Spencerville, Ontario
Encyclopedia
Eastern Ontario
Eastern Ontario is a subregion of Southern Ontario in the Canadian province of Ontario which lies in a wedge-shaped area between the Ottawa River and St. Lawrence River...
, about 80 kilometres southwest of downtown Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
on Highway 416
Highway 416 (Ontario)
King's Highway 416, commonly referred to as Highway 416 and as the Veterans Memorial Highway, is a 400-series highway in the Canadian province of Ontario which connects Highway 417 in Ottawa with Highway 401 between Brockville and Cornwall...
. The village lies within the amalgamated municipality of Edwardsburgh/Cardinal
Edwardsburgh/Cardinal, Ontario
Edwardsburgh/Cardinal is a township in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville of eastern Ontario. It includes the villages of Cardinal, Johnstown and Spencerville, as well as several smaller communities....
in the United Counties of Leeds and Grenville
Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario
The United Counties of Leeds and Grenville are located Ontario, Canada. The population, as of the 2006 census, was 99,206. The United Counties have a land area of . Leeds and Grenville are located in the subregion of Southern Ontario named Eastern Ontario, and front on the St. Lawrence River and...
.
The twinning of former Highway 16 between the 400-series MacDonald-Cartier Freeway and Ottawa's Queensway has led to a recent spike in residential development in and around Spencerville, as more city workers find the 45-minute commute into downtown Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
a desirable trade-off for the larger houses and lot sizes that are available at more affordable prices than in Ottawa, or even nearby North Grenville.
History
Peleg Spencer first built a wooden dam near the site in 1811.Peleg and David Spencer built mills on the banks of the South Nation River. The mills enabled the economic development of a small pioneer community. The community contained a variety of small industries by the middle of the 19th century. It was the site of an annual agricultural fair.The village's best-recognized landmark is the Spencerville Mill, a restored, heritage gristmill on the South Nation River
South Nation River
The South Nation River is a river in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It springs from forests and marshes located north of Brockville and it flows 175 km northeast to empty into the Ottawa River north of Plantagenet...
. By 1864, Robert Fairbairn had built a stone gristmill on the north side of the river and installed a steam engine to allow the mill to operate year-round. Fairburn had purchased the property from David Spencer, the father of his wife Mercy, who in turn had acquired a saw and gristmill from his father Peleg Spencer.
The Spencerville Fair and other annual events
The Spencerville FairSpencerville fair
The Spencerville Fair, also known as "The Biggest-Little Fair in Eastern Ontario" is an annual celebration of harvest which unites the surrounding community of Spencerville, Ontario every second weekend in September. The first fair was held in December 1855 on the south side of the South Nation...
is a long-standing end-of-summer tradition in eastern Ontario.
In 1854, the Leeds and Grenville County Council passed a resolution granting the founding of agricultural societies within the two counties, including the Township of Edwardsburg Agricultural Society. In 1855, the first fair was held on the south side of the Nation River on property settled by David Spencer.
The countryside surrounding the village of Spencerville remains largely agricultural, with many dairy, beef, poultry, and hog farms contributing to the local economy. Those rural and agricultural roots are celebrated annually at the Spencerville Fair, which features agriculture and livestock exhibits, poultry and small animal shows, a midway and live entertainment.
Another popular event is 'A Country Christmas Remembered', which since its inception in 2004 has decorated the mill, select heritage homes and businesses around the community in the manner of 1930s-era small rural village at Christmas time. The two-day event features family-oriented events, food, crafts, displays, carolling, choirs, shopping, and entertainment and has begun to attract visitors from outling areas such as Ottawa, Brockville, Cornwall and towns in Upper New York State.
Beginning in June 2004, Spencerville also began hosting another new annual event, the Veterans Memorial Highland Games, featuring highland games, piping and drumming and other events.
Amentities and services
Spencerville has just one main intersection, but it has a number of businesses and services that seem out of proportion to its size.The village has an elementary school, a public library, a Canada Post outlet, a restaurant, laundromat, two general stores, a gas bar that offers Beer Store and Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO) products, a Royal Bank branch, a home heating and cooling dealer, a heritage restoration and construction business, a mechanic's garage, a small engine repair shop, an insurance company, a computer store, a funeral home, senior-living apartments, a Royal Canadian Legion branch and several home-based businesses. In addition, a Home Hardware franchise is located just outside of the village limits.
Four churches are found in the community: Spencerville United Church, St. Laurence O'Toole Catholic Church, St. Barnabas Anglican Catholic Church, and St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church.
In recent years, a sleek new $1.066-million span has been built to replace the rusting girder bridge that once crossed the South Nation River into the village proper. The bridge project was completed under the former Canada-Ontario Rural Infrastructure Fund.
Spencerville also has an arena that hosts minor league hockey tournaments from across Ontario, and also offers public skating. The land for the arena was donated by the Spencerville Agricultural Society and the arena was constructed by volunteers. The newer buildings on the fairgrounds were built by the George Drummond family, of Drummond's gas franchises.