Smithville, Ontario
| Smithville Ontario | |
|---|---|
| Unincorporated community | |
| Nickname(s): The Hub of the Niagara Peninsula, The Chicken Capital of Canada | |
| Coordinates: 43°5′50″N 79°32′47″W / 43.09722°N 79.54639°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional municipality | Niagara |
| Township | West Lincoln |
| Area | |
| • Unincorporated community | 4.61 km2 (1.78 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 200 m (650 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Unincorporated community | 4,491 |
| • Density | 944.6/km2 (2,447/sq mi) |
| • Metro | 13,513 |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Forward sortation area | L0R 2A0 |
| Area code(s) | 905 and 289 |
| NTS Map | 030M04 |
| GNBC Code | FCPLS |
Smithville is a community in the township of West Lincoln. The former police village is located on Highway 20 between Hamilton and Niagara Falls in the Niagara Region of Ontario, Canada. Smithville is the largest town and governing centre of the township of West Lincoln.
Smithville was first settled by Richard Griffin and his family, United Empire Loyalists who came from Nine Partners, New York in 1787. The names of his sons were Abraham, Edward, Nathaniel, Isaiah, Smith, Jonathan, and Richard Jr. They settled on Lots 8, 9, 10, Concession IX, on the Twenty Mile Creek in Grimsby (later South Grimsby) Township. Solomon Hill, who married Bethia, daughter of Richard Griffin, settled on Lot 6, Charles Meridith on Lot 7; Thomas Harris on Lot 11, and Thomas North on Lot 12. These lots, all in the 9th Concession became the settlement first known as Griffintown, but later renamed after Mrs. Griffin, whose maiden name was Mary Smith.
Edward "Ned" Griffin is sometimes claimed to be the real founder of the village. He was the one who felled the first tree, chose the village site, cleared the first acre of land, built the first house, and lived his entire life in the village. Another son, Smith Griffin, is credited with building a treadwheel in 1810. Settlers who wanted their grain ground were required to provide their own motive power by putting their oxen on the tread. Later, Smith Griffin built a dam and mill on the Twenty Mile Creek, making the treadmill obsolete. Smith also started an ashery, while his brother Edward opened a general store.
By 1849, Smithville had reached a population of about 150, and had been granted a post office with twice-weekly delivery. The settlement had a grist mill, a saw mill, a carding machine and cloth factory, four stores, one machine shop, one tannery, two blacksmiths, two tailors and two shoemakers.
Smithville first became a police village in 1887, however the arrangement was unsatisfactory and the village again became part of South Grimsby Township in 1889. It was not until 1914 that Smithville was reorganized into a police village on a more permanent basis. By the 1950s, the population had grown to approximately 1000 souls.
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Wikipedia