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61 plaques found that match your criteria
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Honourable Harry C. Nixon 1891-1961, The
Ontario's thirteenth prime minister was born on this farm and in l9l3 graduated from Ontario Agricultural College. A supporter of the United Farmers of Ontario, he was elected to the provincial legislature in 1919 as member for Brant North and served as provincial secretary until the defeat of the Drury administration in 1923. During the Liberal administration of Mitchell F. Hepburn (1934-42), he served as provincial secretary and minister in charge of the department of... -
Marysburgh Settlement, The
Following the American Revolution, Marysburgh Township was established for the settlement of Loyalists and discharged soldiers of regular regiments. Surveyed in 1784 by the Honourable John Collins, Deputy Surveyor-General, the township was named in honour of Princess Mary, a daughter of King George III. Among its earliest settlers was a small group of disbanded German mercenaries under Baron von Reitzenstein. By October 1784, this party, numbering about 40 persons, had settled in this vicinity and... -
Masseys at Newcastle, The
One of the world's largest manufacturers of heavy farm machinery, Massey-Ferguson has its foundations in a modest family business developed in Newcastle. Established in Bond Head by Daniel Massey, the fledgling operation was moved to large quarters here in 1849. For 30 years the Newcastle Foundry and Machinery Manufactory prospered under the shrewd management of three generations of enterprising Masseys. Capitalizing on the expanding wheat market, Hart, Daniel's son, skillfully adapted American-designed implements to suit... -
Niagara Agricultural Society, The
The first organization devoted to the improvement of agriculture in Ontario was founded at Niagara. Its original name, the Agricultural Society of Upper Canada, reflected Lieutenant-Governor John Graves Simcoe's hope that it would become a province-wide organization. Its members, mostly merchants, politicians, clergymen and gentlemen farmers, met regularly for dinner and discussion. They imported new varieties of fruit trees to the Niagara peninsula in 1794 and sponsored the province's first agricultural fair in Queenston in... -
Ontario Agricultural College, The
The portico was the entrance of the Frederick W. Stone farm house, the building in which the first classes of the Ontario School of Agriculture were held on May 1, 1874. Renamed the Ontario Agricultural College in 1880, this institution, the first college established on the University of Guelph campus, was affiliated with the University of Toronto in 1888. A Provincial Act of 1962 created the Federal Colleges of the Ontario Department of Agriculture, comprising... -
Peterson Road, The
The Peterson Road was named after Joseph S. Peterson, the surveyor who determined its route in this region. Constructed 1858-63 at a cost of some $39,000, it stretched about 114 miles between the Muskoka and Opeongo roads and formed part of a system of government colonization routes built to open up the southern region of the Precambrian Shield. Poor soil disappointed hopes of a large-scale agricultural settlement along this road both on government "free-grant" lots... -
St. Lawrence Market
In 1803, Lieutenant Governor Peter Hunter established a public marketplace here where farmers from nearby townships sold produce and livestock to residents of the town of York (now Toronto). A wooden building was constructed in 1820 and replaced in 1831 by a brick building, which was also used for city council meetings. The market expanded south of Front Street in 1844 with the construction of the Market House and City Hall. It was enlarged again... -
William Charles Good 1876-1967
A leading spokesman for Canadian agrarian and co-operative movements, Good was born and raised on Myrtleville farm. He early developed a strong sense of social responsibility and, returning here after attending the University of Toronto, he embarked upon a career that effectively combined public service with farming. Good initially focussed his attention on agrarian issues. In 1914 he helped found the United Farmers of Ontario and the United Farmers Co-operative Company, organizations he subsequently served... -
Williamstown Fair, The
Ontario's oldest continually operated agricultural fair received its patent on March 29, 1808, from Francis Gore, Lieutenant-Governor of Upper Canada. It is probable that at first, the local farmers simply gathered on the village common or streets. However, on June 25, 1814, Sir John Johnson, the founder of Williamstown, granted twelve acres for the express purpose of holding a fair and it has been held here annually ever since. Through the years, this fair, like... -
World Championship Wheat
At the 1954 Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, William E. Breckon of Burlington won the World Wheat Championship with grain grown on his Nelson Township farm about two miles north-east of here. He led the white winter wheat class seven times before becoming "wheat king" with a sample of Genesee, a variety developed at Cornell University, N.Y. Since western Canada's hard spring varieties had long dominated the wheat awards at the Fair, Breckon's world... -
Prince Edward County Fairgrounds
Formed in 1831 to promote better methods of farming, the Prince Edward County Agricultural Society held its first fair in 1836. This annual event quickly developed into one of the leading county fairs in the province, attracting hundreds of exhibitors and thousands of spectators. The business and social significance of the fair justified substantial investment in buildings. The Crystal Palace (1890) is a rare surviving example of a style of exhibition hall popular in the...