Sibbald Point Provincial Park
Encyclopedia
Sibbald Point Provincial Park is a provincial park
located in Sutton West, Ontario, Canada
on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe
, 70 km north of Toronto. The park is located to the east of the vacation town of Jackson's Point, and The Briars Resort and Country Club which is still owned by the Sibbald family.
Sibbald Point Provincial Park has long sand beaches, sunny and shaded campsites, large grassy picnic areas and a forested hiking trail. The Sibbald family sold the property in 1951 to the County of York
and it was open as a County Park until 1956 when the County conveyed it to the Province. The property was then renamed as Sibbald Point Provincial Park and opened in 1957.
Two of the major attractions in the park were constructed by the Sibbald family during the nineteenth century. The family home was purchased by Susan Sibbald from Major William Kingdom Rains in 1835. She supervised its transformation from a small cottage into a rural estate, a process which was completed in the 1840s. She named the structure Eildon Hall after the family estate in Scotland. Today the building serves as a museum dedicated to life in rural Ontario during the mid-nineteenth century. The museum is also known as the Sibbald Memorial Museum . An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate Eildon Hall's role in Ontario's heritage.
Another important structure located adjacent to the park is St. George's Anglican Church. The church was built by Susan Sibbald's sons to replace an existing small wooden church, and was dedicated as a memorial to her. Completed in 1877, it ministers to the community to this day. Attached to the church is a small cemetery which contains the graves of many prominent citizens of the Lake Simcoe area including writers Stephen Leacock
and Mazo de la Roche
as well as musician Jim Schwalm.
The park has camping facilities that are booked via Ontario Parks website.
Provincial park
A provincial park is a park under the management of a provincial or territorial government in Canada.While provincial parks are not the same as national parks, their workings are very similar...
located in Sutton West, Ontario, 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...
on the southern shores of Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe
Lake Simcoe is a lake in Southern Ontario, Canada, the fourth-largest lake wholly in the province, after Lake Nipigon, Lac Seul, and Lake Nipissing. At the time of the first European contact in the 17th century the lake was called Ouentironk by the Huron natives...
, 70 km north of Toronto. The park is located to the east of the vacation town of Jackson's Point, and The Briars Resort and Country Club which is still owned by the Sibbald family.
Sibbald Point Provincial Park has long sand beaches, sunny and shaded campsites, large grassy picnic areas and a forested hiking trail. The Sibbald family sold the property in 1951 to the County of York
York County, Ontario
York County is a historic county in Upper Canada, Canada West, and the Canadian province of Ontario.York County was created in 1792 and was part of the jurisdiction of Home District of Upper Canada...
and it was open as a County Park until 1956 when the County conveyed it to the Province. The property was then renamed as Sibbald Point Provincial Park and opened in 1957.
Two of the major attractions in the park were constructed by the Sibbald family during the nineteenth century. The family home was purchased by Susan Sibbald from Major William Kingdom Rains in 1835. She supervised its transformation from a small cottage into a rural estate, a process which was completed in the 1840s. She named the structure Eildon Hall after the family estate in Scotland. Today the building serves as a museum dedicated to life in rural Ontario during the mid-nineteenth century. The museum is also known as the Sibbald Memorial Museum . An Ontario Historical Plaque was erected by the province to commemorate Eildon Hall's role in Ontario's heritage.
Another important structure located adjacent to the park is St. George's Anglican Church. The church was built by Susan Sibbald's sons to replace an existing small wooden church, and was dedicated as a memorial to her. Completed in 1877, it ministers to the community to this day. Attached to the church is a small cemetery which contains the graves of many prominent citizens of the Lake Simcoe area including writers Stephen Leacock
Stephen Leacock
Stephen Butler Leacock, FRSC was an English-born Canadian teacher, political scientist, writer, and humorist...
and Mazo de la Roche
Mazo de la Roche
Mazo de la Roche , born Mazo Louise Roche in Newmarket, Ontario, Canada, was the author of the Jalna novels, one of the most popular series of books of her time.-Early life:...
as well as musician Jim Schwalm.
The park has camping facilities that are booked via Ontario Parks website.