Banda is an unincorporated rural community in

Dufferin County Dufferin County is a county and census division located in Central Ontario, Canada. The county seat is Orangeville, and the current Warden is Wade Mills. The current chief administrative officer is Sonya Pritchard. Dufferin covers an area of , ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

, Canada. Officially located in Mulmur Township, Banda has historically been associated with both Mulmur Township and Nottawasaga Township (now Clearview Township), because it is located on the boundary between both townships.

History

Duff Lott and his grandson John were early settlers, arriving in the spring of 1845. A log schoolhouse, S.S. No. 6, was built in 1857, and a post office opened in 1860. The name "Banda" was selected by the first postmaster, John Clemenger, after looking at a map of the

East Indies The East Indies (or simply the Indies), is a term used in historical narratives of the Age of Discovery. The Indies refers to various lands in the East or the Eastern hemisphere, particularly the islands and mainlands found in and around t ...

where the

Banda Islands The Banda Islands ( id, Kepulauan Banda) are a volcanic group of ten small volcanic islands in the Banda Sea, about south of Seram Island and about east of Java, and constitute an administrative district (''kecamatan'') within the Central M ...

and

Banda Sea The Banda Sea ( id, Laut Banda, pt, Mar de Banda, tet, Tasi Banda) is one of four seas that surround the Maluku Islands of Indonesia, connected to the Pacific Ocean, but surrounded by hundreds of islands, including Timor, as well as the Halma ...

are located. That same year, the population of Banda had reached 50. During the 1860s, Banda was noted as having a wagon shop, shoemaker, blacksmith, carpenter, cabinetmaker, and stores. Christ Church Banda was established north of the settlement in 1865. The extant church and cemetery are today called Banda Anglican Christ Church. Banda Methodist Church (also called Baker's Church) was established west of the settlement in 1867, and in 1869, John Clemenger donated land for a cemetery there. The church closed in 1897 and has been removed, though the cemetery remains. Prior to the 1890s, a presbyterian church was also established. Banda became known in the region for its cattle fairs, which began in the 1860s.

Orange Lodge The Loyal Orange Institution, commonly known as the Orange Order, is an international Protestant fraternal order based in Northern Ireland and primarily associated with Ulster Protestants, particularly those of Ulster Scots people, Ulster Sco ...

426 established in Banda around 1870. The lodge had a fife-and-drum band. The Wilcox Inn, owned and operated by Joseph Wilcox, opened in Banda during the 1880s. The hotel later moved to Stayner. By 1890, Banda was receiving daily mail, and a

stagecoach A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...

stopped daily. The cost of the stagecoach was 25 cents. The settlement was described in 1908 as a "good dairying and fruit district", when its population had decreased to 30. The post office closed in 1915, and the school closed in 1965. Banda was described in 1977 as "a tiny crossroads community".

References

{{authority control Communities in Dufferin County