption continues to decrease. The area also has an active greenhouse industry. Despite this, farmers have asked governments to reduce the financial losses of moving away from profitable tobacco operations.
In 2004 the documentary film
Tobacco's Last Stand was released which highlighted the effect on tobacco production on the region.
A significant natural feature of Norfolk is
Long Point, a 40 kilometre (25 mi) spit of land projecting into Lake Erie. It plays an important part in eastern North American bird migration, and was designated a
World Biosphere Reserve by
UNESCO in 1986.
Long Point Provincial Park is located on the point.
Communities
The county comprises the communities of Atherton, Bill's Corners, Booth's Harbour, Bealton, Blayney, Bloomsburg, Boston, Carholme, Clear Creek, Courtland, Delhi, Fairground, Fishers Glen, Frogmore, Gilbertville, Glenshee, Green's Corners, Halfway House Corners, Hemlock, Hillcrest, Langton, La Salette, Long Point, Lynedoch, Lynnville, Nixon, Normandale, Pine Grove, Port Dover, Port Rowan, Port Ryerse, Powells Corners, Rattlesnake Harbour, Renton, Rhineland, Silver Hill, Simcoe, South Middleton, St. Williams, Teeterville, Turkey Point, Vanessa, Vittoria, Walsh, Walsingham, Waterford, Wilsonville, Windham Centre and Wyecombe.
Delhi
Delhi (pronounced DEL-High) is known for the surrounding
tobacco fields, and is known as the Heart of the Tobacco Country. Until 2001, Delhi was located within the Township of Delhi, a municipal government within the
Regional Municipality of Haldimand-Norfolk. Prior to the amalgamation of Norfolk County, the
population of the former
Township of Delhi was 16,365 in the
Canada 2001 Census
Part of the agricultural heritage of Delhi included
tobacco. The local elementary school,
Delhi Public School, serves children from nearby hamlets like
La Salette.
Saint Frances Cabrini Catholic School is also located in Delhi and is part of the
Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board.
Delhi is home to the
Delhi Travellers, a junior hockey team that plays in the
Southern Ontario Junior Hockey League.
Port Dover
Port Dover is the southern terminus of
Highway 6. Port Dover in the 20th century became a fishing village and tourist destination. Port Dover's fishing industry at one time hosted the largest freshwater fishing fleet in the world that employed many of the town’s citizens and continues to be important to the community. From 1906 to 1993, the town was home to Thomas A. Ivey and Sons, one of
Canada's largest wholesale florists and rose-growers, and Port Dover's largest employer. In 1974, Port Dover was incorporated as Ward 2 of the former city of Nanticoke.
In the summer, Port Dover is busy with thousands of tourists who come to swim in Lake Erie and enjoy the town and surrounding area. The most famous place to eat in Port Dover is the Arbor outdoor restaurant, which has been in operation for more than 80 years. Port Dover’s business district is dominated by small shops that cater to the tourist trade with many bars and restaurants that depend largely on the increased traffic during the summer months.
The Port Dover Yacht Club has occupied land purchased from W.F. Kolbe and Co. at the fork of the Lynn River and Black Creek since September of 1938. The P.D.Y.C. welcomes visitors every summer from around the
Great Lakes region and beyond.
Port Dover has celebrated
Canada Day with a parade every year since July 1867. The day starts off with the annual Soap-box Derby, the Boat Parade at the harbour, a Calithumpian Parade down Main Street and a fireworks display after dark. Since 1981, there has been a tradition of
motorcycle enthusiasts gathering in the town for
Friday the 13th. Chris Simons and approximately 25 friends, through word of mouth, got together at the old Commercial Hotel. It was in November and it was Friday the 13th. They decided they should do it every Friday the 13th. In 2002, a former local produced a documentary about the event entitled
Friday the 13th: The Devil in Dover, which aired on
CBC Television's program
Rough Cuts. On July 13, 2007 an estimated 140,000 bikers and spectators converged on Port Dover for Friday the 13th.
