Norwich, Ontario
Encyclopedia
The Township of Norwich is a municipality
located in Oxford County
in Southwestern
Ontario
, Canada
. Preferred pronunciation of the town name is 'NOR-witch' , different from the city of Norwich, England, though its origin is more likely Norwich in Upper New York State, the area from which the pioneering families emigrated in the early 19th century, an abbreviation of the original Norwichville.
Formerly North and South Norwich Townships, Norwich includes the communities of Beaconsfield, Bond's Corners, Brown's Corners, Burgessville, Cornell, Creditville, Curries, Eastwood, Hawtrey, Hink's Corners, Holbrook, Lambeth, Milldale, Muir, Newark, New Durham, Norwich, Oriel, Otterville
, Oxford Centre, Rock's Mills, Rosanna, Springford, Summerville and Vandecar.
Oxford County Road 59 (formerly Highway 59
) is the major north-south highway through much of the township, including the community of Norwich proper.
The local economy is largely agricultural, based on dairy farming in the north part of the township and tobacco and ginseng farming to the south. Slowly, ginseng is replacing the former cash crop - tobacco, as demand shrinks.
For provincial and federal elections, Woodstock is included in the riding of 'Oxford'. Currently, the Federal MP of Oxford is Dave MacKenzie (Conservative), and the Provincial MPP is Ernie Hardeman (Progressive Conservative).
, settled in the "Township of Oxford on the Thames" (This township was later divided into North, West and East Oxford Townships: East Oxford later became part of the Township of Norwich in 1975.)
Norwich was founded by two men . Peter Lossing and Peter De Long . Both where from New York . Peter Lossings house was the first one in Norwich . It now stands by the old Quaker Meeting House .
Both men where Quakers . The town of norwich used to be all quaker settlers , but they died of .
In 1799, the Township of Norwich was laid out by surveyor William Hambly into lines and concessions and 200 acre (0.809372 km²) lots.
, visited Norwich Township, and in June, 1810, with his brother-in-law, Peter De Long, purchased 15000 acres (60.7 km²) of land in this area. That autumn Lossing brought his family to Upper Canada
and early in 1811 settled in Norwich Township. The De Long family and nine others, principally from Dutchess County, joined Lossing the same year and by 1820 an additional group of about fifty had settled within the tract. Many were Quakers and a frame meeting house, planned in 1812, was erected in 1817. These resourceful pioneers founded one of the most successful Quaker communities in Upper Canada
.
touching down in Holbrook and heading straight for Norwich. The tornado hit Norwich around 4:05 PM, damaging trees, farm equipment, barns, houses, and the wooden Holy Trinity Anglican Church (1867). Three people were injured, and the next day, Environment Canada
confirmed that an F1 or F2 tornado had hit the village. Following a decision by the parish, Holy Trinity Anglican Church was not rebuilt as the congregation opted to join with St. John's Anglican Church, Otterville. However, a stone monument commemorating the church continues to mark to site.
and early Black settlement of the area is another highlight, as well as the story of early Quaker heritage in the area.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located in Oxford County
Oxford County, Ontario
Oxford County is a regional municipality and census division of the Canadian province of Ontario, located in the Southern portion of the province. The regional seat is in Woodstock...
in Southwestern
Southwestern Ontario
Southwestern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario, centred on the city of London. It extends north to south from the Bruce Peninsula on Lake Huron to the Lake Erie shoreline, and east to south-west roughly from Guelph to Windsor. The region had a population...
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...
. Preferred pronunciation of the town name is 'NOR-witch' , different from the city of Norwich, England, though its origin is more likely Norwich in Upper New York State, the area from which the pioneering families emigrated in the early 19th century, an abbreviation of the original Norwichville.
Formerly North and South Norwich Townships, Norwich includes the communities of Beaconsfield, Bond's Corners, Brown's Corners, Burgessville, Cornell, Creditville, Curries, Eastwood, Hawtrey, Hink's Corners, Holbrook, Lambeth, Milldale, Muir, Newark, New Durham, Norwich, Oriel, Otterville
Otterville, Ontario
Otterville is a village in rural Ontario, Canada. Encouraged by local Quakers, free blacks and escaped slaves fled persecution in the United States and found homes in the Otterville area beginning in 1829...
