Otterville, Ontario
Coordinates: 42°55′36″N 80°36′12″W / 42.926766°N 80.603342°W
Otterville is a village in Norwich Township in Oxford County, Ontario, Canada. It is located on the Otter Creek with many historic features including Otterville Mill and Dam, Grand Trunk Station, African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery and a park.
Otterville was settled in 1807. 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. Otterville African Methodist Episcopal Church and Cemetery served the local black community until the late 1880s. The cemetery is one of the few preserved black pioneer burial grounds in the province and dates from 1856. In 1982 during the 175th anniversary celebrations of the community, a plaque was placed at the cemetery to commemorate the historical black settlement.
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 South Norwich Historical Society has restored this 1875 station to its condition as an 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 Railroad and early Black settlement of the area is another highlight, as well as the story of early Quaker heritage in the area.
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