A Brief History of Meaford
In the summer of 1835, surveyor Charles Rankin reserved 200 acres on the southern shore of Georgian Bay at the mouth of the Big Head River for the town plot of Meaford. The first settler arrived from Ireland and built a log cabin on the south bank. In 1845 the town reserve was subdivided, and development stalled until 1850, but following that date, growth increased steadily.
The first train was welcomed into Meaford at 7:00 pm on November 14, 1872. In 1874 Meaford was incorporated as a town with a population of 1700 and Meaford’s first Council took office on Jan. 1 1875. By the early 1880s, Meaford was a thriving town with 3 planing mills, 3 carriage factories, 2 tanneries, a sawmill, a shingle mill, a woollen mill, 2 foundries, 1 machine shop, 4 cabinet stores, 2 flour mills, 2 printing offices, 12 general stores, 4 grocery stores, 2 jewellery stores, 2 stationary and fancy goods stores, 7 millinery and dressmaking shops, 1 fur store, 3 dry goods stores, 2 bakeries, 2 brickyards, 5 boot and shoe shops, 2 harness shops, 1 pump shop, 2 undertakers, 2 hardware stores, 2 blacksmith shops, 5 insurance and money brokers, 2 butcher shops, 3 lawyers, 4 doctors, 1 dentist and a resident photographer. In the second half of the nineteenth century there were 10 hotels servicing the needs of the community.
Meaford Public School was built in 1868: Upper Floor - Seniors; Lower Floor – Juniors. The average attendance in 1869 was 152 students. Meaford High School was built in 1890.
The first church in Meaford was built in 1856 for the Canada Presbyterians, not long after, the Disciples of Christ built a meeting house (Mary Trout’s religious affiliation). By 1865 there were churches established for the Church of England, Wesleyan Methodists, Episcopal Methodists, New Connexion Methodists and Congregationalists. In 1869 a Roman Catholic church was built. Other churches have come and gone. There has also been a Jewish presence in Meaford since the turn of the last century.
This project was made possible in part through the Canadian Culture Online Program of Canadian Heritage, Library and Archives Canada and the Canadian Council of Archives. We are also appreciative of local sponsorship from the Grey County Historical Society.
References:
Stanley Knight Ed. Pictorial Meaford: a pictorial history of the town of Meaford 1818-1991, Stanley Knight Ltd., Meaford, Ontario, 1991.
Vina Rose Ufland Ed. History of the Schools of St. Vincent Township and Other Chronicles, 1847-1967, St. Vincent Council, St. Vincent, Ontario, 1967.
These reference materials are available for viewing at the Grey County Archives.
