Fonthill, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Fonthill is a community in the town of Pelham
, Ontario
, Canada
. It has a few small industries, most notably Fonthill Lumber but is primarily a residential suburb known for its middle class
homes and community spirit. As a bedroom community, most residents commute to Welland
, St. Catharines
and some as far as Buffalo, Hamilton
and Toronto
daily for work.
Letters written by Henry Giles, a settler who came to the area in 1840, suggest that he chose the name Fonthill because the area looked similar to the area around Fonthill Abbey
in England. The village's first post office (and thus the Village of Fonthill) was established in 1856. On June 10, 2006 Fonthill celebrated its 150th anniversary. The celebration was marked by the opening of the band stand (a replica of the original band stand the existed in the early 1900s), historical displays and a variety of musical and artistic presentations.
Fonthill shares its name with the Fonthill Kame
, on which it is located, formed by glacial deposits. Niagara's only coldwater stream originates underground as meltwater from ancient glacial remnants left buried after the last ice age
. The glacier remnants are found inside St. John's Conservation Area.
On a clear day, the tall buildings of Niagara Falls
to the East and Toronto
to the North are clearly visible. As well one vantage point allows views of Lake Ontario
, Lake Erie
, and the skylines of both Toronto
and Buffalo
, at the same time, the only spot where this is possible. Following the War of 1812
it was proposed to build a fortification on the site, to be named Fort Wellington. As tension between Canada
and the U.S.A. lessened, the idea was abandoned. At one time a ski tow operated on the slope.
Fonthill is a fifteen minute drive south of St. Catharines, five minutes northwest of Welland, twenty minutes west from Niagara Falls
and twenty minutes north of Port Colborne
. Its main access route is Highway 20
, a portion of which is also known as Canboro Road, running west to east from Hamilton to Niagara Falls. Access to the United States
is through either the Peace Bridge
in Fort Erie
, the Rainbow Bridge
in Niagara Falls, or the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge
in Queenston
.
Within the Town of Pelham, Fonthill is the commercial centre where residents have access to basic shopping necessities. It is also the location of the Town of Pelham Municipal offices. Several retirement homes are located in Fonthill.
Plenty of greenspace areas are located within the community. A series of public access trails, the primary system being the Steve Bauer
trails which are named after a Pelham Olympian, are built into the residential planning of Fonthill. Harold Black Park, named for a former Mayor, plays host to the town's Canada Day
festivities, which includes a parade down Haist Street. There is also a park named in honour of local golf legend Marlene Stewart Streit, which consists of a baseball diamond, a large outdoor pool, and nature trails.
Fonthill has tried to balance its natural resources with a suitable development scheme, keeping an eye on a policy of smart growth
.
Economic activities in the area are diverse. Cherry
, apple
and peach
orchard
s surround the town. There are also thousands of hectares of vineyard
s and a viable greenhouse
industry. Additionally, thousands of tonnes of aggregate material are removed each year from a large quarry at the top of the Fonthill Kame. Quarry sites in the area are usually rehabilitated. Fruit orchards have been developed in many of these sites, and the renowned Peninsula Lakes golf course occupies one.
Fonthill has three elementary schools: Glynn A. Green, A. K. Wigg (operated by DSBN
), and St. Alexander's (NCDSB
), as well as E.L. Crossley Secondary School (DSBN
).
No. 613 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps is based at the local Royal Canadian Legion
hall. It is affiliated with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.
Pelham, Ontario
The Town of Pelham is located in the centre of Niagara Region in Ontario, Canada.The town's southern boundary is formed by the Welland River, a meandering waterway that flows into the Niagara River. To the west is the township of West Lincoln, to the east the city of Welland, and to the north the...
, 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...
. It has a few small industries, most notably Fonthill Lumber but is primarily a residential suburb known for its middle class
Middle class
The middle class is any class of people in the middle of a societal hierarchy. In Weberian socio-economic terms, the middle class is the broad group of people in contemporary society who fall socio-economically between the working class and upper class....
homes and community spirit. As a bedroom community, most residents commute to Welland
Welland, Ontario
Welland is a city in the Regional Municipality of Niagara in Southern Ontario, Canada.The city has been traditionally known as the place where rails and water meet, referring to the railways from Buffalo to Toronto and Southwestern Ontario, and the waterways of Welland Canal and Welland River,...
, St. Catharines
St. Catharines, Ontario
St. Catharines is the largest city in Canada's Niagara Region and the sixth largest urban area in Ontario, Canada, with 97.11 square kilometres of land...
and some as far as Buffalo, Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
and 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...
daily for work.
Letters written by Henry Giles, a settler who came to the area in 1840, suggest that he chose the name Fonthill because the area looked similar to the area around Fonthill Abbey
Fonthill Abbey
Fonthill Abbey — also known as Beckford's Folly — was a large Gothic revival country house built around the turn of the 19th century at Fonthill Gifford in Wiltshire, England, at the direction of William Thomas Beckford and architect James Wyatt...
in England. The village's first post office (and thus the Village of Fonthill) was established in 1856. On June 10, 2006 Fonthill celebrated its 150th anniversary. The celebration was marked by the opening of the band stand (a replica of the original band stand the existed in the early 1900s), historical displays and a variety of musical and artistic presentations.
Fonthill shares its name with the Fonthill Kame
Fonthill Kame
The Fonthill Kame is a geological feature located in the centre of the Niagara Peninsula in Pelham, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of sand and gravel deposited by the retreating glaciers of the last ice age...
, on which it is located, formed by glacial deposits. Niagara's only coldwater stream originates underground as meltwater from ancient glacial remnants left buried after the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. The glacier remnants are found inside St. John's Conservation Area.