, Oxford Centre, Rock's Mills, Rosanna, Springford, Summerville and Vandecar.
Oxford County Road 59 (formerly Highway 59
Highway 59 (Ontario)
King's Highway 59, commonly referred to as Highway 59, was a provincially maintained highway in the Canadian province of Ontario. It connected Long Point Provincial Park in Norfolk County to the town of Shakespeare in Perth County, passing through the town of Woodstock in Oxford County en...
) is the major north-south highway through much of the township, including the community of Norwich proper.
The local economy is largely agricultural, based on dairy farming in the north part of the township and tobacco and ginseng farming to the south. Slowly, ginseng is replacing the former cash crop - tobacco, as demand shrinks.
Government
The township government, Norwich Township Council, consists of four councillors based on wards and a mayor. Donald Doan is the current mayor, re-elected for a four year term in November 2006, re-elected again for a four year team in October 2010.- Ward 1 (South Norwich) - southern portion of township, including Otterville
- Ward 2 (Village of Norwich)
- Ward 3 (North Norwich) - middle portion of township except Norwich village, including Burgessville
- Ward 4 (East Oxford) - northern portion of township, including Oxford Centre
For provincial and federal elections, Woodstock is included in the riding of 'Oxford'. Currently, the Federal MP of Oxford is Dave MacKenzie (Conservative), and the Provincial MPP is Ernie Hardeman (Progressive Conservative).
History
In 1793, Abraham Canfield a United Empire Loyalist from ConnecticutConnecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, settled in the "Township of Oxford on the Thames" (This township was later divided into North, West and East Oxford Townships: East Oxford later became part of the Township of Norwich in 1975.)
Norwich was founded by two men . Peter Lossing and Peter De Long . Both where from New York . Peter Lossings house was the first one in Norwich . It now stands by the old Quaker Meeting House .
Both men where Quakers . The town of norwich used to be all quaker settlers , but they died of .
In 1799, the Township of Norwich was laid out by surveyor William Hambly into lines and concessions and 200 acre (0.809372 km²) lots.
The Norwich Quaker Settlement
In 1809 Peter Lossing, a member of the Society of Friends from Dutchess County, New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, visited Norwich Township, and in June, 1810, with his brother-in-law, Peter De Long, purchased 15000 acres (60.7 km²) of land in this area. That autumn Lossing brought his family to 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...
and early in 1811 settled in Norwich Township. The De Long family and nine others, principally from Dutchess County, joined Lossing the same year and by 1820 an additional group of about fifty had settled within the tract. Many were Quakers and a frame meeting house, planned in 1812, was erected in 1817. These resourceful pioneers founded one of the most successful Quaker communities in 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...
.
The Otterville Mill
Built in 1845 by Edward Bullock, the mill is run by water power supplied by a dam on the river. The South Norwich Historical Society, on a lease basis, maintains this historic site and offers tours on request. A beautiful setting in the center of the village, the mill and its surrounding meadow is the site of an annual barbecue.The Norwich Tornado of 1998
On the afternoon of June 2, 1998, a severe weather outbreak affected Southern Ontario. At around 3:50 PM, there was a report of a tornadoTornado
A tornado is a violent, dangerous, rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. They are often referred to as a twister or a cyclone, although the word cyclone is used in meteorology in a wider...
touching down in Holbrook and heading straight for Norwich. The tornado hit Norwich around 4:05 PM, damaging trees, farm equipment, barns, houses, and the wooden Holy Trinity Anglican Church (1867). Three people were injured, and the next day, Environment Canada
Environment Canada
Environment Canada , legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment Canada (EC) (French: Environnement Canada), legally incorporated as the Department of the Environment under the Department of the Environment Act Environment...
confirmed that an F1 or F2 tornado had hit the village. Following a decision by the parish, Holy Trinity Anglican Church was not rebuilt as the congregation opted to join with St. John's Anglican Church, Otterville. However, a stone monument commemorating the church continues to mark to site.