Port Rowan
Port Rowan holds an annual Bayfest every
Labour Day. Local sports include
angling and
boating in the Long Point Inner Bay and golfing at Stark's Golf Course at the edge of town.
Bird Studies Canada is based at Port Rowan. Port Rowan's future growth is currently at capacity with its water treatment system, which threatens future growth in the town and its burgeoning retirement community.
Simcoe
Simcoe is the administrative centre of Norfolk County. It is located at the junction of
Highway 3, at
Highway 24, due south of
Brantford, Ontario, and accessible to
Hamilton by nearby
Highway 6. The town is northwest of
Nanticoke in
Haldimand County and is expected to be the main hub of a projected
rural mass transit service connecting Simcoe to all communities within Norfolk County.
Simcoe was founded in
1795 by
Lieutenant Governor John Graves Simcoe. The town hosts a
Friendship Festival, a Canadian Open Country Singing Contest, and the
Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show.
The Lighthouse Festival Theatre Company has produced live theatre at Port Dover's old town hall (under the clock tower) since 1981. The Theatre is open year round and provides a variety of events, including concerts, public meetings, community fund raisers, dance recitals, workshops, band rehearsals and classes. Annually, more than 36,000 people now attend events at Lighthouse Theatre. In addition to enriching the cultural fabric of Norfolk and beyond, Lighthouse bolsters the local economy, drawing tourists from out of town who then dine, shop and stay over in the community.
VanGo Adventure Farm is located just south of Waterford. It was featured briefly on the
Dragons' Den television show in 2006 when VanGo Adventure Farm owner Mark VanGoethem appeared on the show in a suit made to look like he was riding a giant chicken. The VanGo Adventure Farm wasn't chosen for investment.
Museums
The Port Dover Harbour Museum, housed in an original fisherman's net shanty, commemorates Port Dover's fishing industry. The galleries present exhibits on the days of commercial sail as well as Lake Erie shipwrecks, ship building, Long Point, the
War of 1812 and other aspects of lakeside life in this community. The museum is also active in the preservation and presentation of local folklore and living traditions, particularly in the areas of fishing and lakeside history. Since 2002, the museum has been the home to a collection of artifacts from the 1852 wreck of the steamer Atlantic.
The Eva Brook Donly Museum features displays of local history.
The Teeterville Pioneer Museum is a museum devoted to
pioneer life in the
19th century. It includes antique
farm equipment as well as
home and
garden tools.
The Spruce Row Museum is a historical museum that's located in Waterford. It recounts local history and also acts as a
land registry. During Pumpkinfest, the museum becomes a
haunted house, brought to life by the
drama students of
Waterford District High School.
The Delhi Tobacco Museum and Heritage Centre displays the
agricultural and cultural history of the former
township. Despite a province-wide smoking ban, the museum still guarantees its patrons the benefits of viewing the artistry and science of tobacco farming during the
Golden Years of growing
tobacco. It is located near Quances Dam. There is also a park nearby that's enjoyed by the local residents for
picnics,
barbecues, and for walking around with. It is closed on Sundays and major holidays.
The
Backus Mill Heritage and Conservation Centre, a historic
grist mill, is a
National Historic Site.
Festivities
Port Dover is the location of a
biker rally which takes place every
Friday the 13th.
Simcoe is well known for annual community events including the
Friendship Festival,
Panorama, and the
Norfolk County Fair and Horse Show that's held every October.
Every October the weekend of the third Friday of the month, Waterford hosts a Pumpkin Festival. This includes a
fireworks display,
parade, home decorating contest, pumkin chuckin' contest, chicken chariot races, a small carnival, street vendors, pyramids of jack-o-lanterns carved by the local school children and businesses, and a
spook house. The event is centered around the
pumpkin harvest. Tourism reaches a peak during this time for Waterford. The Pumpkinfest was the backdrop for a national ad campaign featuring President's Choice Pumpkin
Cheesecake. Pumpkinfest is consistently listed on Ontario's List of Top 50 Festivals.