On a clear day, the tall buildings of Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
to the East and 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...
to the North are clearly visible. As well one vantage point allows views of Lake Ontario
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...
, Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...
, and the skylines of both 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 Buffalo
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
, at the same time, the only spot where this is possible. Following the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...
it was proposed to build a fortification on the site, to be named Fort Wellington. As tension between 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...
and the U.S.A. lessened, the idea was abandoned. At one time a ski tow operated on the slope.
Fonthill is a fifteen minute drive south of St. Catharines, five minutes northwest of Welland, twenty minutes west from Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls, Ontario
Niagara Falls is a Canadian city on the Niagara River in the Golden Horseshoe region of Southern Ontario. The municipality was incorporated on June 12, 1903...
and twenty minutes north of Port Colborne
Port Colborne, Ontario
Port Colborne is a city on Lake Erie, at the southern end of the Welland Canal, in the Niagara Region of southern Ontario, Canada...
. Its main access route is Highway 20
Highway 20 (Ontario)
King's Highway 20, also known as Highway 20, is a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. Presently, it is a short stub between Highway 58 and Niagara Regional Road 70 in the town of Thorold.- History :...
, a portion of which is also known as Canboro Road, running west to east from Hamilton to Niagara Falls. Access to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
is through either the Peace Bridge
Peace Bridge
The Peace Bridge is an international bridge between Canada and the United States at the east end of Lake Erie at the source of the Niagara River, about upriver of Niagara Falls. It connects the City of Buffalo, New York, in the United States to the Town of Fort Erie, Ontario, in Canada...
in Fort Erie
Fort Erie, Ontario
Fort Erie is a town on the Niagara River in the Niagara Region, Ontario, Canada. It is located directly across the river from Buffalo, New York....
, the Rainbow Bridge
Rainbow Bridge (Niagara Falls)
The Rainbow Bridge at Niagara Falls is an international steel arch bridge across the Niagara River gorge, and is a world-famous tourist site. It connects the cities of Niagara Falls, New York, United States , and Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada .-Construction:The Rainbow Bridge was built near the...
in Niagara Falls, or the Lewiston-Queenston Bridge
Lewiston-Queenston Bridge
The Lewiston–Queenston Bridge is an arch bridge that crosses the Niagara River gorge just south of the Niagara Escarpment. The bridge was officially opened on November 1, 1962. It is an international bridge between the United States and Canada. It connects Interstate 190 in the town of Lewiston,...
in Queenston
Queenston, Ontario
Queenston is located 5 km north of Niagara Falls, Ontario in the Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake. The community is bordered by Highway 405 and the Niagara River; its location on the Niagara Escarpment led to the establishment of the now-defunct Queenston Quarry in the area...
.
Within the Town of Pelham, Fonthill is the commercial centre where residents have access to basic shopping necessities. It is also the location of the Town of Pelham Municipal offices. Several retirement homes are located in Fonthill.
Plenty of greenspace areas are located within the community. A series of public access trails, the primary system being the Steve Bauer
Steve Bauer
Steven Todd Bauer, MSM is a former professional road bicycle racer from Canada. He is an Olympic medallist and winner of several professional races.-Cycling career:...
trails which are named after a Pelham Olympian, are built into the residential planning of Fonthill. Harold Black Park, named for a former Mayor, plays host to the town's Canada Day
Canada Day
Canada Day , formerly Dominion Day , is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act , which united three British colonies into a single country, called Canada, within the British Empire...
festivities, which includes a parade down Haist Street. There is also a park named in honour of local golf legend Marlene Stewart Streit, which consists of a baseball diamond, a large outdoor pool, and nature trails.
Fonthill has tried to balance its natural resources with a suitable development scheme, keeping an eye on a policy of smart growth
Smart growth
Smart growth is an urban planning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a...
.
Economic activities in the area are diverse. Cherry
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....
, 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...
and 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...
orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s surround the town. There are also thousands of hectares of vineyard
Vineyard
A vineyard is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice...
s and a viable greenhouse
Greenhouse
A greenhouse is a building in which plants are grown. These structures range in size from small sheds to very large buildings...
industry. Additionally, thousands of tonnes of aggregate material are removed each year from a large quarry at the top of the Fonthill Kame. Quarry sites in the area are usually rehabilitated. Fruit orchards have been developed in many of these sites, and the renowned Peninsula Lakes golf course occupies one.
Fonthill has three elementary schools: Glynn A. Green, A. K. Wigg (operated by DSBN
District School Board of Niagara
District School Board of Niagara is a school board in the public school system of Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Niagara. Its head office is in St. Catharines. The DSBN operates schools in each of the twelve municipalities in the region. It employs close to 2,500 instructional...
), and St. Alexander's (NCDSB
Niagara Catholic District School Board
The Niagara Catholic District School Board is a school board in the public separate school system of Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Niagara...
), as well as E.L. Crossley Secondary School (DSBN
District School Board of Niagara
District School Board of Niagara is a school board in the public school system of Ontario, Canada, in the Regional Municipality of Niagara. Its head office is in St. Catharines. The DSBN operates schools in each of the twelve municipalities in the region. It employs close to 2,500 instructional...
).
No. 613 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps is based at the local Royal Canadian Legion
Royal Canadian Legion
The Royal Canadian Legion is a non-profit Canadian ex-service organization founded in 1925, with more than 400,000 members worldwide. Membership includes people who have served as current and former military, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, provincial and municipal police, direct relatives of...
hall. It is affiliated with the Lincoln and Welland Regiment.
External links
- Town of Pelham
- Fonthill at Geographical Names of Canada
- The Voice of Pelham - Pelham & Fonthill Community Newspaper
- Pelham News - Pelham Newspaper owned by Osprey