Demographics
Population trend:- Population in 2006: 10,481
- Population in 2001: 10,478
- Population in 1996: 10,611 (or 10,560 when adjusted to 2001 boundaries)
- Population in 1991: 10,146
The Norwich and District Museum
The Norwich and District Museum is one of Ontario's longest operating rural community museums and contains a collection of artifacts relating to the agricultural and social history of the area. The museum is actually housed inside a former meeting house (built in 1889) which was donated by The Society of Friends donated a former meeting house to the Pioneer Society for this purpose.Norwich District High School
Norwich District High School, home to the Norwich Knights, was opened in 1952 in the south end of the village of Norwich. On October 28, 2008 Thames Valley District School Board trustees made the decision to close Norwich District High School due to declining enrollment in the area and the school board at large. A reunion for past NDHS alumni was held on June 5-6th, 2010.Grand Trunk Railway Station Museum and Blacksmith Shop
The South Norwich Historical Society has restored this 1875 station to its condition as a 1881 Grand Trunk Railway station. The waiting room and office are restored authentically, the baggage room is an interpretation room for displays of the area's history. Permanent displays feature railway construction of the 1880s with many artifacts of all periods. The Underground RailroadUnderground Railroad
The Underground Railroad was an informal network of secret routes and safe houses used by 19th-century black slaves in the United States to escape to free states and Canada with the aid of abolitionists and allies who were sympathetic to their cause. The term is also applied to the abolitionists,...
and early Black settlement of the area is another highlight, as well as the story of early Quaker heritage in the area.
Early black settlement cemetery
In 1982 during the 175th celebrations of the community, a plaque was placed at the cemetery to commemorate the black settlement of freed families who made their homes in this area.Otterville Park
Just north of the main corner, and through the stone gates, is 10 acres (40,468.6 m²) of parklands graced with beautiful tall pines, with a swimming pool, ball diamond, horseshoe pitch, tennis and basketball courts, and children's playground.Notable residents
- Emily StoweEmily StoweDr. Emily Howard Stowe was the first female doctor to practice in Canada, and an activist for women's rights and suffrage. Emily Stowe was born in Norwich Township, Oxford County, Ontario...
, (1831-1903), first woman doctor to practice medicine in Canada, and Augusta Stowe-GullenAugusta Stowe-GullenAnn Augusta Stowe-Gullen , was a medical doctor, a lecturer and a suffragist. She was the daughter of Emily Howard Stowe.She is best known for being the first woman to graduate from a Canadian medical school. Her appeal to Dr...
, her daughter, first woman to earn a medical degree in Canada - Harold InnisHarold InnisHarold Adams Innis was a Canadian professor of political economy at the University of Toronto and the author of seminal works on media, communication theory and Canadian economic history. The affiliated Innis College at the University of Toronto is named for him...
, (1894-1952), political economist, born and raised in the Norwich Township community of Bookton - James RobertsonJames RobertsonJames Robertson, Jim Robertson, Jimmy Robertson and Jamie Robertson is a name shared by the following individuals:-Public officials:...
, (1839-1902), Presbyterian, Superintendent of Missions, North West Territories - Margaret Allen Rockefeller, wife of William Avery RockefellerWilliam Avery RockefellerWilliam Avery Rockefeller, Sr. was the father of American oil tycoon and billionaire, John Davison Rockefeller and William Rockefeller , who both founded the Standard Oil company....
(father of the American oil tycoon) - James Beech MooreJames Beech MooreJames Beach Moore was a Canadian Quaker.According to his obituary in the Canadian Baptist magazine, "When Rev. Moore died, he was the oldest minister in the Baptist denomination of Canada and probably the only survivor of Canadian nationality who participated in the American Civil War......
, (1842-1931), longest serving minister in the Canadian Baptist movement, at the time of his death the oldest Canadian veteran of the American Civil War - Hulda Minthorn, (1848-1884), mother of Herbert HooverHerbert HooverHerbert Clark Hoover was the 31st President of the United States . Hoover was originally a professional mining engineer and author. As the United States Secretary of Commerce in the 1920s under Presidents Warren Harding and Calvin Coolidge, he promoted partnerships between government and business...
, 31st President of the United States; moved to Iowa with her family at the age of 11 - Cassie L. Chadwick, (1857-1907), born Elizabeth Bigley in the Norwich Township community of Eastwood, moved to Cleveland, Ohio, became Madam and infamous fraudster