Penville, Ontario
Penville, Ontario | |
|---|---|
  Penville, Ontario  Penville, Ontario | |
| Coordinates: 44°3′20″N 79°42′47″W / 44.05556°N 79.71306°W | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| County | Simcoe |
| Township | New Tecumseth |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| GNBC Code | FDLTP[1] |
Penville is a dispersed rural community in New Tecumseth, Simcoe County, Ontario, Canada.[1][2]
History
[edit]Penville was settled in 1832 by the Ausman, Dale, and Penfield families, immigrants from Scotland who cleared the land for farming.[3][4]
A municipal government was established in Tecumseth Township in 1842, and Penville was the largest village in the township.[3][5] The early settlement had three taverns and five stores.[4] Black’s Methodist Church was erected in 1850, and a cemetery was established in 1858.[3] That same year, a town hall was built.[5] Penville had a large annual fair, described as having "about eleven entries of fall wheat, ten of spring, and 12 span of working horses that equalled any show in Toronto".[4] A post office opened in 1854.[6] By 1871, the population had grown to 130.[3]
Decline
[edit]Penville declined following the construction of the Hamilton and North-Western Railway in 1877, which bypassed Penville in favour of nearby Beeton.[7] Residents began leaving Penville, and by 1900, the settlement was "all but abandoned".[3] The post office closed in 1914.[6]
During the 1950s, the church building—which "hadn't had services in decades" and was being used as a granary—was demolished. The cemetery had 18 recorded interments, the last in 1933.[3] A commemorative plaque describing the history of Penville is located there.[8]
Several newer homes are now located in Penville.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Penville". Natural Resources Canada. February 16, 2021.
- ^ "New Tecumseth". Statistics Canada. November 2, 2016.
- ^ a b c d e f g Lockhart, Brian (January 22, 2021). "Penville - A Once Thriving Little Town That Faded Into History". The Times - New Tecumseth.
- ^ a b c Brown, Ron (1996). Vanished Villages. Polar Bear Press. p. 35.
- ^ a b "Appendix A: 9 Line Bridge Structure and Railway Level Crossing Appraisal" (PDF). Town of New Tecumseth. 2018.
- ^ a b "Penville". Library and Archives Canada. November 20, 2024.
- ^ "Town of New Tecumseth, Downtown Beeton Heritage Conservation District Study" (PDF). ASI. June 2018.
- ^ "County of Simcoe Archaeological Management Plan" (PDF). ASI. Retrieved November 23, 2024.