Norval, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Norval is an unincorporated community in the town of Halton Hills
, Ontario
, Canada
. Situated on the Credit River
, it is located approximately 55 km west of Toronto
and is part of the Regional Municipality of Halton.
Norval is believed to take its name from the Scottish play Douglas by poet John Home
.
and his family arrived and built a grist and saw mill on the Credit River.
In 1836 the Post Office
was established. Earlier names for the hamlet were McNabsville and McNab's Mill.
In 1838, the mills were sold to Peter Adamson.
Norval became a thriving village, complete with a broom
factory, ashery, bakery, woolen and flax mills, carriage
works, a blacksmith
and harness shops, brass
foundry
, general store
s, several hotel
s, a Mechanics' Institute and an Orange Lodge
. It was a main stop on the stagecoach ride from Guelph
to Toronto.
In 1954 the grist mill was destroyed by Hurricane Hazel
. In 1972 the remaining structures were removed to expand Highway Seven.
Halton Hills, Ontario
Halton Hills is a town in the Regional Municipality of Halton, west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located within the Greater Toronto Area....
, 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...
. Situated on the Credit River
Credit River
The Credit River is a river in southern Ontario which flows from headwaters above the Niagara Escarpment to empty into Lake Ontario at Port Credit, Mississauga. It drains an area of approximately 1,000 km²...
, it is located approximately 55 km west 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 is part of the Regional Municipality of Halton.
Norval is believed to take its name from the Scottish play Douglas by poet John Home
John Home
John Home was a Scottish poet and dramatist.-Biography:He was born at Leith, near Edinburgh, where his father, Alexander Home, a distant relation of the earls of Home, was town clerk. John was educated at the Leith Grammar School, and at the University of Edinburgh, where he graduated MA, in 1742...
.
History
Around 1820 James McNabJames McNab
James McNab was the first settler in Norval, Ontario.McNab was a Lieutenant at the Battle of Queenston Heights during the War of 1812.McNab was not an United Empire Loyalist, since they were veterans of the American Revolution, but as a veteran of the war of 1812, he was similarly entitled to a...
and his family arrived and built a grist and saw mill on the Credit River.
In 1836 the Post Office
Post office
A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
was established. Earlier names for the hamlet were McNabsville and McNab's Mill.
In 1838, the mills were sold to Peter Adamson.
Norval became a thriving village, complete with a broom
Broom
A broom is a cleaning tool consisting of stiff fibers attached to, and roughly parallel to, a cylindrical handle, the broomstick. It is thus a variety of brush with a long handle. It is commonly used in combination with a dustpan....
factory, ashery, bakery, woolen and flax mills, carriage
Carriage
A carriage is a wheeled vehicle for people, usually horse-drawn; litters and sedan chairs are excluded, since they are wheelless vehicles. The carriage is especially designed for private passenger use and for comfort or elegance, though some are also used to transport goods. It may be light,...
works, a blacksmith
Blacksmith
A blacksmith is a person who creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal; that is, by using tools to hammer, bend, and cut...
and harness shops, brass
Brass
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties.In comparison, bronze is principally an alloy of copper and tin...
foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
, general store
General store
A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...
s, several hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s, a Mechanics' Institute and an Orange Lodge
Orange Order in Canada
The Orange Order is a Protestant fraternal organisation based predominantly in Northern Ireland and Scotland, and has lodges in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ghana, Togo, the U.S.A, etc..-History:...
. It was a main stop on the stagecoach ride from Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
to Toronto.
In 1954 the grist mill was destroyed by Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane...
. In 1972 the remaining structures were removed to expand Highway Seven.
Annual festivals and events
- Earth Week Celebrations - Third week in April
- Heritage Perennial Plant Sale - early May
- Montgomery Christmas - the weekend of November closest to her birthday (November 30)
- Lucy Maud Montgomery Seminars and Readings - various times during the year
Recreation and parks
- Willow Park Ecology Centre
- Lucy Maud Montgomery Garden
- Interpretive Gazebo & Signature Walk
- Norval Park
- Pioneer Cemeteries & McNab Park
Notable residents
- A.J. Casson, Group of Seven, painted Norval in the 1920s and 30's
- John WatkinsJohn Watkins (Canadian diplomat)John Watkins was an educator and Canadian Ambassador to the USSR . Born at Norval Station, Ontario, Watkins was a Scandinavian specialist at the University of Manitoba before joining the Department of External Affairs in 1946.First posted to the USSR in 1948, Watkins learned Russian and developed...
, born in Norval, a former Ambassador to Russia. The book and movie Agent of Influence were inspired by events in his life.. - Egbert Charles Reed, married to Marion Elizabeth Noble of Norval, a 19th and 20th century portrait painter.
- John Wycliffe Lowes ForsterJohn Wycliffe Lowes ForsterJohn Wycliffe Lowes Forster was a Canadian artist specializing in portraits, particularly those relating to Canadian history. Much of his work can be found at the National Gallery of Canada.-Works:-External links:...
, born in Norval, portrait painter. Many of his works hang in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Toronto, and Ottawa Parliament Buildings. - David Marvin Carter, born in Norval,, received a 2005 Blue Planet award from the International Hydropower Association and UNESCO for his Sechelt Creek Hydroelectric Power development in Sechelt, B.C. and 2005 winner of the Ron A. Dodokin Award.(http://regionalpower.com/ManagedSites/Sechelt/BluePlanetPrize/tabid/651/Default.aspx)
- Shannon Crawford, Olympic Gold Medalist, rowed to victory as a member of the Women's Eight 1992 crew in Barcelona Spain. Now retired from the sport.
- Lucy Maud MontgomeryLucy Maud MontgomeryLucy Maud Montgomery OBE , called "Maud" by family and friends and publicly known as L.M. Montgomery, was a Canadian author best known for a series of novels beginning with Anne of Green Gables, published in 1908. Anne of Green Gables was an immediate success...
, author of Anne of Green GablesAnne of Green GablesAnne of Green Gables is a bestselling novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery published in 1908. Set in 1878, it was written as fiction for readers of all ages, but in recent decades has been considered a children's book...
, lived in Norval for a large part of her life. - Terry Evans, born in Norval, Olympic Gold Medalist, Middle Weight Wrestling, British Empire Games,, London, England, 1934.
- William M. Pomeroy,1976 F.A.I. World Class Aircraft Speed Record holder-Louis Bleriot Medal, Rome1977
External links
- Town of Halton Hills site
- Willow Park Ecology Page
- Esquesing Historical Society - Georgetown
- Halton Hills Public Library
- Norval at Geographical Names of Canada
- REDIRECT Halton Hills, OntarioHalton Hills, OntarioHalton Hills is a town in the Regional Municipality of Halton, west of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is located within the Greater Toronto Area....