The Donnybrook Fair in Walsh is an annual two-day event. The fair has been held every year from 1857 until the present, making 2007 the 150th Fair. This mid-September event involves the children of
Walsh Public School and
St. Michael's School entering projects and many agricultural commodities, grown locally, for prize money and ribbons. Over $1200 was paid to the elementary children in 2006. The fair has grown every year with the help of many volunteers. Fundraising events are held all year to finance the fair. These events include an annual barbecue dance, a
Victoria Day brunch, food booths at every "Friday the 13th" event in Port Dover, and numerous raffles. The most popular event at each fair is the
demolition derby. These were sponsored for a long time by the Horsepower Unlimited Car Club from Simcoe but are now sponsored by the Vittoria & St. Williams Fire Department Auxiliaries. 2007 was considered to be the 34th consecutive year of the demolition derbies.
Throughout the year, the fairgrounds and the Community Centre Hall are frequently used for weddings, funerals, and buck and doe events. The name "Donnybrook Fair" comes from an early settler of Walsh, who said the fair reminded him of an annual horse fair in
Donnybrook, Dublin.
Port Rowan hosts an annual Bayfest.
Sports
The
Norfolk IceCats of the
North Eastern Hockey League and the
Simcoe Storm of the
Niagara & District Junior C Hockey League play at
Talbot Gardens in Simcoe.
The
Norfolk Harvesters RFC of the
Niagara Rugby Union are a competitive rugby football club that operates both a men's and women's senior rugby teams. The Club was established in 2001 and has already won division championships in 2003, 2004, and 2007. The Club's current home is the rugby pitch at Waterford's Hellyer Memorial Park.
Education
Public schools in Norfolk County are administered by the
Grand Erie District School Board. The board maintains 16 public elementary schools and five public high schools in Norfolk:
The board also administers
Sprucedale Secondary School, a facility for young offenders.
Separate schools
Separate schools are administered by the
Brant Haldimand Norfolk Catholic District School Board, which maintains seven elementary schools and one high school:
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School
Our Lady of LaSalette Catholic School
Sacred Heart Catholic School
St. Cecilia's Catholic School
St. Frances Cabrini Catholic School
St. Joseph's Catholic School
St. Michael's Catholic School
Holy Trinity Catholic High School
Defunct
Doan's Hollow Public School
Lynedoch Public School
North Public School
Nixon Public School
Port Dover Public School
Port Ryerse School
Simcoe Lions School
South Public School
St. Williams Public School
Walsingham Public School
Media
Radio
Simcoe has its own radio station, CHCD-FM.
Newspapers
The Simcoe Reformer
The Port Dover Maple Leaf
The Port Rowan Good News
The Delhi News-Record
Famous people
Famous people from the Norfolk County area include hockey players Rick Wamsley, Rob Blake, Jassen Cullimore, Dwayne Roloson and musician Rick Danko.
Former Minister of Agriculture and Liberal MP Bob Speller lives with his family in the community of Villa Nova, just east of Waterford.
Demographics
(according to Statistics Canada 2006 census)Area: 1606.91 km².
Pop. Density: 38.9 people per km².
Growth Rate (2001-2006): 2.8%
Total Private Dwellings: 26 527
Total private dwellings occupied by usual residents: 24 238
(according to Statistics Canada 2001 census)Average earnings of all persons with earnings: 27,805
Religion:
- Protestant: 55.0%
- Catholic: 25.3%
- No religious affiliation: 16.8%
- Christian (no denomination specified): 2.0%
- (Religions with less than 1% are not listed here.)
People
Racial Profile
96.8% White
1.5% Aboriginal
0.6% Black
0.2% AsianFurther Information
Get more info on 'Delhi Ontario'.
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